affordable housing

In my green building business, my mission is affordable housing. As you (and I) make decisions on what kind of foundation, systems, and other considerations for the construction of your home, I always look at the financial figures and think, "Where can I save money?" When I started this quest, often those"great" cost-saving steps instead cost me money.

• Remember when I bought those great windows at Habitat for Humanity's Restore and Craigslist? Great cause, great idea, recycling and all, cost $600, now I can't use them for my modern house kit. (Note to all: I will reuse them, somehow, maybe in a future barn. But in the meantime, they collect dust in the garage...)
• Remember when I spent five thousand dollars on shop drawings for another type of house framing where I would then have to insulate and pay for the labor to do so... and then I discovered SIPs (structural insulated panels- strong, incredibly insulated panels) for the same price quote? Ouch.

Oh well, that was before I founded Green Modern Kits.com so someone else wouldn't have to make those mistakes! ; )

So whenever I find great resources I will add them to my "resource" tab on the site, and whenever I find great tips I will add them to my green building blog under "money saving tips".

And here is my latest money saving tip:

Windows and Doors:

If you have time, know that your local Home Depot/Lowes, etc. have regular sales.

Wait for one. Even better, strike up a conversation with the guy with whom you'll be placing your order and ask him to help keep you informed on special deals.

Our prefab kits come with a window and door schedule. I took that schedule to my local XYZ Hardware Store to get the original price quote for my budget, which ended up being around $9,000.

Well, guess what? Next week my local store is having a 15% off sale.

15% off of $9,000 is... appreciated! You can then ask them to take it a step further: Ask them to send the bid to the buying headquarters. They then go to the manufacturer who will often take off another 5 to 12 PERCENT! Woo!

Hope that helps someone else in a similar situation in this internet ether.

Keep your fingers crossed as I wait for the final price!

(Which will then be posted in my "final costs" post)

Driven by rising energy costs and environmental concern, a trend is taking shape in cities and neighborhoods across the country. According to the National Association of Home Builders, green building increased 20 percent in 2005. And this past fall, the US Green Building Council added a certification program for green homes.

Global Green USA’s new book, Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, tells builders, architects, developers and affordable housing managers how they can reduce their utility bills and energy costs. The book describes best practices for green building, tips and tricks of the trade for building greener, cost-saving buildings on small budgets.

Utility bills and housing costs are becoming major drains on the average family’s income. One in seven families pays more than half its income for housing, according a June 2007 survey by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

“Rising energy costs are a huge drag on family budgets and on the economy as a whole,” said Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy at a Senate hearing on fuel assistance this week.

Transforming a residence to a more energy-saving, green home does not necessarily require an entire facelift. Upgrades in insulation, plumbing, energy-saving appliances, and flooring and roofing materials can make utilities bill shrink, and create more comfortable, healthier homes.

Tips from Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing include:

1. Install ENERGY STAR or pin-type fluorescent lighting and ENERGY STAR appliances

2. Design for natural ventilation and passive heating and cooling

3. Design for natural daylight

4. Use trees to shade elevations facing the east or west

5. Install light-colored or green roofs

6. Seal all plumbing and electrical penetrations

7. Install a timer delay or humidistat on the bathroom fan

8. Use low-water plumbing fixtures

9. Use recycled-content insulation, carpet, and drywall

10. Install a carbon monoxide detector

“Global Green USA aims to make green design affordable and accessible to everyone,” said environmentalist and Oberlin College Professor, David W. Orr.

Global Green USA, a national environmental organization has helped developers plan and build over 600 healthy, environmentally-conscious housing units. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing explores a wide range of case studies colorfully describing the unique features of developments in cities like Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and Chicago, Illinois, considering each of the projects’ financing and green building strategies. Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing is published by IslandPress and is available on their website.

Check back soon: BuildingGreen TV will feature a series of excerpts from these case studies here in the coming weeks.

I just had so much fun. David Day and I went to the Paint Studio he is building with SIPs and had a hands on demonstration on how (and why) we will be building our kit homes with SIPs.

It was so great, in fact, that I thought I'd lug out a video camera next week and post it for other contractors or enthusiasts to see.

So,
-let me know if this is something you want, and
-throw out some questions if you have any here, and I will ask them for you!

In the meantime, have a great weekend! : )