October 5, 2000

Builders, counties partner for green homes

A new program that aims to build 5,000 homes over the next decade that save energy, have good indoor air quality and are constructed in an environmentally sensitive manner has launched in King and Snohomish counties.

Specialized Homes is offering this 'Built Green' home at the StoneField at Pine Lake development in Sammamish.

"Built Green," developed in partnership with the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and the county governments, provides a checklist for homebuilders to meet the program standards. In return, builders get marketing materials like yard signs and decals to let consumers know that their potential home purchase has a reduced impact on the environment. Plus, the energy efficiency standards save money.

So far, says Doug Lengel, education director of the Master Builders, "We have about 30 members of the MBA in the program. That's the hardest part," he says, "getting the early signers."

But encouragingly, says Lengel, a green housing program in Denver, on which this one is modeled, took nearly a year-and-one-half to get 30 participants.

"We put it in the education department to educate builders about what's possible and consumers about what's available," Lengel says.

The program has four main components: site selection and development for the protection of salmon habitat; materials selection for structure longevity and occupant health; energy conservation for owner savings and to reduce fossil fuel consumption; and indoor air quality for occupant health.

At the beginning, participants have to go through an orientation where they learn what practices lead to program points. The points lead to a Built Green star rating of one through three.

Specialized Homes, which constructed one of the first Built Green homes in Sammamish, is certified at the three-star level. The Seattle-based company was founded by Bob Niemann and Dee Wyman seven years ago to build homes that were more in tune with the Pacific Northwest's environmental ethic.

Wyman says the energy savings in a Built Green home are substantial. "The range is 26 to 40 percent," she says, "compared to a regularly constructed house."

Some of the energy savings items in the checklist include locating furnaces and water heaters centrally to reduce the size of their distribution systems, design features like south shading and windows oriented for passive solar energy.

During construction, points are awarded for keeping impervious surfaces to a minimum, protecting trees and reducing the amount of grading. There are more than 150 items on the checklist that directly relate to salmon protection and preservation, according to program materials.

To be sure, building a Built Green home costs a little more, about $5,000-$10,000 more, estimates Wyman. But she says, "We budget for it." And in this competitive housing market, the price of a Built Green house isn't going to differ a lot from a standard built one.

And, in the long run, she notes, "The energy savings is there for the homebuyer."

Previous columns:

• Modular construction goes to new heights, 09-28-2000
• Affordable housing to be studied at conference, 09-21-2000
• County trying to curb construction waste, 09-14-2000
• Nuprecon expanding its services and markets, 09-07-2000
• KJM rides transit boom, 08-24-2000
• Seattle Iron & Metal streamlines its operations, 08-17-2000
• More than meets the eye at 505 Union Station, 08-10-2000
• A frothy solution to fend off earthquakes, 08-03-2000