Green Building
Why Green Your Home Remodel?
Brock Builders HealthyBuilt Home
While remodeling your existing home as opposed to buying a new one may save you money and produce exactly what you want, incorporating green features and practices into the process may generate an even higher ROI.
A great place to start is to consult a custom home builder who also has experience in building green and HealthyBuilt Homes. At Brock Builders we are often able to incorporate green features with little change to the budget, but that also save the homeowner money over time.
Popularity Means Better Pricing
Many home remodeling fads cycle out rather quickly, but “greening” a remodel is a trend that’s here to stay. Popularity is so widespread in fact, that incorporating green features into your home will cost you less today than ever. Plus added incentives like government tax credits, longer product life-spans and long-term reductions in energy use are converting more homeowners every day.
Greater Availability and Design Options
With increased availability also comes a wider range of design options. In the past, green home features may have been thought of as “thrifty” or aesthetically unappealing, but today green home features can be luxurious, stylish, even cutting edge. And in the Asheville area, all levels of green remodels are taking place.
Community Benefit
If you are still unsure of whether or not your home remodel should be a little greener, consider the community impact. Using greener practices doesn’t just benefit your family, but also the builders, painters and all contractors who are hired to help make your dream home a reality.
Brock Builders has green home building and remodeling experience, plus the Certification to remodel older homes that may contain lead paint that became required by law earlier this year. Please contact us if you would like to discuss the options for “greening” your home.
Wood Flooring Options for Custom Homes
Wood flooring is a long running favorite among home owners. But with choices ranging in price, look and eco-friendliness, it helps to understand the basics. The first step you should take is consulting your custom home builder who will already have a strong understanding of what fits your home and budget.
Cost
While lower priced wood flooring materials have gained popularity in these economic times, it’s important to understand not only what you’re paying up front, but how a material will handle the test of time.
Some homeowners may want a flooring choice that has a low up-front cost and are not concerned with how it will wear in 10 years, like a low grade number one or two oak. However, most homeowners prefer to invest a little more up front for a product that’s going last, such as a Brazilian cherry.
Green Factor
Green wood flooring like bamboo is appealing, but for it to truly be eco-friendly, this renewable wood source must be local, not shipped across an ocean from Thailand. If you want a green wood flooring option, talk to your certified green builder who can help you find out what’s available locally.
Use
In newer homes, the floor plans are typically more open, making wood throughout a great choice. But wood flooring in kitchens and bathrooms will likely be damaged by water and wear over time, making cork and engineered wood products may be a better choice.
Again, this is where your home builder may be able to help, as he will have a greater understanding of a room’s use matched with an aesthetically appealing floor.
Green Landscaping Adds Great Value
Native Rhododendron Calendulaceum
One of the easiest and too often overlooked ways to add green-value to your HealthyBuilt home build is through the incorporation of native and organic landscaping. The use of native, drought-resistant plants is quickly becoming a best-practice for saving money and doing your part for saving the planet.
Better Plants
The shift from reliance upon chemicals for healthy, beautiful greenery towards the use of processes that more closely resemble what nature intended will actually help to harness the plants’ naturally defenses and result in stronger, healthier plants.
Better Value
The use of native species and good planning to incorporate the plants into the space you’re working with can help cut down on unnecessary time and financial expenditure for maintenance.
You may even wind up saving money in ways you never expected—proper placement of the right trees can actually help reduce cooling and heating costs! So in short, well thought out landscaping means less work, less money and less waste winding up on its way to the landfill.
Better ROI
Another great reason to invest in a healthy, green landscape is the ROI you will see in the form of added value to the home. Typically, the full cost of landscaping, if not more, can be recouped at resale. As a rule of thumb in the real estate market, the right landscaping can easily translate into a 10% increase in property value.
Certified Green Builders Produce ROI
HealthyBuilt Home by Brock Builders
The ROI for incorporating green features into your home is apparent. But did you know that in order to make the most cost effective and energy efficient choices for your new custom home or remodel, your builder must have invested ample time and money into the proper educational and certification programs?
Adding green building features to your home has become an even smarter investment with government tax break incentives in the mix. But a lag time between the supply of certified green builders and homeowners looking for these services is to be expected. We at Brock Builders have remained on the cutting edge of the WNC green home building movement and do possess the proper certifications.
Adding green features can range in complexity from simple ENERGY STAR appliances and windows to expertly architectured geothermal wells. So when searching for the home builder for your job, look for a company with both the certifications as well as the experience.
In order to receive your ROI, these green features must be expertly incorporated into the plan and build of your home. Certified HealthyBuilt Home Builders in WNC like Brock have the know-how and the man-power to seamlessly incorporate your green home includes.
10 Must-Have Features for Your Home
Attractive Stone Flooring, A Design Favorite
The global economy has greatly influenced home design, giving life to some unexpected trends. Consumers are building and buying homes that are smaller, smarter and greener; quite a contrast to the bigger-is-better, lavish-excess of recent years.
Whether you are planning to build a new home, buy or remodel, you should familiarize yourself with these emerging trends, which appear to be here to stay:
Energy Efficiency is Key, Smarter is Better
- ENERGY STAR Appliances—Stylish, up-to-date kitchen appliances can make a great impact on your home’s visual appeal. But even more importantly these days—they can also save you money. With energy tax credits and the money you’ll save over time on utility bills, adding energy efficient appliances to your new home has never been so important.
- Water Catchment Systems—Incorporating native, drought-resistant plants into your landscaping is great-looking and good for the planet. But did you know that you can make your yard even greener by installing a rainwater catchment system. Gutters deliver rainwater into insect and bacteria resistant barrels, which can later be used for watering gardens and several other non-drinking purposes.
- Energy Saving Building Includes—With utility costs on the rise, homeowners are looking for houses that are well insulated and sealed from the beginning. Drafty, leaky houses are costing too much to maintain, and using up too much energy to heat and cool.
- Tankless and Solar Water Heaters—Another way to quickly run up your monthly bills is by paying to much for those winter-defrosting hot baths. Solar heating systems make great, natural use of existing sunshine to heat your hot water, leaving you paying for just those not-so-sunny days.
- Natural Flooring—Bamboo, cork, wood and stone have long been favorite flooring choices of interior designers, but did you know that they also help create a healthier, chemical-free environment in your home.
- Outdoor Rooms—With rarely used, formal living rooms becoming a thing of the past, outdoor living and dining spaces are quickly taking over. Some popular features include large, space-heating stone ovens, built-in seating made of natural materials and huge, welcoming dining tables.
- Smaller, Smarter Spaces—Bigger-is-better is a mindset of the past. Huge homes with extra rooms mean higher monthly bills, and lower spacial efficiency. Homeowners are instead choosing open and accommodating floorplans.
- Smarter Storage—Built-in kitchen islands, perfectly organized garages and tons of closets can help make better use of your square footage. Too little storage means clutter and large furniture pieces to accommodate closet overflow. But adding extra storage into your build means seamlessly making room for all of your belongings.
- Smart Home Systems—If you knew how much energy it was actually using, you may be more likely to turn that light off when you leave the room. Smart Home Systems not only allow you to heat and cool based on the times of day that someone is home, but they can also tell you just how much power is being used at a given time.
- Front and Side Porches—Outdoor spaces add square footage and traditional attractiveness to your home. Whether you’re enjoying a summer evening out front under a ceiling fan or rocking in a chair watching the sunrise, front and side porches enhance your home’s welcoming curbside appeal.
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