On The Greener Brick Road - Asheville Home Building

Green advertising is seen everywhere. From Waste Managements' Worldwide commericial campaign, to Green Building, Green Dishes, Green Vehicles (fuel efficient, bio-diesel, electric), Green Pet Food, and so on. I was talking to a builder the other day who preached Green Construction, but only knew about solar panels and some premium insulation options. There is so much involved and many times there is always a better or greener choice. Green is quality, but there are many tiers. Some builders offer green options, but let the clients make the final decision. Others only build totally green with the greenest most costly products they can find. Of course this is easy with spec building because the green decisions, as minimal as they can be, are made by the builder. Buyers are becoming a lot more conscious about the quality of green and it is a major selling point for Realtors and Builders alike. Yes, there will always be buyers who are looking for the lowest price and green is not even a consideration. Our message to all? Live greener, build better, and put back into the universe where and when possible.

With research, you can build a standard green home very economically. You can also easily triple the price of the project if budget is not a concern. Gary talked to a Builder who wanted 2x10 stud walls filled with icnene and 2 inches of foam on each side and would not build otherwise. Crazy or "Green Sense"? What is right, what is wrong, what is green, what is greener, what is greenest? That is the question. Asphalt shingles are not "green" and the recycled ones have less life so they are not a good choice. The National Association of Home Builders Research Center reports 20 Billion pounds of asphalt shingles are dumped into U.S. landfills each year. Metal roofs and cement composite roofing products such as simulated shake and slate have become the wiser choice. At the end of the life of cement, it can be ground up into sand, so it is recyclable. Living Green and Building Green seemed to start as a fad but has quickly become the strong standard. One of our Local Builders talked about having to "Roll with Green or get rolled over by builders who did". In other words he heard the voice seriously telling him to "Get Green or Get Out"! Have we not heard and believed it yet?

*An article taken from www.AshevilleBuildingAndRealEstate.com