So, this has me on the look out for new products to use. I’ll be heading down to New Living to pick up some cleaning supplies but I’m also on the look out for Makeup, shampoo, soaps, etc.

Do you have a product that I should try? I’m thinking about doing a series on Turning Houston Green about it if the products can be purchased locally.

What do you recommend? I would like for a full list of ingredients prior to using it though.

Try me at Steph@TurningHoustonGreen.com or just leave a comment. Interested in hearing what kind of alternatives are out there for beauty products in Houston!!

The past couple weeks I have been amazed at how many wonderful Green Twitter folk from right here in Houston are tweeting their hearts out and sharing some fantastic information and I thought I would share some of them with you.  If you know of some others that I missed, please let me know and I can add them to the list.  I LOVE meeting new tweeps.

Many of these are companies that I was not even aware existed and was really excited to find out about them.  Hope you find them interesting as well!

@MaryFrancesB
@SpotOnSeo
@NotTrashHouston
@RecycleMatch
@HoustonGBRC
@HTownSolarTour
@HoustonGreenScn
@Blockcast
@EGBHouston
@USGBCHouston
@GulfCoastGreen
@GreenHoustonTx
@KeepItGreenMaid
@GreenTheBlock
@TaigaCompany
@GreenFitNFrugal
@RecyclingRic
@EcoSocials
@EcoStarHomes

For one this is amazing because our appraisers could REALLY use this information to start PROPERLY appraising our Greener Homes.  For Two, this will allow us to tell our Home Owners in the future what features will actually pay off in the long run!

For now, the word is still getting out – I doubt that all homes with Green features are being noted as such.  There is also evidence that some of the homes are tagged incorrectly -Not even 90 days in to having these fields available there is not enough data yet to state whether or not homes with certain features definitely sell for more money than those without -

BUT, there IS enough data to show certain trends that we as Real Estate Professionals are going to start seeing more and more.

Personally I have been amazed at the number of homes in the Houston area that have Solar PV or Solar Hot Water.  The other trend that appears to grow by the week in MLS is the number of homes with Tankless Hot Water Heaters and Older homes with Low-E windows.

Each month we can start tracking more and more but for now here are some numbers on trends for new and existing homes.

Tankless Hot Water Heaters-

• 58 Resales and Rentals
• 85 New Construction

Solar Hot Water/PV-

• 3 Resale
• 15 New Construction

Insulated/Low-E Windows-

• 1850 Built Prior to 2000
• 1090 of which built prior to 1990

HVAC Greater than 13 SEER-

• 455 not New Construction

These are just a few of the new fields available and while they are not on the Public Search side of HAR.com yet – It is a relief to have them available to the agents.  I believe as we continue to track the statistics we will find that the majority of ALL home buyers want Green features – Their requests for those features are just disguised as another term.

Coming up next month?  How many of these homes right here listed will go under contract in September?

If you would like a list of any of these particular homes available, homes with any other green features or for a marketing plan for your specific property I can be reached at Steph@TurningHoustonGreen.com -

If any of my readers have a home, ideally built prior to 1985, and are curious as to what it would take to fix it up we would love to hear from you.  Here is a breakdown of what we will be looking at:

• What it would take to ‘green’ it up
• Cost to do so
• Loans available as though you were going to purchase it

Now, if you would like us to use your home we would like to take some pictures as examples and of course there is no obligation to do any work but it could be a good opportunity to find out how your home sizes up if you are considering something like this.  Maybe you are thinking about selling your home and would like to advertise it this way?

Here are some others that we are looking for also if your home is newer:

• Green Kitchen or Bath Remodels
• Whole House Rehab- basically to gut it almost to the frame
• Energy Remodels

We would love to use your home as an example, with no names or address included of course!

Again, this will all be hypothetical-no work will be done but an estimate of cost will be available.  Will any of you let us borrow your home for an hour?

The Green Building Movement is moving forward like crazy in Houston right now.  For the moment, it sometimes seems that the consumer demand is by far outpacing the construction from Developers and Builders. For this reason, it can be tough to tell people exactly where to find a ‘Green Home’ and at the same time, there is a home out there for everyone.

One item that makes it difficult is because ‘Green’ means something different to everyone.  Some believe that it is the materials being used to construct the home, others mean a High Performing and Energy Efficient home while some want Organic Gardens and Rain Water Capture.  All of which are phenomenal Green Features.

