Building a House? Here’s How to Make it a Green Home

Dreaming of building a green home?

Curious which elements have to come together for a home to be considered green?

Or even which elements can move you closer to your vision?

We know you’re passionate about doing your part to positively impact the planet, and we applaud you. Whether you want to improve a few aspects of your home, or you’re diving into building a completely green home, you’re making a difference.

To speak frankly, solar and renewable energy are just part of the solution. Talk to any expert about building a green home, and they’ll likely recommend renewable energy. But while solar is important (and dear to our hearts) there’s more to the picture.

You might be surprised to discover that there are many options underneath the grand umbrella of building a green home, and we wanted to share those other considerations with you as well.

What Does Green Built Mean?

Before we get into the juicy details, let’s get on the same page about what “green built” means. The term refers to how ecologically friendly a home is, determined by its positive impacts on the environment.

Have a vision for your home to have the lowest impact on the environment as possible? It’s easiest to be green when you design it that way from the beginning of the building process. Still, wherever you are in your green home journey, small changes go a long way too. We all have to start somewhere, right?

Benefits of Building a Green Home

What can you look forward to when you go green?

With a green home, you can feel good about your lasting impact on the environment — because our planet’s health matters. While that’s crucial, given the current state of the world, there are a few more positives we want to mention too.

Living in a green home also benefits your well-being.

It’s true. Green built homes minimize the use of toxic products and pollutants, use more durable materials, and to top it all off, they’re more energy efficient. Which means building green helps protect not only our planet, but also your health, home, and finances.

If you’re saying, “Yes! This is for me,“ we’re here to help you get started with your vision.

Meet Green Built Alliance

For insight, we’ve turned to our friends and local specialists, Green Built Alliance.

A vital community resource in the environmental realm for going on two decades now, Green Built Alliance is an Asheville-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing sustainability in building through community education, measurable standards, and regional action right here in Western North Carolina. Many thanks to Green Built for the resources in this article.

5 Design and Construction Components of a Green Built Home

Every decision you make while building your home impacts how ecologically friendly it is, so consider what follows more as an overview to get your juices flowing than a detailed guide. Let’s dive into some of the design components you can expect to see with a green built home.

Site Design and Landscaping

Ah, your property. The beautiful ecosystem and livelihood of your home’s foundation. Simple as it may seem, the foundation needs a lot of attention to properly support your green home.

Consider landscaping methods that both minimize the need for watering and promote drainage. Well-mulched areas mean less watering to maintain moist soil and healthy plants — with fewer weeds. Install rain gardens, permeable paving, or other features that allow water to soak into the ground below, while also helping protect your home by encouraging drainage.

You may want to consider Xeriscaping: a type of landscaping that uses minimal water. This technique conserves water, makes yards less prone to drought and water shortages, and allows for high-quality, beautiful landscaping using ecologically friendly practices. For more low-maintenance inspiration for your yard, look at permaculture and native and edible plants.

Water Opportunities

Here in Asheville, North Carolina, we get a lot of rainwater throughout the year. If you’re a local or have lived here for a while, you know this all too well. And although the endless rain storms can be frustrating, they can also be put to good use.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency:

“Rainwater harvesting has significant potential to provide environmental and economic benefits by reducing stormwater runoff and conserving potable water. It provides inexpensive supply of water and augments drinking water supplies.”

On a basic level, you can harvest rainwater by placing a rain barrel underneath the downspout of your home to collect rainwater for garden irrigation. Take it to the next level by installing systems to direct your rainwater into your home’s plumbing for flushing toilets and laundry.

Another form of water conservation is greywater — gently used water from bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines. Reusing greywater benefits the local environment greatly because it doesn't enter sewer and septic systems and won’t pollute bodies of water.

Let’s let Green Built Alliance weigh in on this subject:

“One way to reuse greywater is by collecting it from your washing machine. They already have an internal pump, and the water can be easily diverted without affecting your existing plumbing. You can use that to directly pump greywater to your garden and plants with a “laundry-to-landscape” system where “the washing machine drain hose is attached directly to a diverter valve that allows you to switch the flow of greywater between the sewer/septic and the greywater irrigation system.”

Simple and effective. Take advantage of those heavy springtime rains for your home, and feel good giving back to the environment too.

Energy Conservation

Energy consumption is top of mind for a lot of people, especially us here at Sugar Hollow. While you know solar is our bread and butter, we recommend energy conservation as a first step. Look at it this way: the more energy efficient your lifestyle, the less energy your home needs to provide. Which is of course better for both the environment and your wallet.

Let’s talk about appliances.

Choosing ENERGY STAR-labeled appliances for your home saves you more energy and water than most conventional products. The best news? You’ll save money on your energy and water bills. What’s not to love about that?

When you’re planning out your new home, think about installing an energy efficient dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, or refrigerator. Better yet, go all out and fit your entire home with them!

Renewable Energy

Renewables might be our favorite green home topic because… SOLAR. Goodbye carbon, hello sunshine.

In the world of solar, you have three general options to choose from for your green home — classic rooftop solar panels, a ground mounted solar array and the Tesla solar roof — and we offer them all.

Classic rooftop solar panels generate renewable energy from the sun to power your days — from your morning cup of coffee to evening movie nights. Ground mounted solar panels do the same but from a structure built into the ground.

And while the Tesla solar roof powers your life in the same way, there’s a key difference: instead of solar panels that sit on top of your roof, solar technology is integrated into the roof tiles themselves. Individual solar shingles appear aesthetically as a sleek, modern roof.

But our passion for solar goes beyond the technology itself.

We’re focused on the overall experience. Everything we offer is designed to bring you more comfort, security and savings — all while lowering your carbon footprint.

Curious how many solar panels your home would need? Check out our resource helping answer that question here.

Indoor Environment

Last, but certainly not least, we need to touch on your home’s indoor environment. After all, you will be spending a lot of time there. Your home should meet your needs and support your health.

Unfortunately, we’re exposed to toxic chemicals regularly. Some even occur naturally, like radon, a radioactive gas that’s emitted from the natural decay of radium in the soil. Radon moves up through the ground to the air and enters your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation. This can become a real problem if your home doesn’t have proper ventilation.

If you’re worried, don’t be. A soil suction radon reduction system is the most common method for reducing radon and does not require major changes in your home. If you want to be green built certified, this is a test your home will have to pass.

Other healthy indoor environments considerations include toxin-free termite control, limiting volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and whole home ventilation.