Green by Design Open House Update

The ABODE Green by Design Open House is now just two weeks away and we have a full complement of experts scheduled to join us for the afternoon and share their expertise with you. The theme of the day will focus on Building a Custom Green Home the Smart Way - Designing your home to fit the needs of your family, lifestyle & budget. How do you go about accomplishing this? Here are a few suggestions:

1. You have to start by deciding what you want and what is most important in the beginning. Comfort, energy savings, a healthy home, return on investment, commitment to green or sustainable living or all of the above? Set clear goals & objectives for yourself and that will begin to shape the vision of your home.

2. What is your investment goal? Be realistic and this will keep you and your building team focused on the right design for you. Sharing this goal with your builder will allow them to approach your home design much more efficiently and effectively and will save valuable time and energy as you move through the process. Pre-qualifying with a banking institution is also recommended prior to beginning the design process.

3. What are your choices? There are many choices, but you can get a jump on the DESIGN process by doing your homework ahead of time. Research sample floor plans to get a sense of space, flow & square footage, research design styles you find appealing, take pictures of homes in your area that you admire, and research products & materials you are considering incorporating into your home. Next, take a look at the ENVELOPE of the home to determine what makes a "tight" house - solar orientation, insulation options, ICF's, glazing options? From there decide what SYSTEMS are going to suit your needs - heating, cooling, hot water, ventilation, propane, oil, geothermal, solar? Finally, your FINISHES add the final style & character to your home - flooring, paints, trim, lighting, cabinetry, countertops?

4. How do you decide? Find an experienced guide to lead you through the process. Each part needs to be coordinated and all of your choices need to be smartly integrated into the whole house solution. This is where ABODE separates from the rest. We manage the team and provide alternative solutions to make the decision-making process easier. We walk you through the process and help you clarify your goals and establish your budget. We educate you on your choices and bring in experts to help you make smart decisions. We develop a holistic solution and put all of the pieces together for you.

The home building process doesn't need to be daunting and building green doesn't need to be expensive. Visit us on October 10th and we'll introduce you to the team that can show you how to build and design a green home the smart way.