Environmentally friendly building practices are a hot topic in the remodeling industry.

Source: REMODELING Magazine
Publication date: 2006-10-01

| By Hayden Alfano |

Green building — and its remodeling equivalent — isn't as new a concept as you might think it is. Depending on where you live, you may have only recently discussed it with your colleagues or had a client ask about it. This may even be the first time you've given it any real consideration. But builders and remodelers in a few markets — most of California and parts of the Pacific Northwest, and Atlanta, to name a few — have been practicing it for years.

Slowly but surely, however, the country as a whole is embracing the trend of environmentally responsible building practices (see “Defining Earth-Friendly Building,” for more information). It's probably no accident that the upturn in the popularity of green in the housing industry coincides with the general public's growing interest in natural and environmentally friendly products across the board.

Of course, not every homeowner's reason for embracing green is completely altruistic. With fuel prices rising in recent months and a tightening economy, energy efficiency is a big draw for new-home buyers as well as people looking to remodel.

Eco-friendly products, such as cork flooring, are gaining popularity with consumers, though price is still a concern for some.

The growing popularity of Energy Star — the energy-efficiency program managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy — is a testament to that. Jonathan Passe, communications coordinator for the residential branch of the Energy Star program, says that approximately 165,000 new homes — roughly 10% of the nation's housing starts — were Energy Star–qualified last year. Consider that over the 10-year life of the program roughly 600,000 of these homes have been built, and it's clear that its popularity is growing. Passe says that around 200,000 Energy Star–qualified new homes will be built in 2006.

“The purchase of Energy Star–qualified products is on the rise,” Passe says, “and more and more manufacturers are participating.” He adds that user searches on the Energy Star Web site for things such as energy efficient products and instructions on how to seal up homes are increasing.

Darlene Gayler's experience confirms the notion that energy conservation is an important issue with today's homeowners. “They are usually interested in the energy-efficient products,” says Gayler, who co-owns Gayler Construction, in Danville, Calif., with her husband, George. “However, they usually are reluctant to give up the pretty things that aren't green,” such as countertops, cabinets, and flooring. “It's hard to get them off of oak and hickory.” Not helping matters is the fact that the green alternatives are also generally more expensive; people may be willing to give up a little bit aesthetically for the good of the environment if it saves them money, but won't if it adds costs to what is already an expensive endeavor. Gayler Construction has had clients who have shown interest in doing an entire project green, but “cost made it impossible at a certain point,” according to Gayler.

Passe is hopeful that more energy-efficient products will become increasingly mainstream as demand increases. “When recycled paper [first] came out, it was more expensive, and the quality wasn't as good,” he says. Now, almost all paper is recycled, and it's impossible to tell the difference.

Recycling lumber is one way to cut costs while protecting the environment.

Speaking of recycling, reusing building materials is another way to make a project green while simultaneously saving that other green — money. ReStores — building materials recycling centers affiliated with Habitat for Humanity — offer used doors, windows, light fixtures, cabinets, ceramic tile, and lumber at significant discounts in more than 450 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The ReStore concept originated in the early 1990s, and the fact that it's enjoying increased popularity nationwide is a testament to the growing interest in environmentally responsible building.

Habitat is also getting into the act through local affiliates building energy-efficient homes. “An increasing number of affiliates are using these techniques,” says Kate Pride Brown, Habitat spokeswoman. Habitat affiliates across the country, in Olympia, Wash., Austin, Texas, and Green Bay, Wis. regularly build green. In fact, the Metro Denver Habitat affiliate recently built a “net zero energy” house, and the affiliate in Butte, Mont., completed one with photovoltaic panels.

As much success as ReStore and other recycling programs are enjoying, there's still a lot more that can be done. It's estimated that as much as 80% of a house can be recycled, but the ReStore Web site cites an EPA statistic that states that just 20% to 30% of all construction and demolition waste in the U.S. is recycled each year.