Well, here it is. The final segment to Greening the Existing Home webinar series with myself and Michael Strong.
In this final video we talk about a ton of different items including - Does green REALLY raise your property value?
Other interesting things is Michael’s Top 10 List of what to do to your home to Green it up along with a short overview on the US Green Building Council ReGreen Guidelines for Remodeling and the National Association of Home Builders brand new Remodeling Program.
Both of these give you a tool to Remodel your home in a way that YOU know is Truly Greener.
I would also like to take a quick moment to Thank our Sponsors for helping to bring this to you:
In continuation of the Greening the Existing Home webinar series with myself and Michael Strong, this particular segment is on Durability and Maintenance.
If you follow TurningHoustonGreen you know that one part of Green Building that I am personally the biggest fan of is just this - Low Maintenance Properties built with products that last a long time. After all, no one likes to incur the expense of changing siding or painting every other year, right?
Tune in and find out what you can to do an existing home to have less maintenance and the what and where of products in Houston, Tx.
I would also like to take a quick moment to Thank our Sponsors for helping to bring this to you:
In continuation of the Greening the Existing Home webinar series, Michael Strong and myself discussed Indoor Air Quality in the home.
In this segment you will hear about Low VOC Paints, stains, carpets… a little about ventilation and other building products that do not promote off gassing. And a little more specifically, how to find these products in Houston Tx.
As part of the Turning Houston Green Webinar series this is part 5 - Lighting and Water Controls. Michael Strong and I review Energy Efficient Lighting products such as light bulbs, dimmers, etc. For the water portion we go over Tankless and Solar Hot Water.
To sign up for the remaining 3 Sessions just use the link to the right -
In the mean time, check this one out or scroll through the other previous sessions that wrap up everything you need to know on making your home more energy efficient.
As part of the Greening the Existing Home Webinar Series this session discusses Windows and Radiant Barrier. Michael and I go over everything you need to know about the two including information on the most recent Tax Credits. What will qualify and what will not.
Thinking about doing either of these renovations this year to make your home more energy efficient? Tune in and hear what it is all about.
The next webinar is March 28th and we will be discussing Indoor Air Quality. If you would like to register, just use the link to the right. We would love to have you join us.
I would also like to take a quick moment to Thank our Sponsors for helping to bring this to you:
The Newest Stimulus Bill created a lot of buzz with Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency, Remodeling and Renewable Energy. Homeowners Nationwide are looking to see what they may want to upgrade in their homes to take advantage of these benefits.
Probably one of the most popular ‘green’ upgrades that homeowners in Houston do every year is changing out their single pane windows with double pane for Energy Efficiency and to make the home quieter and healthier. Changing out your windows is also a great way to set your home apart from others when you go to sell. Home buyers are starting to look at Energy Efficient upgrades to help make their decisions on what home to buy. According to the Cost vs. Value reports, double pane windows have brought in over 72% return on investment for several years now in the Houston area. That means that if you sell your home within 12 months of installation, you will recuperate appx. 72% of that money.
The Tax Credit now for changing out the windows of you home is now 30% of the cost of the windows with a cap of $1500. Sounds great right!? Well, I suspect that there will be some angry homeowners when they go to file there taxes next year.
While this is a great tax credit if you take a look at what windows actually qualify, there are very few. I actually went to a big box store here in the North Houston area and not a single window in the store qualified. I also looked through their catalogs and did not find any that qualified.
After realizing exactly how strict the standards are to qualify for the Tax Credit, I went to local Window expert Bob Birner with Renewal by Andersen to help explain it. If you are a homeowner in Houston wanting to change out your windows, listen in to what Bob has to say.
Things are really moving along in our Webinar Series. This past Saturday Michael Strong and I reviewed Insulation and HVAC. The ins and outs - What is SEER - Different kinds of Insulation and which ones can be a good DIY project.
Tune in below to hear all about out and review the Chat Archive at the same time.
Coming up Tuesday February 24th will be Windows and Radiant Barrier
Thursday February 26th we will review Water and Lighting Fixtures in Renovation areas such as Pex water lines and varous ways to shave off your electrical bill with Lighting. You may be surprised how easy it is! Just click the link on the right sidebar to sign up! We would love to have you.
