WINNING! Save $, Improve Health, Increase Your Home Value, Support Our Environment

Green Built Homes-Making Efficient Decisions

 Builders opt from a variety of green features.  Rating systems are based on the number of features.  Certain features are deemed more important/effective than others.  These choices can be made by homeowners who want to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Austin Energy offers a tremendous amount of information when you are making these decisions.                                                                                                                   

Save Money and Resources

• The first decision is choosing the appropriate home site.  Large trees may increase the price of the property, but the energy efficiency that they can offer may make this a better decision, both aesthetically and financially.  Siting the house on the property, to gain air flow and avoid western exposure, is the next step.
• A home designed with large roof overhangs will shade the home and prevent direct heat gain.
• Radiant barrier is coating on the inside of the roof is one of the most cost effective and effective features you can add.  It has a metal ingredient that reflects the heat before it enters the space.  These barriers can be sprayed or painted onto the surface.
• With natural gas and water prices on the rise, properly-sized and highly-efficient furnaces, air-conditioners, and water heaters save money every month. They also require less maintenance than standard units.
• Energy Star® units use much less electricity and water than average appliances, and make a smaller dent in your family’s utility budget and helps to reduce the family's Carbon Footprint.
• Advanced lighting packages, including compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), offer excellent light quality, extremely long life, and require only a fraction of the electricity of a normal bulb.
• Optimally-insulated walls and roofs are an integral part of an energy-efficient and comfortable building “shell”. Built Green builders use both blown-in products and expertly-installed batts to ensure that no energy is wasted in heating and cooling the home.
• Draft-free, well-insulated low-emissivity (Low-e) windows make a significant contribution to the overall performance of the “building envelope”. And since they resist the transfer of cold air, they expand the area of useable, comfortable space in a room.
• “Low-flow” faucets, shower heads, and toilets perform at least as well as their water-wasting counterparts, and markedly cut back on the household’s increasingly-expensive “water budget”.
• Advanced irrigation practices take the guess-work out of watering the lawn and complying with water restrictions. Landscaped receive the optimal amount of water, and become less of a burden on homeowners’ time and wallets.
• Furnaces and water heaters are situated centrally to where they’ll be most often needed, and their lines and ducts are well-insulated to minimize energy losses. Less waiting for hot water and more consistent levels of conditioned air are the result. Tankless water heaters can be energy efficient.  Inquire about adding a pump to speed up the flow of the water.  Often, you can waste water when using a tankless water heater.  A pump will resolve this issue.
• Recessed lights can be the source of air leakage and associated thermal losses.  Air-tight versions of these lights solve this problem.
• “Xeriscape” yard treatments combine drought-resistance with natural beauty, and marry creativity to the goal of conserving water with the inclusion of hearty native plant selection.

·          Well-insulated doors are as stylish as any other, but offer the added benefit of correcting this thermal Achilles-heel of many building envelopes.

• Garage doors are often facing west.  If not properly insulated, they can cause a lot of heat gain in the garage.  If your garage is attached (not the greenest choice), this will add to your cost.

Durability and Low-maintenance

• Ask your builder how he plans to diminish construction waste.  Will the waste that does result end up in the land fill?  It can be ground at the site.  It can also be buried and create an attractive berm, to become part of the landscape.
• Expertly air-sealed building envelopes fitted with meticulously-detailed moisture planes combine to create a wall system that resists the degrading effects of air and water transmission that can plague lower-performing walls.
• Outdoor decking and landscaping products made from low-impact polymers and composite recycled products not only look better than many types of lumber, but they also wear several times longer and require much less maintenance over time.
• “Engineered lumber” can be used throughout the home’s frame, and can provide a straighter, stronger, more consistent structure that protects forests by using only fast-growing, rapidly renewable tree species.
• Reclaimed materials are one more version of sustainable, green building.  These materials also can offer a warmth and charm that can only come from reusing old, loved materials.
•  Tough, long-lasting exterior finishes like stone, stucco, and fiber cement siding help to ensure that a home endures for generations, and that it requires less upkeep over those years as well.
• Landfills are heaped with lower-quality roofing products, but that won’t happen when your builder selects either long-rated shingles or durable materials like slate, cement, or metal. Metal is a radiant barrier.
• Even simple items like downspout extensions on gutters provide an effective means of keeping water away from foundations and basement walls.
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Healthy and Comfortable Indoor Environments

• Ducts transport conditioned air from the furnace or air conditioner throughout every room in the house. Or at least they’re supposed to. Too often, installed ducts are leaky enough to create negative pressures in a home that draw combustion gasses from the furnace and water heater into the living space. Tight ducts prevent this potentially dangerous situation, and make sure that the correct amount of warm or cool air is reaching every room.
• Since tight home enclosures make outside air much less likely to randomly leak into the living space, mechanical ventilation is a great means of providing the right amount of fresh air for your family around the clock.
• Careful attention to the location and particular performance qualities of windows throughout the home contribute to not only increased energy efficiency, but also to protection from overheating, glare, and damage to furnishings from excessive solar radiation.
• Carpets made from recycled materials or from less toxic materials look great, wear like iron, and improve the quality of the air you breathe every day.
• Cabinets made with low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials or solid wood components are a stylish assurance that the air in your home is as free from these chemical baddies as possible.
• Low volatile organic compound (VOC) interior paints are to be applied for a more beautiful and healthy home.
• Best-practice air filtrations methods, whether high-efficiency air filters or others, offer added assurance for families with sensitive children or heightened concern for indoor air quality.
• When special sealing practices are undertaken to isolate the garage from the house, homeowners can rest assured that what comes out of their car won’t go into their lungs. Best decision is a detached garage.
• We have a frightening increase of asthma in children.  Improving home air quality is an important step to reduce this risk.
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Green Savvy Appraisers

Be sure that your lender has identified an appraiser who understands that energy efficiency improvements create a "front-end cost" that should be reflected as added value.  An article written in the Appraisal Journal stated that home value increases $20 for every $1 in energy savings.  It may be worthwhile to have an energy rating that will be available to the appraiser. 

Energy Efficient Loans

This is a win/win.  Improve your home, lower operating expenses, possibly get tax credits and rebates, and increase the value of your home.  With Energy Efficient Mortgages all of this is possible.  RESNET is a resource of residential energy resources. Armed with information on tax credits, mortgages, rebates, raters and continued improving home building products, you are in a position to make some very positive decisions, whether you are buying, building or updating.
Green mortgages are in the news.  Recently, I attended an ECO-BROKER conference.  Wells Fargo and Countrywide were there, with panelists and presentations about their loan packages, directed toward green building.  One interesting package offered to escrow funds to "green" a home, based on an energy rating and bids.  A buyer can roll this into their mortage. This is an important feature because property values will definitely increase when a property is rated energy efficient.  I have been searching the internet to offer more options.  I have not found the information that I expected.  That is not because the loans are not available.  It is such a new concept that the lenders have not updated their information on the internet. 

Shades of Green

When an industry experiences a shift, business opportunities result.  In the case of the Green Revolution, an entire industry of products and services is developing.  There are also those opportunists who will jump on the bandwagon without true values to offer.

 Earlier this week, I visted with a home builder who has a started his own subdivision.  I noticed that he had "GREEN HOMES" signs.  I asked what features made them qualify as green.  His answer was a radiant barrier and double paned windows-certainly very important features of a green home.  In no way would this be adequate to identify a home or development of homes as green.  I asked if they had been rated for efficiency and was brushed off with a comment about saving the cost of ratings to pass along to his customers..slick!

If a real estate agent or builder presents a house as being green, they should be able to quantify the features that are appropriate.  Energy ratings are one way.  Certifications by LEEDS are another.

If a vendor is representing a green product, what can he offer in the way of statistics that make the product effective and can references be provided.

Be sure to find out just how green is green. 

LEED me to answers for Green Living

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of green homes.  LEED offers a measure of green building features.  In Austin, credits are given for building green.  Outside Austin, in Travis County, that is not the case.  A circumstance that needs to be changed.  We need to challenge our County Commissioner to work toward similar incentives for those who live outside the city limits.

If you build or buy a house that is LEED rated, that house inherently has greater value than a house built with traditional methods and materials.  Green has become a household word. Often, there are trends:  media rooms, Tuscan, for example.  Green is no trend.  Green is the wave of the future.  As is always the case, there are leaders of a movement.  There is resistance, then more information is available.  Gradually, awareness breeds understanding.  Soon, the general public is on the bandwagon.  That is the case with green built homes. 

 What does all of that mean?  On average, people change houses after 7 years.  Just imagine 7 years from now.  How popular do you think green homes will be?  Or, what if you are trying to sell a non-green house?  A challenge.  That prediction should be taken seriously when you buy or build your next home. 

If you have a house that does not meet green standards, do not despair.  Start to educate yourself. Some lenders have already created loans to fund "greening" your home.  You can have an energy audit by a professional who will rate your house and recommend improvements.

We are about to experience a significant shift in how houses are built and valued.  There is a lot to learn.  As is always the case, there will be those who have empty offers, hoping to capitalize without offering true value.  If someone says it is green, ask how that has been determined.  We learned this at the grocerty store, when everything was labeled "nonfat" or "natural."  There are many builders and vendors who have made a committment to shifting their businesses to provide the product that, soon, will be demanded.

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Baby Boomers, Green Built Homes

 As our population continues to age, single story homes are more and more popular.  This is quite a departure from the large, Tuscan style homes that dominated the 90's.  Better use of space, less square footage, and an open flow are key requests.  Green built homes are in the forefront.  When seemed like a trend has quickly become the true wave of the future.  Ask about the builder's building practices. The average term between moves is seven years.  When you are ready to sell, seven year from now, what expectations will buyers have for the "green" characteristics.  It is going to impact property values.

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National Wildlife Federation

You can certify your property at a Wildlife Habitat by following a few practices that will also ensure that you have the joy of birds, butterflies and other wonderful animal friends in your own back yard. In our area, deer are as common as squirrels.  I know no-one who ever tires of seeing deer, especially when they accompany those precious fawns. The number of types of birds is as astounding as the intensity of the beauty of their colors and their songs.

