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I think in Vermont you can find builders who build very green and will build spec homes to sell. You may find some in Maine, New Hampshire, Mass. etc.
The main increase in cost in a "green" home is triple pane windows , additional insulation and ventilation required on a super tight home which will get too stale/humid if you do not properly ventilate it.
Speaking very very very generally, the additional cost on a modest sized home around 1800sq ft is probably $25,000-35000 for triple pane windows, double wall insulation (R43) and a heat recovery ventilator.
On a house like this, you may save $1000-$2000 a year in utilities so you can see, the added cost will certainly pay off in the life of the home but takes some time. There is also an increase in comfort in these homes.
I think in Vermont you can find builders who build very green and will build spec homes to sell. You may find some in Maine, New Hampshire, Mass. etc.
The main increase in cost in a "green" home is triple pane windows , additional insulation and ventilation required on a super tight home which will get too stale/humid if you do not properly ventilate it.
Speaking very very very generally, the additional cost on a modest sized home around 1800sq ft is probably $25,000-35000 for triple pane windows, double wall insulation (R43) and a heat recovery ventilator.
On a house like this, you may save $1000-$2000 a year in utilities so you can see, the added cost will certainly pay off in the life of the home but takes some time. There is also an increase in comfort in these homes.
Since you would likely be financing this in your main mortgage assume a 3% mortgage you would be paying about $750-1000 per year in additional tax deductible mortgage payments and save $1000-2000 in after tax utility payments.
I'd like to compare the price of having a modest sized green home built compared to buying an existing home in the NorthEast.
Anyone out there have any input to new construction? How to keep costs below the real estate market?
We started construction of our home in 2005. We moved in with much of it still in progress. We have then continued the rest of the projects to get us off-grid and net-zero. We did not have the funds to do everything up front.
Building a new house for 50% of the real estate market is easy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joe moving
... The main increase in cost in a "green" home is triple pane windows , additional insulation and ventilation required on a super tight home which will get too stale/humid if you do not properly ventilate it.
Some items are lower priced when you select a size that is mass produced.
We selected 6'wide by 3'tall triple-pane argon-filled windows at $115 a piece, they are mass produced so they are cheap. As compared to more common sized windows. Our windows are marketed as 6'tall by 3'wide sliding door replacement doors.
One builder quoted us a 'Heat-Recovery Ventilation' system at $8,000. We asked around and found poor reviews. We went instead with a whole house exhaust fan for $40.
We finally made it to Solar-Power this past summer, we hope to finish Solar-Thermal heat next year.
What brand of windows are those ? $115 sounds very reasonable for triple pane.
The HRV system we got was about $3500 but i think that is still pricey. However i think it makes sense in a very tightly constructed house to keep humidity under control in winter months.
What brand of windows are those ? $115 sounds very reasonable for triple pane.
The HRV system we got was about $3500 but i think that is still pricey. However i think it makes sense in a very tightly constructed house to keep humidity under control in winter months.
'American Craftsman'
Every tight house needs a system to move air in and out, to control moisture.
But a whole house exhaust fan will not do that. It simply exhausts and relies on leakage for supply. Not very efficient.
There comes a point of diminishing returns with every energy saving system.
In terms of getting a big 'bang for the buck', our radiant heated floor and thermal-bank have had a huge effect to lower winter heating costs.
We spoke with home owners who had Heat-Recovery systems, they said that after a year or two they rarely turn them on. Because in reality they simply do very little. Those systems make a lot of sense on paper.
Our home was too-tight at first. We had too much humidity and began seeing mold. Which is rare in a home with wood heat.
You need something to keep humidity under control in winter months, and our whole house exhaust fan does the trick.
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