Congratulations on your choice for a green home! Now it's time to ensure it's a smooth build.

When most people set out to build their green home, the obvious first step is to find the right design team. And while I agree, you want to partner with an architectural firm that puts green first, as in, the idea of sustainability isn't an after thought, but rather, a fully integrated component in the planning process - you also want your construction crew to be thinking in the same terms.

When approached with a new project, it's rare for our clients to have a contractor already involved, so they turn to us for referrals. However, unlike your design team, you need your construction crew to be as local as possible, so even though we have our favorites, they're not always the best option due to their location.

It IS something that should be handled at the outset of your design process, because the integrated approach will save you a lot of hassle, and help you get the most efficient building that meets and exceeds your expectations.

We always recommend hiring your contractor at the same time as you hire your design team.

So, I put together a list of to-dos and questions to help you find the best contractor for your project.

MORE LIKE THIS: How to Save Yourself (Not Your Planet) With Sustainable Home Design

The to-dos that will lead to a better green home design and construction process:

1. Interview 2 - 4 contractors

You want to select your contractors based on qualifications, not those who promise the lowest price - especially so early in the process. If you're doing it right, you're making this choice before the design process is underway, so they can add their input as we go.

2. Ask good questions

Building green is a specialty type of construction, so you shouldn't expect ANYBODY with a license to build to be able to deliver the goods to your green home. That's why we put together this list of important questions to ask to make sure you're not getting a lemon.

If they can't answer these questions, or find it difficult to be specific, you may want to keep looking. Mind you, these aren't ALL related to building green - some of them are just good questions to ask your contractor, so you are able to set realistic expectations and partner with credible companies that won't leave you hanging.

COMPETENCY:

1. Have you ever built a LEED certified home in the past?
   • If so, what level of certification was obtained?
   • What were some of the significant areas for efficiency?
2. Have you worked with a LEED provider in the area on a prior project, whom you'd be able to pull into this one?
3. Have you constructed a home that has a HERS rating of 30 or better?
4. How many homes are you typically building at any given moment in time?
5. Can you or your subcontractors help us evaluate alternative heating and cooling systems that are more energy efficient, and help us determine relative costs of the various systems?
6. Have you been involved in solar PV installations on any of your homes?
7. Have you built with alternative wall system types, such as ICF or SIP?
8. Have you ever installed solar hot water in any of your homes?
9. How much of your work is design/build versus construction only based on somebody else's design?
   
   

TEAM:

1. Who will we work with on a day-to-day basis duringpre-construction and construction?
   • Do you have a superintendent that you will be assigning?
2. Do you have preferred subcontractors who you like to use for your LEED and high energy efficient homes?
3. And are you okay with us suggesting some subcontractors?

COST STRUCTURE:

1. We would like to hire a general contractor based on qualifications and then work on price, and we would like to have the general contractor competitively bid the project to multiple subcontractors. How do you handle your pre-construction services, and how do you charge for them?

2. What is your standard form of owner/contractor agreement for the construction? 
   • Do you have a pre-construction agreement, or is it all-in-one?
3. Do you often work with allowances?
   • How do you manage all the detailed selections that need to be made (Such as a finishes, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures etc.)?
4. Are you used to doing monthly draws or milestone draws, such as when the foundation is complete, when the framing package is complete, etc.?

TIMING:

1. How long do you think it will take to build this house?
2. How much time do you need from the completion of the permitting bidding documents to the time that you can present a final price?
3. How do you limit waste, and how do you manage the waste that is created and divert it from the landfill?

3. Trust your gut

Have an honest and meaningful discussion with your potential contractors.  Trust your gut.  You can get a sense of the personalities involved and how they will mesh with yours.  Convey your goals and see if there is genuine passion from the contractor to help you obtain them. The design and construction process is complicated and fluid, which means that you need to find a contractor you feel comfortable with and that you trust.  

MORE LIKE THIS: Why Choose a Green Roofing System

CONCLUSION:

Building a new home is an exciting experience, and when you're designing it based on ideologies you believe in, such as sustainability, you should not have to compromise important goals late in the game because your contractors weren't rowing in the same direction as you and your design team.

Bring them in early and ask the hard questions up front to avoid unexpected expenses and unnecessary setbacks - Not only will you be happier with the end-result, something that you literally have to live with every single day, but you'll be happier about the process itself.

At Carlson, we believe in the integrated design process, which means bringing your team together early. Because of this, we are also hired as eco-consultants. Are you interested in learning more from a Carlson Studio Architecture professional? Schedule an appointment today!

