I’m dabbling in Green

I have been following the so called Green Building news for a couple of years now, although mostly just in my periphery.  I did my thesis for my MBA on affordable housing a couple years ago.  At that time I read through quite a bit of literature on Green Building.  My interest in it then was as it relates to affordability along the lines of energy efficiency making a home cheaper to own (not just buy) by keeping the utility bills lower.  I have thought to myself on several occasions that I should do a green project but just never committed to it.  I’m not so concerned about the costs I’m more concerned about the hype and the stuff I don’t know.

There is so much debate right now over what standards to follow to make a home green.  I have always been leery about making the claim that my home is green because the “GREEN” crowd seems to be full of Monday morning quarterbacks, very eager to shout down a person’s green claims as not green enough or at all.  The tumultuous topic may be calming a bit with more people buying into the US Green Building Standards LEED certification standards.  I could be very wrong about that but I am finally taking some tip toes into the cool waters and adding my first green attributes to a rehab project I have in the works.

I don’t know that I will call the home green when I sell it but this particular home seems to be perfect for green enhancements.  It is located in Annandale Virginia a very blue region of the state politically.  It already had a passive solar heat system installed.  There was a major mold issue so we were compelled to cut up the perimeter of the basement floor and install a French drain and pump system, which the company now guarantees a dry basement.  The furnace was built to receive a hepa filter, though one is not present. 

So, using that and building on it, I intend to install a hepa filter in the furnace.  I will use Energy Star Appliances and installing rain barrels to collect run-off from the roof.  No VOC paint will be used for all the interior painting.  The current solar system will get a check up to ensure proper operation.  We’ve added insulation to the basement walls (many of the homes this age have no insulation in the basement.)  And documentation will be provided in the open house to show the dry basement guarantee.

These efforts really won’t cost me much but I’m hoping they will pay off, not so much in money.  Instead, I’m just hoping for a quicker sell.  In this market I’m hoping being green will help me stand out in the crowd.  I’ll let you know how it goes.