How to Acquire Your Green Dream Home

By Ron Rovtar
Ecobroker® Certified
303.473.1926

Are you really serious about living in a "green" home?

If  will buy in Boulder County, you definitely have chosen a great place to achieve your goal. Boulder City and Boulder County have enacted two of the toughest, most environment-friendly building codes in the country.  And the regulations seem to get more stringent every year.

However, the county's BuildSmart program and the city's Green Points and Green Building program are relatively new, meaning a small percentage of area homes have to date been built to these standards.  This means you still must make some important decision before choosing your new residence, especially if you will not purchase a brand new dwelling.

Here are your main options:

    •     Buy land, then hire an architect and contractor to design and construct your home. If you seek a truly Earth-friendly home this may be one of your best options, especially if you want a near zero-impact dwelling. Few existing homes produce as much energy as they use. One warning: this option requires much time and effort (and often, much money). Building your own home also can be frustrating at times. Local green contractors include companies like Ecofutures Building or Big Horn Builders.

    •     Purchase a newly constructed home from an ecology-minded community developer like McStain Neighborhoods. This can be easier and less time-consuming than starting from scratch. However, the builder may limit customization options. On the positive side, such companies usually are very familiar with installation of environmentally friendly construction materials and systems. Some also pay close attention to indoor environments, using materials less likely to cause respiratory or other medical problems.

    •    Acquire an existing home built to recent energy efficiency standards or updated with new insulation, an efficient heat source and quality double-glazed windows. Such residences may not be near-zero impact homes, but they can significantly reduce your family's carbon footprint and resource consumption. The advantage: many such homes are marketed each year. By relaxing your standards a bit, finding the right home with the right features will be considerably easier. You can make additional improvements as time and money permit. And several government and energy company programs may pay part of the costs. Other programs like Boulder County's ClimateSmart loan initiative, can make costs managable by spreading  the payback out over a longer time period. For more information about ClimateSmart, click here.

    •    Obtain a house with few or no green improvements, then upgrade as finances permit. Before you tackle a project like this, do your homework. Research current technology and decide which improvements will accomplish the most. Then get a good idea about costs and create a budget.

Upgrading can be a lot of fun. It also can be a lot of work and expense. But, when you finish, you will know that one less energy-guzzler exists in the neighborhood. Of course, if choose this route, you may want to stay in your current home and make the improvements there.

Consider two other factor when buying, building or upgrading an existing home.

First, The distance you live from places to which you frequently travel can have a major impact on your family's carbon footprint. If you move farther from work, friends and favorite shops, increased transportation costs may negate the benefits of your energy-efficient home.

Second, understand that green home building evolves rapidly. Todays systems, materials and home features may be very different from those you have become accustomed to. They may even be different from those in use just a year ago. Hiring a real estate agent schooled in green building will help make sure you are getting exactly what you seek. Agents who have complete the EcoBroker classes (such as the author of this report) or the National Association of Realtors® Green Designation course, will help you understand the basics.

This article copyright Ron Rovtar. All Rights Reserved.

Contact Ron Rovtar at 303.473.1926 or info@rovtar.com