3 Reasons to Go “Green” with Your New Home

Posted on September 21, 2014 by - Green Building

Building a Certified Green HomeGoing green with your home doesn’t always mean you have to downgrade your living standards. In fact, thanks to the growing availability of greener product choices, you don’t need to drastically cut back on the number of showers you take at home, and you can still leave the light on in your office study once in a while without being unreasonably wasteful.  While the purchase of a green home may sound like something reserved for environmentalists, it does have incredible benefits for all homeowners. If you’re looking to move soon, here are three reasons to go “green” with your new home.

1. Increases Value 

One of the reasons a green home is so attractive to homebuyers in today’s market is because it can boost value. Even if you purchase an older house, you can still make eco-friendly improvements that impact the value of your home, such as choosing ENERGY STAR rated appliances or installing water-saving toilets. If you’re planning to build your new home, you can get the most value by building a custom green home. From start to finish, a green certified homebuilder will ensure that your dream home is not only energy efficient, but also environmentally friendly.

2. Saves Water & Energy Consumption

According to Tara-Nicholle Nelson, a real estate broker at Trulia, a green home can reduce your utility bills by as much as 20 or 30 percent—that’s a savings of $400 to $600 per year! If you live in areas with extreme temperatures the savings could be even higher, she says. With improved energy efficiency, a green home also means a homeowner can expect more savings. In fact, the EPA estimates that energy-efficient homes contribute to a total annual savings of over $19 billion in the U.S. That’s some serious cash!

3. Less Construction Waste

Traditional building construction produces a lot of waste, but it doesn’t have to be this way. According to the EPA, building construction, renovation, and demolition projects contribute to 60 percent of the nation’s non-industrial, non-hazardous solid waste. But by having green building standards, the U.S. could reduce the 170 million tons of construction waste found in landfills as well as improve greenhouse emissions. Certified green homebuilding means that building materials are either salvaged and reused or recycled during construction. This translates into less waste and fewer materials for landfills. Whether you’re planning to purchase an existing home or build a new one, a green home can provide a greater return on investment, improve energy efficiency, and produce less waste than a traditional home. If you’re ready to get started on your new certified green home, contact us today for a consultation.

Glavin Homes Awarded Emerald Level at Parade of Homes

Posted on September 11, 2014 by - Custom Homes, Green Building

Lakeview Prairie Home

The Parade of Homes may be over for now, but the public response has been overwhelmingly positive for our Lakeview Prairie home. Our biggest challenge was to build a home without duplicating a larger version of what we normally do, and we accomplished this in spades.

Our Lakeview Prairie certified green home was unique to the show. With a one-of-a-kind design featuring a low-pitched roof, cantilevered overhangs, and gorgeous natural stone, it was the only house to reach the National Green Building Standard’s Emerald level. Our original goal was to achieve Gold level, but after completion of the house, third party testing, and verification, the house actually attained the Emerald level.

So what does this mean for the homeowner? Emerald-level houses have cleaner air than most new houses because of a Heat Recovery Ventilator, a unique feature manufactured by Lifebreath. It uses 65 percent less energy than an existing house, 55 percent less than a code-built house, and 40 percent less than an Energy Star certified house.

About the NW Natural Parade of Homes

The Parade of Homes is an annual, family-friendly event that showcases some of the finest homes in the Pacific Northwest. Sponsored by NW Natural®, the event featured eight luxurious homes and ran from July 11 to July 27 at Erickson Farms in Felida, a beautiful district located in West Vancouver off Interstate 5. Some of the event’s builders included Pacific Lifestyle Homes, JB Homes, and (of course) Glavin Homes.

According to the Building Industry Association (BIA) of Clark County, an organization dedicated to protecting the building industry, the number of visitors at the 2014 Parade of Homes nearly doubled over last year, and with so many attractions it’s easy to see why. Visitors enjoyed delicious food, fun activities, and a tour of Vancouver’s most impressive homes, not to mention that some took advantage of promotional “half-priced” days.

At Glavin Homes, we are honored to participate in this year’s Parade of Homes and we look forward to next year!