Green Building – Design & Site Considerations

Work with a builder who will help educate you and help you choose aspects of green building to incorporate into your home and include them in the building plans. A professional builder will walk you through the design stages to help you manage your budget and implement the ideas you choose.

Aspects include:

• Passive Solar Design- Positioning your home on the building lot in a way that will maximize the suns potential in both winter and summer. More information (PDF)
• Extended overhangs can block the sun during summer when the sun is higher in the sky, yet allow sunlight in during the winter when the sun is lower in the sky.
• Minimize the amount of clearing or disturbance you do to a building site.
• Plant new vegetation to help with shading and consider xeriscaping which requires less water.
• Design structural components into your project that will add benefit for years to come.