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The green approach to building a home
When a home building firm characterizes itself as "green", what does it mean? The shorter answer is the firm builds a house that is more environmentally benign.
The three areas of emphasis in this approach are that new houses should be energy efficient, have healthier indoor air, and conserve resources, both in the selection and manufacture of construction materials, and in the operation of the house itself.
Not merely acres, but square miles of forest are cut. Huge amounts of energy are expended in the manufacture of wood, vinyl and the many other products used in home building. More energy is consumed in transporting these materials to the building site and in constructing the house. And once it is finished, still more energy is required for heating and cooling.
Concerted efforts to make buildings more energy efficient have, indoor or quality. But less incoming fresh air has meant that occupants are exposed to greater concentrations of toxic, volatile organic chemicals that are emitted by many building materials.
All those exterior surfaces created in a new housing development-roofs, driveways, sidewalks and streets also have an environmental impact.
The easiest piece of "building green" for the public to grasp and builders to act on is energy efficiency, and simple modifications can have a big effect.
From a building green perspective, however, improving energy efficiency is not just a matter of substituting one material of another.
Energy is also the easiest aspect of a building green program to evaluate because it's measurable.
How long between building and moving in?
How long does it normally take to build a house and what factors can delay completion?
In most places, 120 days or four months is a pretty standard time frame for constructing a tract-built house.
Delays in completion can be caused by problems with labor and materials, but the most common cause is weather.
Another key question to ask: does the builder have a building permit for the house you want? If he doesn't, there can be a significant delay, as some jurisdictions can take weeks to issue a permit.
While the contract may state an expected date of completion, giving the builder as long as 12 months to complete the house is not unusual; in many areas, 24 months is the norm.
Adding a clause stating that if the house is not finished by the builder's expected completing date, the buyer has the option to cancel the contract, getting back both his initial deposit and any additional deposit monies given for options and upgrades.
If the move-in date is very important, another strategy is simply to buy a house that is close to completion.
"Put yourself in position to stay in your old house until the new one is ready. Add a provision to the sales contract for your existing house to delay settlement if your new one isn't finished."
One way to stay in your existing house is to sell it to your buyer as planned, and then lease it back for a specified period of time. If you want to do this, a residential lease agreement should be included with the sales contract.
Buyers themselves can have a hand in causing delays, several builders noted. Deciding to alter a wall or add a closet can throw off the schedule; so can foot dragging on items such as cabinet selections.
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