Throughout the Atlanta area, some new homes and renovated properties driven by green building concepts have received accolades for their environmentally friendly and energy-efficient features.
Home buyers and existing homeowners can learn a lot from the winners of the 2012 EarthCraft Awards, given by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities.
The EarthCraft program is a green building certification program in the Southeast. More than 24,000 EarthCraft buildings, including new and renovated homes, have been completed since the program began in 1999 (more details are available at earthcraft.org).
Three of the winners shared their tips for renovating and building green homes.
Warren Sirzyk, Renaissance Development Corp., based in Atlanta
The award: EarthCraft 2012 Gold Project of the Year, for a new Buckhead home
The tips: When creating a design for the home, recognize that green choices do often have an impact on the design, Sirzyk said. For example, open cell foam insulation (which can seal the air more, to reduce energy loss and improve air quality) often requires the walls and/or roof rafters to have additional depth. He adds that the homeowner should discuss and analyze with the builder the increased costs stemming from green construction vs. payback over time. Over time, green often costs less to live in and provides for a healthy home, he said.
Other tips:
- Improve the indoor air quality. For the award-winning home, he even used eco-friendly glue and special drywall plaster that minimized dust as the walls were sanded, as well as low VOC paint, floor finishes and caulk.
- Consider increasing insulation in the roof and walls, and sealing the home for air leaks to increase energy efficiency.
- Employ resource-efficient design and building materials, such as engineered wood and trusses, recycled products and recycled flooring.
- Use energy-efficient appliances, lighting, plumbing fixtures, etc.
- Minimize water use indoors and outdoors by incorporating features such as a rainwater harvesting system.
Neil Struby, Struby Construction, based in Atlanta
The home: EarthCraft Renovation 2012 Project of the Year, for a 1935 home in Atlanta's Morningside neighborhood
The tips: For the Morningside home, Struby Construction increased the house's size by 250 percent and reduced the total air leakage by 25 percent. The home used energy-efficient windows, HVAC units and water heaters. Another decision was to use spray foam insulation, which may be more expensive, but like the other upgrades, it will lower the energy bills during the year, he said. When adding onto a home, start by having an energy audit performed by an inspector certified by the Building Performance Institute, which is based in New York and is the nation's premier organization for building performance credentialing, quality assurance and standards setting. You can find a certified professional at www.bpi.org, then click on the Locator tab. The energy analysis, which typically costs about $1,000, can help homeowners determine the best way to spend their money as they expand the house but want to improve energy efficiency, he said.
Bert Thompson, Forest Brook Properties, based in Milton
The award: EarthCraft Platinum 2012 Project of the Year for a new modern home in Roswell. "The only thing that's traditional in the house is the concrete and the studs. Everything else is a green product, pretty much," Thompson said.
The tips: Get assistance from professionals who are knowledgeable about the green products you desire to include in the home. Some green products may cost the same as a traditional item, while others cause the price per square foot of the home to increase. "One of the benefits of building green is you can go with the budget and your pocketbook and take it where you want to go," he said. "The lifestyle and the healthy environment probably pay dividends down the road."
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