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Step 1
Find a contractor who has experience working with green-design principles, or who is at least seriously interested in gaining this expertise. You don't have to pay a major premium for a more environmentally friendly home today if you incorporate cost-effective siting and insulating strategies from the beginning.
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Step 2
Become familiar with existing green home-building guidelines. Checklists and other ideas outlining sustainable building practices are available through the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Association for Home Builders and the U.S. EPA's EnergyStar program. You may want to pursue certification to one of these standards to boost your home's appeal at resale time. Even if certification isn't important to you, these guidelines will help you understand the full scope of sustainable building practices.
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Step 3
Understand your building site. Successful green design begins with a plan that maximizes southern exposures (for greater natural light in the winter time) and minimizes erosion and damage to wetlands. This may mean reconsidering your original siting ideas.
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Step 4
Know how your contractor will handle construction waste. Debris from building projects is a major contributor to landfills, so make sure your contractor has a plan in place for the lumber scraps, wire fragments, product packaging and other debris that emphasizes recycling.
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Step 5
Invest in insulation. It may be among the least glamorous of building materials, but insulation is critical to maximizing your home's energy efficiency and can also help cut costs for your heating and air-conditioning equipment. With a well-insulated home, you can choose lower-capacity heating and cooling equipment, and, of course, your eventual heating and cooling bills will be lower, as well.
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Step 6
Right-size your air-conditioning purchase. It's tempting to buy a super-sized central air-conditioning system, but that decision could create mold problems down the line. Oversized A/C equipment can end up cooling a space before it has lowered interior humidity levels, encouraging condensation once the thermostat trips off. Buying a system that's sized to your needs – and improved insulating efficiency – will help maintain optimum air quality within your home.
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Step 7
Understand the tradeoffs when selecting building materials and finishes. For example, bamboo flooring is a highly renewable resource, but must be shipped thousands of miles from plantations in Asia. Sustainably harvested domestic hardwood may take longer to grow, but it may only have to travel a hundred miles from the mill to your front door. Certification by organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council can help ensure raw materials were harvested responsibly.