Let’s go over some price ranges to know what you are looking at right now, today, when it comes to buying Green.  This is not a reflection on what I believe Green is, this is what I am actively seeing in Houston’s Green Home market.

Homes under $175,000-  This price range happens to be an extremely active one.  The Green Features that are easiest to find at this price point are Energy Efficiency.  Based on the Year Built some will be more efficient than others.  Other items such as Indoor Air Quality, Rain Water Capture, Gardens, Materials Used, etc. can be difficult to find still.  However, when I search through homes for clients and potential clients this is something that I keep in mind.  These are also items that are easier to change after you purchase the home.  Keep in mind, the ‘bones’ of the house are hard to change…along with being expensive.  The ability for the home to be Energy Efficient is the beginning and possibly most important anyhow.  What makes Energy Efficiency Green is that the CO2 released is considerably less than that of a home built not Energy Efficient PLUS, it saves you money on Utility Bills.

Homes from $175,000 to $400,000- Now we can get in to some ‘Greener Features’.  At this price point you can find Higher Efficiency Air Conditioning Units, Solar Panels on New Construction, Healthier Products used inside the home, larger yards for Organic Gardens and so on.  There are many builders out there staying ahead in this price point in most areas of town.

Above $350,000- At this price point a Home Buyer could consider building to a LEED level depending on the features that you desire.  This is where it helps to know the inventory, builders, developers that are actively looking to Green up their product.  Many of the new construction homes available at an extremely high performing and Green level have just recently broken ground or are about to.  I will get in to retrofitting homes in another part of the series.  There are also existing homes with some’ ‘Green Features’.   Again, it depends on what you are looking for.

As homes become available and more builders begin new projects, I keep my list of homes updated.  However, it is important to find out what features are most important to you, the home buyer, when looking at what is available.  It is also important to know what options you have when looking and that is where efforts are being placed when viewing with buyers.  This could mean that remodeling or retrofitting a home is the best thing and most cost effective approach to take.  It all depends on your needs as everyone is different.

As we move through this series I will touch on different options available for homeowners while wanting to go Green.  In the mean time, to stay up to date with new and upcoming developments you can subscribe by text on the right side of the page, or send me an email with details on what you are looking for through the Contact Us link at the top.  I would be more than happy to help with what options may be available for you.

Regardless of price range, it is possible to go Green with your home in Houston right now.  Any shade of Green is a positive one.

I am excited to announce the changes here and I hope that everyone enjoys it.  I would like to take a minute to go over some of the additions to the site!

Probably the biggest change is that I have invited several Experts from around the City to join me to share their expertise you.

• I personally work with Home Buyers and Sellers to buy and sell homes.  The advantage of a Certified EcoBroker is that I can help to guide you to noticing the ‘greener’ features in your home to get ready to sell, and I work with Buyers that are wanting various shades of green.  Knowing the inventory around town, it helps to make that happen.  I will be writing about the Trials, Tribulations and Joys of buying and selling Green.
• Michael Strong with GreenHaus Builders and Brothers Strong is joining the site for the expertise on Building, Remodeling and other True Green Aspects of homes, as well LEED Cerification information.
• Ralph Parrott with Alternative Power Solutions is joining the site as our Renewable Energy Guru!  He will write and tell us about up to date information and trends on Solar Products and how to prepare your for optimum efficiency.
• Angelique Grado with Green Builders Source has joined us to keep us up to date on Products that go in to Green Homes or Products that can be used to Retrofit homes to be Green.
• Kathleen Reardon with RD Architecture will be writing on how to Design a Home to Build or Remodel as Green.  It really does start on the Paper that it is drawn on with the whole systems approach.

I am so happy to have all of these Professionals here.

Another change that you will notice across the Top is Ask The Expert.  It was suggested that there be an opportunity for Readers to be able to email questions that they may have regarding anything Green.  I have a team of Experts around town that have agreed to share their Knowledge with YOU.  Have a Question?  Just submit it through the Ask The Expert section.  Literally, anything green related.

Green Service Providers-  If you are a regular visitor to the site, you know that the list has grown to tremendous lengths over the past year.  The new link above has sorted it out by section to make it easier to find what you are looking for.  Just update your Bookmark to the Page and you are good to go.

