I was recently asked if it has to be more expensive to build a green home. My answer is a clear and resounding nope. Even in Northern Virginia, if you follow my simple guidelines, you can still build a sustainable home on a budget.
Does it have to cost more money to build a green home?
No, it really isn’t more expensive to build a green, sustainable home. What you really have to take into consideration when you want to build in a more environmentally conscious way is how you want to approach the build. Here are some simple tips to get you into the green on a budget mindset: form your team and source your products from the very beginning.
You want to make sure that you have your team established from the get-go, so that everyone knows what the goal is from the outset. When your whole team understands what you want to achieve and you have lined out the strategy from the beginning, it is easier to stay within your budget and the parameters you set forth.
Next, you will want to make sure that you understand you selection options for interior features from your energy efficiency products and the HVAC and whole home systems down to the flooring and even the tile selections. You can go green down to the grout in the tiles; it is just a matter of making sure you budget accordingly and know how to source the materials. Link up with the green gurus around you and make sure you plot your course to stay on budget, because it does NOT have to be more expensive to build green, unless you want to make it so.
If you’re thinking about building a green home in Northern Virginia, I have some great tips and tricks for you. I also know quite a bit about the building process having grown up in the building industry and gotten my feet wet in real estate through the very high end custom home building industry. Let me answer some of your questions; you know you have them!