You can also download this handy ebook on how to design your green home:

Sustainable home design intuitively points toward saving the planet, but what you may not know is that you're actually saving yourself.

Green Build 2015 in Washington DC just finished up. It was the 13th straight USGBC Green Build Conference I attended since its humble but powerful beginning in 2002. With nearly 30,000 attendees today, the conference is starting turn heads in more than just the architectural community, and it was really exciting to see so much enthusiasm for sustainability.

I have often argued that humankind and nature are not separate, and that when we say we want to save the planet, our interests are actually much more self-centered than that. The planet is going to be fine, and it can and WILL take care of itself.  It may need to make adjustments that we don't like in order to heal, which may impact the way of life we are clinging to.

Deepak Chopra, our opening speaker, was actually very clear on this point. He said that we are literally one with the environment, and that there is no separation from ourselves and it. From the smallest code in our DNA to the planet, to the Universe, we are all made of the same stuff. 

There were many inspiring education sessions this year, but two really stuck out to me. The first is Barry Svigals, Architect - whose topic was “The Seeds of a Renewed Commitment."

Mr. Svigals’ firm designed the replacement school for the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Monroe, Connecticut.  This is what he had to say:

1. a global crisis exists on two fronts

Both natural and social ecologies are in crisis.  Citing Henk Ovink, of the Netherlands, who believes we don't have the will to solve our problems right now, he stated that this is an ongoing topic.

Can we solve our own problems before the natural and social ecology crises cause devastating effects on our lives?  Do we have the foresight to act now in a pro-active manner, or are we destined to react when our efforts will be less effective and more costly?

2. who we are and how we do matter

It's not just what we do, but how we participate in what we do that makes a difference.  There is no "THEY".  There is only us.  Mr. Svigals talked about social affection that occurred natural in the US during the early days of this country.  There were social networks where everyone cared for everyone.  He gave the example of John and Abigail Adams who were famous for their social affection.

As he spoke of the design for the New Sandy Hook School it was inspiriting to hear the community has chosen to rebuild their school and their sense of community based on goodness, hope, love, and openness.  Remembering the tragedy, one would not blame them if they wanted to build a bunker, a fortress, or a prison to separate the outside world from their students.  But that would be a perspective of fear, and they instead opted for hope.  

“We will not protect what we do not love”
- Barry Svigals

The second architect I heard speak was Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big House.  I have always been interested in this topic, and have advocated to build the correct amount of space, and no more, a core theme to the book.

If you are familiar with the LEED for Homes Rating System from the USGBC, you'll know that one can receive bonus points for a home smaller than a size determined by the LEED standard, and is penalized for building something larger. This is based on the number of bedrooms the home will have, so a 2 bedroom home as a different square footage goal than a 5 bedroom home.

Interestingly, our current Birch Haven Residence project is seeking LEED for homes platinum certification. It has 5 bedrooms, but exceeds the recommend square footage in the LEED system, so we are absorbing some negative penalty credits due to the size.  It is forcing us to make the home more efficient in other ways to make up the difference and still get to Platinum level certification. 

Ms. Susanka believes everyone is searching for a sense of ”Home” built better not bigger; built to last, built to inspire,  built for how we really live. Current trends she is seeing include no formal living room, and no formal dining room.  These spaces no longer get much use because they do not fit the way we live.  Her recommendation is to build 1/3 less space than you think you need, and put every SF in use every day. 

Ms. Susanka has written a new book entitled The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters, which she also spoke in great detail about in her lecture. In her book she describes how we reach our full potential, by doing simple things like putting ourselves on the calendar (make time for our own growth), and looking with the eyes of a student (everything is a learning opportunity that should be seen in a fresh light).  Ask yourself, “What can I learn about this thing in my life?”  Drop the reaction, and think what I can learn from this- See that the world is reflecting ourselves back to us.

NOW is the only time.  Prior is remembering, future is projecting.  Be present.  We can change things faster than we think we can.

CONCLUSION:

The reality is that when we say we want to save the planet, we are, in effect, saying that we prefer self-preservation over extinction, because it's true... nature will find a way to get back on course, and she's not going to make it easy on us. In fact, the more we tear her apart, the more healing will be necessary.

If we look around us and take inventory on what we can change today, we might be able to preserve ourselves for a little while longer.

Carlson Studio Architecture prides itself on being green to the core. Interested in learning more? Schedule a free apppointment today!

Ready to kick off your green home design? Check out this free resource to help you get it going: