New Homes
IndoorAirPlus
Solar Water Heater
The Right Builder
CHB-News-Articles
Our Custom Features
ENERGY STAR
Green House Gas
Valdosta, GA
Technology
Home Theater
Spray Foam Insulation
On Your Lot Builder
Building Eco Green
Global Warming
Smart Homes
Sq. Ft. Facts
Thomasville, GA. Agents
Healthy Homes
Building Green
Remodeling
Benefits of ICF's
South GA Homes
31792 Green Homes
 
 
CHB Custom Green Home builders offers you, the new home owner, the opportunity to Build a Green Home so you can...
• conserve energy (and reduce energy costs),
• improve indoor air quality,
• dramatically reduce your home’s ecological footprint (impact) on the environment
• and save money

 

CHB Custom Homes first green home with smart home technology built in Thomasville and the South Georgia Area.

 

Did you know?
Typical building construction, use, and demolition, as well as the manufacturing of building materials, contribute significantly to environmental problems. In the United States, buildings account for
  • 36% of total energy use
  • 65% of electricity consumption
  • 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
  • 30% of raw materials use
  • 30% of waste output (equal to 136 million tons annually)
  • 12% of potable water consumption
  • A typical 1700 sq. ft wood frame home requires the equivalent of clear cutting one-acre of forest

 

Despite all these intensive inputs, we are not constructing healthy buildings. More than 30% of buildings in the US have poor indoor air quality, a serious problem given that most people spend about 90% of their time indoors. A 1990 study by the American Medical Association and the U.S. Army found that indoor air quality problems cost U.S. businesses 150 million workdays and about $15 billion in productivity losses each year. The World Health Organization puts the losses at close to $60 billion.
 
By the year 2010, another 38 million buildings are expected to be constructed in the US, bringing our country’s total to over 100 million. The challenge is to build those new buildings, and renovate the older ones, in ways that reverse these unhealthy trends. Fortunately, there are ways we – as consumers, designers, builders and product manufacturers – can respond to this challenge. By building green, we can assist in preserving natural habitats, watersheds, and ecosystems, protect air and water quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste, all while conserving natural resources and creating healthier indoor and outdoor environments.
 
Green building also has tangible economic and public health benefits. These include lower operating costs via reduced energy and water utility bills, and reduced maintenance and replacement costs due to greater durability of materials. The use of non-toxic materials in residential construction is especially important in protecting children from respiratory and other diseases.
In commercial settings, green building results in improved occupant health and comfort (primarily due to indoor air quality measures and daylighting) which in turn leads to higher produc-tivity, less absenteeism, and reduced insurance costs and liability risk.
 
On the hierarchy of human needs, shelter is second only to food. Everyone wants a place to live. One of the best and easiest ways to lessen the impact on the planet of fulfilling that need is to build environmentally-sound structures. Not only can we improve the global environment, building green can improve your local environment.

Counting the Cost of Green
Does saving the planet really mean destroying your bank account? 
Are you one of the typical US families that spend more than $3,000 a year on utility bills? If so, you’re probably one of the many families paying for much of this energy to be completely wasted through drafty doors and windows and poorly insulated walls. If you’re tired of watching your money slip through the cracks, it’s time to take a fresh look at green homes.
 
Green homes are better-designed homes – they are energy-efficient, high performance homes, and you’re going to get more bang for your buck in more ways than one. In fact, it’s cheaper to own a green home, better-designed home from the day you move in.
 
Well-designed, energy efficient homes have all or most of the following:
• Expanded foam insulation
• Airtight Building Envelope
• Housewrap to create a tighter envelope
• Decreased drainage and grading costs due to the maximization of the home site’s natural topography
• Tankless water heaters
• Air exchangers
All of these features add up to significantly lower energy bills.
 
Today, green building is approached as a holistic concept, with environmentally friendly practices integrated into every aspect of the green building process. CHB Custom Homes can recommend and implement strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. So, how exactly do you go green when building a home?
 
When you use materials that are recycled, more durable, renewable or readily replenished (such as bamboo), healthier (such as low Voc or water based finishes), and locally-produced, you are “going green.” 
 
And how do you save money? Many of these products are comparable in cost, less expensive initially, or less expensive in the long run because of increased longevity, better performance, and lower maintenance needs.
 
Below are some areas on which to focus your attention when building your home.
 
Home Site & Land Use:
The location of the home and how the land is developed has a significant environmental, financial, and social impact. Below are a few examples of techniques that can be used to reduce that impact. For more information and suggestions, visit CHB Custom Built Homes Sitting and Land Use Checklist.
 
• Build on an infill lot in an established residential area or a brownfield (land re-use) development.
• Build within 0.5 miles of a school, transit stop, or shopping.
• Build a rear, side entry, or no garage.
• Build a patio, porch, or deck located on south side of house to create a sunny, wind- sheltered outdoor space
 
Landscape Conservation & Storm Water Management:
As you know, the construction process usually greatly disturbs the site landscape. However, steps can be taken to reduce that disturbance. By preserving and reusing the natural features, resources are conserved and energy costs are reduced. Below are a few examples on how to achieve that. For more information and suggestions, CHB Custom Built Homes Checklist
 
• Save and reuse all site topsoil.
• Protect trees and other natural features during construction.
• Chip and reuse site-cleared wood and brush as mulch.
• Re-plant or donate live trees from the site.
• Plant grass that requires less water, such as fescue.
 
Energy Efficiency:
Many techniques and practices can be employed to reduce significantly energy consumption that will not only protect the environment, but also save you money. For example, how the home is situated on the land, the type of landscape plantings used, and how the home’s water is heated all have an effect. Below are just a few more examples of what can be done. For more information and many more suggestions, visit this Energy Efficiency Checklist provided by CHB Custom Homes.
 
• Situate garage between house and prevailing winter winds
• Install ENERGY STAR  windows
• Use ENERGY STAR  appliances and light fixtures
• Install on demand hot water delivery system or solar hot water heating supplies
• Install solar tubes or glass blocks for interior light
 
Building Materials:
How materials are extracted and transported have a significant environmental impact. Using engineered, locally- produced, recycled, salvaged materials can not only reduce the environmental impact, but can also reduce the homeowner’s costs. Below are just a few suggestions.
 
• Use salvaged or regionally produced (within 500 miles) masonry and stone
• Use reusable foundation forms, such as metal instead of wood
• Use wood from sustainably managed forests
• Use natural insulation (cotton, bio-based foam)
• Use recycled roofing material
• Use Interior bamboo flooring

 

Indoor Air Quality: Because most people spend 90% of their time indoors, indoor air quality has a huge impact on health. Building materials, such as paints and binders, often release fumes, triggering asthma, allergies, or other reactions. Below are suggestions for improving the air quality in your home. Visit ENERGY STAR  Indoor Air Quality section
for more ideas on how to reduce the amount of chemicals in your home.
 
• Use non-toxic cleaners
• Ventilate the building after each finish application
• Use waterbased paints and finishes or low voc paints and finishes on walls, floors, and other interior surfaces
• Install a de-humidification system for the entire house
• Physically separate the garage from the house
 
 
    In the United States, buildings account for:
  • 36% of total energy use/65% of electricity consumption
  • 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
  • 30% of raw materials use
  • 30% of waste output/136 million tons annually
  • 12% of potable water consumption
 
Water Conservation and Plumbing:
The world’s fresh water supply is in danger; therefore, reducing our consumption is an important part of “going green.” Below are a few ways to reduce your use of water in the bathroom and kitchen. For more ideas, visit section on water conservation.
 
• Use front loading, horizontal-axis clothes washer
• Use composting toilet
• Use only one shower head per shower.
• Use rainwater for watering lawn and toilet flushing

 

Waste Recycling, Reduction, and Disposal:
A significant percentage of Wisconsin’s waste comes from construction debris. Below are ideas for minimizing construction site waste. To learn more, visit this section of the Green Built Home Guide.
• Disassemble existing buildings and reuse or recycle the building materials
• Obtain products from suppliers who use packaging that has been recycled or reused
• Recycle cardboard, wood, metal, brick, block and other building materials
• Install recycling and kitchen scrap compost bins for homeowner use.

 

 

 
Home | Projects | Features | Financing | Mortgage | Contact | Terms | Thomasville | Land | Cairo | Moving Checklist | Agents | Careers | Resource | Technology | ENERGY STAR  | Our Pledge | Going Green |  Pro-Builder | Build With Us | Walb10 | Valdosta | 50-Tips | Remodeling | Georgia-Builders
Equal Housing Opportunity    2005 © Capital Home Builders & Developers, Inc.  Disclaimer: All prices are subject to change without notice. Products including but not limited to houses, lots and communities may differ from photo, rendering and description. Build It Right / Build It Green