Local Green Events-  This page has a Calendar on it to keep you posted on Green Events in or around Houston.  Check it often.  My green home tours will be on there, open houses, expo’s, Home Shows, you name it.

Subscribe- To the right you now have options to subscribe to the site by Text, Email, or RSS Feed if you need to feed your reader.  If you were a subscriber on the old site, you will need to update it.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Search-  The search bar has been moved to the Top Right corner for convenience if you are in a Hurry.

Items that are still coming- Although I do have some surprises lurking around behind the scenes, you can look forward to hearing about Special Offers for Turning Houston Green Readers and my clients, Green Homes-this page is under construction but will have Featured Green Homes on it, and more!

Subscribe for updates so you don’t miss anything.

Last but not least.  The Contact Us button at the top has made it easier to send us an email.  Just fill out the form the best you can and we will get back to you promptly.  Make sure you put in there who you are contacting and information on how to contact you.  Looking to buy, sell, build, install solar, design..you name it.  That is what we are here for.  Feel free to call or email anytime.

And as always, Thanks for stopping by!

What is GREEN? What EXACTLY makes up a GREEN Home?

This is a Question that is asked all of the time, but is not easily answered.  We could ask 100 people what GREEN means to them and likely get at least 80 different answers.

To me, GREEN is a very emotional word.  Depending on what you are passionate about is how you would answer the question.

Is a GREEN Home ONLY Energy Efficient?  Does a GREEN Home only have a healthier Indoor Air Quality?  Is a GREEN Home made of ALL Recycled Products?  Does a GREEN Home have to look like it is from another planet?

Not at all.  There are now a few different Green Building Programs out there. NAHB, US Green Building Council, and now Environments for Living at a Platinum level has been considered GREEN by some people.

The one thing that they all have in common is Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation and some sort of Indoor Air Quality concept.

Is one better than the other? Well, again that goes back to what you really want in your home.  Regardless, GREEN should start before the floorplan is made.  Or at the very least be made with GREEN in mind.

This is the start of a new series that I am starting on my Blog, ‘What Is Green?’

I will go over different concepts of both Building and Remodeling, items that you can keep in mind to give your home Greener Features or even All Out Green.    I will be starting with ‘Green is a Whole House Approach To Building.’

For now, I will leave you with a Blog Post that I wrote a while back…I will also be updating the definition of what High Performance means in my series.

The Difference Between a High Performance and Green Home.

These terms are being used more and more to differentiate homes in Advertising as Green and High Performance should not be lumped together. See you soon with the Whole House Approach!

Shade House Developments
Matt and Tina Ford are focusing on Multi-Family Construction in the Heights near Downtown Houston and combine and fascinating approach combining Passive and Active Solar. They have been highlighted in publications like Dwell Magazine for their achievements.
Contact: Matt and Tina Ford
Phone: 713-545-8473

EnviroBuild
EnviroBuild specializes in Residential and Commercial buildings. Primarily those with ICF’s.
Phone: 281-847-0044
Contact: Pat Wickers

KeyFortess Homes
KeyFortress Homes specializes in ICF construction in the Houston area.
832-755-2891
Contact: Phil Ogburn

The Energy pushing the Green Building Movement is gaining momentum everyday in Houston right now.  More and more people are deciding that they need a Healthier and more Energy Efficient Homes and actually relating GREEN to that.

But where do you start?  I have received several emails wanting to know how exactly to find a GREEN home in the Houston area.  I thought I would put out some ideas of where to start.

To start, with gas prices being so high right now, the idea of living closer to town and/or work is starting to get more popular as well.  But, if you are familiar with Houston Real Estate you probably know that buying Inner Loop may not be the most Affordable option.  If you are looking well under $400,000 you will need to look over many options..let’s go over these.

• As Houston has grown over the last…well, many years…construction started closer to town.  Green can also be making something ‘older’ – new again.  If because of work you need to be close to a certain area, how about taking an older home and Remodeling it?  At Green Houston Homes I have place a Gas Calculator where you can calculate how much money you would save (or not) by buying a more expensive home BUT saving on Gas Mileage.

Houston also has some amazing Remodeling Companies that are well versed in GREEN.  Two for a fact I know are VERY familiar with the new LEED for Remodeling Guidelines.  This could be one of your options.

