Questions to Ask a Green Home Builder

When you are looking into buying or building a green home, it is always wise to look very carefully before choosing your green homebuilder. A green builder can help the buyer to understand exactly what makes their potential home green and what makes their potential investment a wise one. Here is a general guide to help you to figure out whom to choose as your green homebuilder.

The first thing you should ask is if they have any professional memberships and affiliations. Any reputable home builder should be a member of the Home Builders Association or a similar organization. Most green home builder usually possesses special certifications, such as LEED and LEED Residential. This means that the builder underwent specialized training and certification to gain expertise and recognition as one who knows how to truly build a green home.

Ask the potential green builder about the areas of sustainability you wish to focus on. An experienced green home builder will be able to understand your needs and advise you on what is achievable. Some builders may have a stronger emphasis in some areas than others. This discussion can help you and the builder to develop an idea of possibilities for home.
It is good to look at the builder's past successful projects. Feel free to ask them for samples of their past projects that have been built green as well as references such as past clients. If some of their work has earned recognition by LEED or abides by ENERGY STAR standards, it shows that your home will also be a success story. You may even get some ideas from certain elements in their past projects.

It is helpful to have a discussion of your goals with the home builder. If you are buying or building a home, the builder can then understand your needs and will be able to suit you better. It will also help you to stay within your budget and be in a location that you prefer. You will also be able to get the most sustainable options possible explained to you adequately enough to allow you to make an educated decision.

EnviroCitizen.org has found that green home builders are becoming more numerous. They are responding to consumers' demands for sustainability. If more consumers such as yourself use green home builders for your building projects it will create a larger demand within the industry, making green building more accessible.