We learned in our recent survey that there are still some misconceptions about green building and living in efficient and sustainable houses. Because of your interest in green architecture, I wanted to share these with you, along with our thoughts on some of those misconceptions and the general market appeal of these amazing homes.
Some of these might be surprising, so read on to see if any of them sound familiar!
Misconception: ‘Green homes look different’ Perhaps surprisingly, most of our homes look indistinguishable as Green Homes! Aesthetics are not tied to energy efficiency construction methods. We could make a classic colonial into a Passive House. And we have! (Have a look at our portfolio. Each house on our website is a true green home.)
Misconception: ‘I’ll have trouble with resale’ People love our houses so much that it’s a rare event that someone builds one and then sells it. In the last 200 houses we have designed, for example, this has only happened three times. In each case there was a bidding war and the house sold within weeks for above asking price. People are thrilled at the idea of living in a healthy environment with almost zero monthly operational and upkeep costs. What’s not to love?
Misconception: ‘I’m not sure everything will work.’ We build what we like to call the Teslas of houses. We may use the newest technologies, but all of the technologies we use have actually been in testing and use for years, if not decades. We create houses that are extremely well built, and like an electric vehicle, there is generally nothing to do to keep the house humming along. Just sit back and enjoy!
Misconception: ‘I’m afraid of the unknown.’ Even though green homes are not as common as traditionally built, the concepts are the same: Provide shelter, design for user friendliness and beauty, insulate, heat and cool. Sometimes the unknown turns out to be a truly welcome change. We start with beautiful houses that work, and consciously integrate healthy sustainable materials, extra insulation and higher efficiency heating and cooling systems to bring you a healthy, quiet, uncommonly comfortable and more long lasting product.
Misconception: ‘A ‘green’ house may end up being more expensive.’ This is a classic myth. They may cost up to 10% more to build, but- oftentimes -they cost the same or only 1% or 2% more than a traditionally built house. Yes, we spend more in windows and insulation, but we spend less in HVAC. In the end most clients find the cost difference negligible, especially given that they will spend almost nothing in operations over the life of the house.
We’d welcome the opportunity to continue this discussion -- and to share our extensive knowledge and architectural design experience with you.
We are the experts in bringing you healthy, sustainable, green homes, and we specialize in LEED, Net Zero and Passive Houses. Please read through our website to find out more!
