Building a sustainable green home requires a good amount of planning. An eco-friendly home need not be expensive. It can save a lot of construction costs with a simple yet sustainable design. Selecting and finding green building materials can take some time. It is, therefore, extremely important that you do your research much earlier. You also need to be more organized.
An effective and well-planned project is the key to the successful completion of a sustainable home. The rest of the work is done by the skill and experience of the building professionals involved. Here, we’ve listed some of our best tips for planning and successfully constructing an affordable green home:
1. Save a budget
Whether it involves a significant amount of money or not, it’s essential to save a budget for the project. It must be treated as an important investment. There are many things to consider in the construction of such homes. The project might also take a considerable amount of time to complete.
As the construction progresses, things may change. If you begin to move too far from the budget, the project can turn into a nightmare. So, don’t make this common mistake committed by many individuals who desire to build a sustainable home.
2. Find a sustainable building lot for a green home
Often overlooked, this is a key element in building a new sustainable home. Finding the right building lot can prevent your project from turning into an unfulfilled dream. Without an appropriate building lot, the green building project might not get completed. Finding a sustainable building lot, therefore, must make one of your priorities in this process.
3. Fix a realistic green home building budget
A major factor in the successful completion of your green home is your available budget. It is up to you how soon you must share this with your design team. This is a matter of trust. If they realize that you have a larger budget, they might try to extract the maximum from you. So, it won’t be in your best interests to act like a millionaire unless you don’t mind spending a fortune.
Make sure that you project yourself as an individual who is careful with money. You should come across as someone who would be keeping an eye on the bills and the progress of construction. You must also appear like someone who wants to have the basics of ecology right before starting the project.
4. Selecting a green architect or home designer
You might want your new green home to be LEED, Passive House or ZNE certified. In this case, you’ll require a green home designer or architect to come up with the plans. The fact remains that everyone needs to start somewhere. It is not advisable to use a complete novice for sustainable home plans as there’s much at stake.
You must ask the architect or home designer whether he or she has experience in the field. It must be established whether he or she has ever built a certified green home before. If the answer is in the affirmative, then you must insist on seeing it. You must also be brave enough to ask whether it was done within the budget.