• If you are looking for a little more custom, another way to go GREEN is to De-Construct a home and build new.  One area that could be Fantastic for this is the Heights.  We are already seeing GREEN Builders do this….YOU could do this also.

So, you have gone over these options and still not finding what you want..or something in your price range?

• Let’s take a look a little further out in some of the Suburbs around town.  Maybe there is a community close to Major Road that could get you to work quickly?  For example, Discovery at Spring Trails is just 2 minutes off of Hardy Toll Road.

By looking at these Communities on all sides of town you can also focus on other ammenities that may be important like schools, community pools-parks-trails, etc.  If you are not looking to build right away you may be able to get in on some of the New Urbanism Communities being planned.

• Now, building new is important to you-but being close to town does not matter?  Check out some of the Acreage communities on the outskirts of the Suburbs.  This way you may be able to optimize Passive Solar, Rain Water Reclamation…just about any Green Feature you could imagine.

Until more Developers and Builders hop on to the Green Scene around town it may take quite a bit of searching, but is VERY possible.  The options right now are endless, you just need to weigh your options and keep in mind Price Range, Location, Amenities, etc.

Buying GREEN in Houston right now is very possible at nearly any price range. It may take a lot of searching but don’t get frustrated.  Just do some research for what is going on around town that fits YOUR specific wants and needs.

If you need some help getting started, feel free to shoot me an email and let’s roll over some of these ideas.

*********************
For Blog Action Day I debated myself about what to write.  I have written several posts on environmental topics and my thoughts seem to have run dry at the moment.  I would bet that there are several blogs written about Global Warming and what everyone should do to slow it down or counteract greenhouse gases.  There will probably several bloggers referring to Al Gore and his movie.

However, in a recent post I discussed how a different approach should be made toward environmental topics.  I believe that all of the hype and controversy of Global Warming have shut the door on some people and made some lose sight of what Environmental Topics are really all about.

So, let’s forget about Global Warming for a moment.  The topic of my post is that it just makes sense.

Let’s consider Renewable Energy.  Many people around the World are starting to utilize Solar and Wind for Electricity and GeoThermal for A/C and Heat along with other sources for both.  How fantastic is it that we have found a way to use what is given to us freely for what has become our necessities?  Instead of using coal which is mined, we pay for, and that in turn negatively affects the Environment in more ways than one-we can use the free sun, free wind and the ground’s free natural cooling and heating.  You can even sign on to get electricity from companies that use Renewable Energy for your service at a comparable rate as coal.  As technology takes us closer to using these at a reasonable cost, it just makes sense.

Energy Efficient and Healthier Homes-  Let’s think about Low VOC paints and glues, High Efficient HVAC systems combined with the tighter construction of homes, Double/Triple Pane windows, and so on.  All of these lead to a healthier level of indoor air quality and lower utility bills.  This means allergy and asthma sufferers can lead a better quality of life, rates of cancer and other diseases would be expected to decline and not only that, you can save a significant amount of money on utility bills.  These homes, as a system, are in the end better for the environment as well.  Why not reap the benefits of healthier and energy efficient homes?  It just makes sense.

Locally Grown Organic Fruits and Vegetables-  I remember as a child going across town to the Farmer’s Market where we could choose our fruit.  It tasted so much better than what we could get in the store, not to mention the price was less.  It was always the highlight of my week to go there.  How does this help the environment?  So many ways.  Consider the fuel and shipping from across the nation or out of the country, consider the fertilizers used in large crops that cause a domino effect whether it is when we eat it or when it rains and goes downstream.  Why don’t we support our local farmers?  Instead of buying fruit that was picked before it was ready, buy local to get it fresh and cheaper?   It just makes sense.

My list of how going green should just be common sense could also go on and on.  Conservation of water, cutting down trees that everyone loves to live around, etc.  It can be related to every aspect of Environmental issues.  No one needs to change overnight, no one really needs to be told how many squares of toilet paper to use.  Let’s just remember what Stewardship means and make an effort to be better.  Let’s turn around our approach for Eco issues.  Instead of weighing heavily on the negative aspects of our current lifestyle, let’s explain how changing and using new technology can benefit everyone.

For more posts on how Green Building can benefit everyone, feel free to read the following links:

My Insulation Experiment

Green Misconceptions

Positive Aspects of Green

Local Green Maps