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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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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Working with your custom home builder in a part of your home you may not have imagined, you can add useful square footage in the form of an outdoor room.   Backyards are too often laid with grass and beyond that, left virtually empty, save a swing set, rusty old grill, or tract of space for your dog to run.

Outdoor Kitchen

Modern outdoor rooms have expanded upon the old backyard favorites in ways that provide function in a luxurious package.  Simple grills have been replaced with built-in outdoor kitchens with massive stone and pizza ovens, perfect for entertaining year round.  Warm summer nights can be enjoyed outdoors with friends over a fresh baked pizza.  Cold winter nights are made warm by gathering around massive stone ovens, while piping hot soups boil up atop an outdoor stove.

Outdoor Living Space

Tattered patio furniture has been become a thing of the past.  Replacement options include built-in seating units with removable cushions, tall stools seated before an outdoor bar and rustic wooden dining tables and chairs.  Built-in furniture, like benches and sofas can add a natural appeal to your outdoor space at a minimal carbon footprint by using indigenous materials.

Indigenous Landscaping

No room is complete without the right decor.  And for outdoor rooms, that means landscaping.  Working with your HealthyBuilt Certified Home Builder, you can incorporate native plants into your outdoor space, which will require little to no maintenance.  Eradicating plants that are exotic to Western North Carolina in favor of native species will create harmony in the ecosystem of your outdoor space to ensure the health and well being of forces who also appreciate your outdoor space, such as migrating birds.

Since recent studies suspect perfectly manicured lawns as one of a home’s largest carbon producers, transforming your dull, grassy space to a luxurious outdoor room can even be beneficial for the planet.

Whether you’re looking to add life to your existing home in the form of an outdoor room, or you want to create a special entertaining space in your new custom build, speak with your home builder to make use of this valuable space.

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Earlier this year, new performance requirements went into effect on all ENERGY STAR windows, doors and skylights.  Knowing how to identify these labels when purchasing your new energy efficient products is vital to making good investments and ensuring eligibility for tax credits.

Red and Black Labels

ENERGY STAR Red Label

There are two new ENERGY STAR labels to watch for.  The label shown at right was rolled out in October of 2009.  Appearing in either red or black, this label identifies window, skylight and door products which will no longer meet the high-efficiency ENERGY STAR standards effective April 1, 2010.

Blue Label

ENERGY STAR Blue Label

The new, blue label will help you identify ENERGY STAR products that are eligible for tax credits up to $1,500 when installed in 2010.

To ensure the highest level of energy efficiency and tax credit eligibility in your ENERGY STAR purchases, it is always important to consult your green home builder.

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Budgeting for the Right Appliances

Kitchen appliances typically account for about nine percent of the budget when building a new home.  Therefore, the life expectancy of each of your new appliances should be a long one.  Plus, whether or not your new house is a HealthyBuilt green home, you may want to consider installing EnergyStar appliances which may cost more upfront, but will save money on energy bills over time.

Use of Your Kitchen Appliances

Refrigerators can eat up the biggest chunk of your appliance budget, so choosing the right one for your home and family is vital.  Some internal features to consider are shelving depth and space, Twin Cooling technology, gallon door door bins and water filters.  While the external look, feel and dimensions of each piece are vital to maintaining design harmony in your kitchen, first considering your family’s cooking style and eating habits will help determine which one is right for you.

Talk to your family and make a note of how you typically use your stovetop and oven to help select the right ones for your new kitchen.  Some cooks are loyal fans of gas ranges, while others prefer the sleek look of modern electric stovetops.  While the overall look and feel of your kitchen appliances is important, performance and preference take the lead in selection.

The kitchen sink is becoming an increasingly popular site for putting your design eye to good use.  Attractive hardware, under-counter mounts, different color options, shapes and materials all allow you to express your inner kitchen designer.

Your new kitchen appliances each serve a unique purpose, but by working with your builder, each one can be integrated into the design of your new kitchen to create an inviting space for both cooking and gathering.

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Tax Credits for Solar Hot Water Heaters

Long, hot baths don’t have to be a waste of energy.  Solar hot water systems can heat the water for your kitchen or bath without running up your electric or gas bill.

In fact, many homeowners are now replacing traditional hot water heaters with solar powered systems, proving to be a revolution in green building.  Solar water heaters use collection plates and highly insulated storage tanks to harness the power of the sun, thereby reducing carbon footprints and saving money on energy bills.

Systems are categorized as either active or passive.  Active systems circulate the water within the tank using pumps or coils.  While passive systems rely on gravity and the water’s natural temperature based circulation.  An experienced green builder can advise you as to which system fits with your solar water heating needs.  Some factors to be considered include your home site, local building codes, and the size of your family.

Whichever system you choose, the benefits can be astounding.  According to some statistics, solar water heating systems can reduce your monthly utility bill, essentially paying for itself in less than five years.  Your home builder can also help you to comply with federal tax credit regulations regarding a new solar hot water heating system to further help in covering the costs of the unit and installation.  Federal tax credits will pay for up to 30% of the cost of installation of an energy star solar water heating system, but only if the system is installed before the deadline of December 31, 2016.

It’s important to contact your green building specialist as soon as possible to discuss the solar heating options for your home to start saving money and energy.  Whether you’re building a new construction or updating the system in your existing homes, it’s a win-win situation for all homeowners.

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Custom home by Brock Builders

Do you like the idea of coming home to the lights properly illuminated, a favorite song playing and the air or heat turned to a desirable temperature? What about the ability to open the front door with a keypad lock or fingerprint and no longer needing to fumble for keys? Home automation, better known as smart homes, make this and much more, possible.

Smart homes have the ability to simplify our daily lives into one of freedom and convenience. When building a custom home or undergoing a home remodel, it is important to work with a qualified general contractor who understands home automation. While you may only have the need for a basic package, such as a lighting system, it is still recommended to use a general contractor to assist with the wiring and installation.

What exactly is smart home automation?

A smart home is not just a home of the future, but rather an integrated way to wire a home to a network that controls all of the functions at once. Whether you prefer to use a remote control or wireless access is dependent upon the amount of home automation you wish to have. The heart of the smart home system is the network, which feeds from one main source of wiring and eliminates the need for several components, such as DVD, CD player and lights that are individually controlled.

Home automation systems are available in easy-to-use kits that allow the homeowner the freedom to install timers and wireless gadgets with the ease of a remote. The remote often controls appliances such as lighting, HVAC, and stereos. True home automation, however, is a much more complex system yet features many benefits and simplifies day-to-day activities.

Energy savings are just one of the many benefits of having an automated home, as the homes are typically more efficient. Some home automation systems heat and cool based on the time of day, while others adjust the temperature when someone is physically in the home. The networks can also automatically tell appliances to reduce function levels or go to “sleep,” thus lowering electric bills.

For those only wanting to program the home’s lights and HVAC, smart home technology is not as expensive as one may think. But for those looking for a more complex automated home, there are several exciting advances in wireless home automation and home automation electronics. A few new examples include:

• Programming your thermostat, oven and music from the Internet when not even in the home
• Illuminating the home with light before pulling in the driveway, or out of town to simulate someone is home
• A set of security cameras tied into the lighting system and doorbell
• Having a video feed of your favorite television station and making it visible in every room of the home you enter…and more!

Whatever you envision in a home of the future, chances are likely that it can be done. As technology and imagination continue to grow, smart homes will hopefully one day work in complete harmony to improve our daily functions.

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