 Provide a constant source of water.  Provide food in the form of flowers and trees and berry vines.  A rotting log will attact insects that certain birds love.  Milkweed is the life source of the Monarch Butterfly. Areas that offer lots of underbrush provide hiding and nesting areas. Bird houses and feeders are a plus.  Avoid pesticides and herbicides.  You will begin to notice the benefit right away.  The sign in your yard is just a cherry on top of the already wonderful sundae!

http://www.nwf.org/backyard/certify.cfm

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Baby Boomer Housing

Thinking About Buying Acreage

Life outside the city limits can be very rewarding.  You become acutely aware of your surroundings-of nature.  Sunrises, sunsets and beautiful views are, most often, what are advertised.  Rightfully so; they are spectacular.  What you don't see in the ads are many other,  thrilling things.  Walking upon a covey of quail, as the fly out of the grasses in front of you, with a big whirring sound.  Thrilling.  The sound of coyotes yipping, owls hooting.  Thrilling.  A gray fox staring into your headlights, as you drive along your road.  Thrilling.  My big thrill is the roadrunner, crossing my path.  Thrilling.  There is nothing like stepping outside in the still of a clear night.  The sky will be inky and the stars will asstound you.  Thrilling.

As you think about moving out of the city, to your own acreage, what lifestyle do you imagine? There are many ways to move "out."  Perhaps you want to acquire acreage as an investment that you can enjoy.  Maybe you want to play a role in preserving some of the acreage from development-or both.  You are allowed to homestead up to 20 acres.  Acreage, in excess of 20 acres, will be taxed at a regular rate.

Pay attention to the surroundings, when looking at property.  Who owns the property in the area?  What are their plans?  Are deed restrictions, in the area, suited to your expectations?  Don't assume tha the neighboring 30 acres won't build a house, and  block your view.  Stranger things have happened.  Could the adjacent property become a dirt bike park?  Or a dog breeding kennel?  These examples are pulled from real events.  Ask questions.

You may want to spread your wings, maybe 1-5 acres.  The same questions and investigation apply.  There are developments that have created 1-8 acre lots, within the development.  That can be a great way to insure that what you expect is what you will get.  In that case, the deed restrictions and HOA requirements will outline what you can expect.  Meet some of the others in the development.  Ask questions.

Land has continually been a winner for investors.  In Austin, we have the good fortune to be surrounded by unique properties, land that recalls legends we have learned.  What a great way to invest......and live.

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Growing West

Over the past decade, Bee Cave has exploded.  Spicewood has been the beneficiary of the commercial growth in Bee Cave.  Spicewood has lakefront access, river access, hill country and lake views-truly a rich and beautiful area.  The investment in Spicewood has been geared to higher end developments.  Spicewood offers good proximity to Austin, with the rugged beauty of a much more remote part of the Hill Country.

If you want to invest in property, Spicewood is a great investment.  There are only so many lots, 24 miles from Austin,  with views of Lake Travis, or tracts that offer hill country and lake views.  Because developers have committed to significant high end projects, the future is obvious.  I expect the values to hover where they are, more or less, for a couple of years.  When we get through the economic downturn, that now exists, I expect to see a sharp rise in property values, in Spicewood.  Buy now!

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Navigating Green Building

The past year has seen a huge increase in the interest in Green Building.  The topic has dominated magazine covers and products are now available to assist you with a green home.  Also, many builders and REALTORS have realized that there is profit in jumping on the GREEN WAGON.

I thought that green building was automatically more expensive.  Not necessarily so.  It is important to learn what works for your area, climate and lifestyle.  Additionally, finding a professional who is up to date will make a huge difference.  The industry is dynamic and the building material that was best, two years ago, may have been replaced by a more efficient, cost effective method or product.

 As a start, I would like to offer some sites that will become your resource.  Fred Baldwin, Austin builder and consultant, and partner in Blue Horse Building, has been my greatest resource.  I got this information from Fred.  http://www.bluehorsebuilding.com/links.htm

The National Home Builders Association is an excellent resource for staying on top of current information.

Also, check out the site for the Amierican Institute of Architects.  http://www.aia.org/walkthewalk/

If you are interviewing a builder, ask about the HER rating of homes that were previously built.  Home Energy Rating System is the first step to get an Energy Star Rating.  80, or lower is required.  What that boils down to is a 15% more efficient home, that the average.  The lower the HER number, the better.  A score of 51, or less, will entitle the builder to a $2,000 tax credit from the Environmental Protection Agency.  Often, the builder will pass along that savings.

Obviously, the better informed you are, the more effective you will be when discussing your loan with the real estate lender.  There are now lenders who are creating a specialty in Green Building.  Be sure to ask if your lender has a specialty.

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Single Story For Sale in Lakeway

•  single story - Beautiful single story home.  Built by Bobby Newton, who places great pride in the quality of his homes.  Energy efficient.  4 bedrooms, media or game room could also be a junior suite.  Signature wall of glass looks onto the back yard.  Great spot for a pool.

Lakeway, Travis County

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