The green home is about to be upon us, in a big – or at least bigger – way. It may amount to one-third of the entire market by 2016, according to industry publisher McGraw-Hill Construction. Harvey Bernstein, the company’s vice president for industry insights and alliances and a civil engineer, explained how green has turned into a survival tactic for builders and remodelers, and why consumer sticker shock is no longer the issue it once was.
“Even in the economic downturn, when a lot of homebuilders went out of business or were shrinking, those that were green have held their own or have grown,” said Bernstein.
“In 2011, about 17% of all homebuilders would be considered dedicated green builders. We’re expecting that the overall green building and remodeling market will grow substantially in the next few years. By 2016, when we see the homebuilding market being back, we see one-third of all homebuilders committing to building at least 90 percent of their homes to green standards. Builders that aren’t knowledgeable about green are going to be left behind.”
Green building is defined as a home that’s built to the ICC 700 standard (a collaboration between the National Association of Home Builders and the International Code Council) or to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard or another credible standard. Or if it isn’t build to a standard, it must contain energy-efficient, water-efficient and resource-efficient materials and must involve improved indoor air quality.
Read the entire post at The Chicago Tribune | May 25, 2012
Renaissance Homes is an award winning Street of Dreams custom home builder specializing in green building, remodeling and renovations for the Portland market.
Awarded the Portland Homebuilder’s Association 2011 “Builder of the Year.”