And now, For the Recorded session.
I would also like to take a quick moment to Thank our Sponsors for helping to bring this to you:
I absolutely LOVE what I do and the people I work with. Several times I have written about the Limited number of LEED Projects available in Houston for Home Buyers but a few weeks ago, some clients and I ran across a Gem in the Upper West End.
Built and Designed by Parra Design Group we found some great Free Standing Homes off of Patterson. The Urban Design immediately catches your eye and the location is truly unbelievable. If you have driven by you have probably noticed the USGBC signs out front and wondered…
Since my clients were actively looking and considering LEED we decided to take a look and when we walked inside immediately knew that this was EXACTLY what they have been looking for. Sleek and Sexy interior with a well designed floorplan and an amazing view of the Houston Skyline from the 3rd floor.
Now, when we found the property a put it under contract - The homes are taking Houston by storm and were projected to be LEED Silver. With a few minor changes we have it up to projected LEED Gold! Could we go all the way and make it Platinum? First, what had it at LEED Silver:
The Infill Project has a small Footprint on the land- Not a whole lot of space for grass, etc. that needs water
17 SEER HVAC with Humidity Control for efficiency and healthier Indoor Air Quality
Low VOC everything. Paint, Sealants on the Flooring, etc.
Energy Star Light fixtures and appliances
Tankless Hot Water Heater
Upgraded insulation to R-19 in the walls
A projected HERS rating that is well below Code
These are just a few of the Sustainable features. While Consulting with Parra Design and David Murrah of Infra-Tex Inspections my clients made the decision to take it as far as they could! Here are the few changes that we made to get it Projected Gold:
No Grass. They went permeable all the way with more Pavers and Pebbles
CFL’s - All light bulbs that could be changed…were changed
No Carpet! More hardwoods upstairs and all tile downstairs. 2nd floor was already Hardwood
Upgraded some appliances - Fridge, Washer, Dryer are a little more efficient
With their team - the builder and LEED Rater - we are trying now to see… Could it be Platinum? The Greenest of all Green according to the U.S. Green Building Coucil? Over the past week have been some Highly Energetic meetings to find out what could get it there. Ralph Parrot with Alternative Power Solutions has been signed to install 3Kw of Solar Panels on the Property that is projected to account for approximately 1/3rd of the homes power which is expected to bump the project even closer to Platinum!
Other items being considered:
Additional testing on the efficiency of the home
Potential Grey Water Usage
A Recirculation System for the Hot Water
An Energy Recovery Ventilator
David Murrah, Parra Design, Alternative Power Solutions and my clients are actively and aggressively working to get this project at the highest level possible. Stay tuned to see how it turns out! We have two weeks until closing, can we make it?
I will be posting further information on the LEED Properties as there are some other ones available
One of the pieces to the puzzle when buying or building a ‘Green’ or Sustainable home is of course the ‘Valuation’ of the Property - Or as most people know it, the Appraisal.
For a couple years now I have searched Houston top to bottom trying to find a Residential Appraiser who is experienced in doing appraisals on these kind of properties. The homes can be quite unique when built green while Solar, GeoThermal and other Sustainable features in the home can make it difficult to know exactly how much should be added to the Value.
Well, I thought I would just put this out there to see if anyone around knows of a good ‘Green’ Appraiser in the Houston area.
Also, if you run across this and think that you may want to get involved, the Appraisal Institute now offers a set of courses on ‘The Valuation of Green Residential Properties‘ and can be taken online. The course was offered in Austin a few months ago but does not appear on the Houston schedule yet this year.
So, comments are open! If you are a ‘green’ appraiser or know of one. I would love to know about them!
Part 2 of the Turning Houston Green - Greening the Existing Home Webinar Series was another success. We had a wonderful time and Michael reviewed Sealed Attics and Crawl Spaces along with Spray Foam Insulation applications in regards to Retrofitting an Existing Home.
It can be tricky so tune in to the Recorded session below and find out what we said!
Webinar Series Part 3 will cover Insulation and HVAC on February 21st and you can register here
