Eco Friendly Homes: A Trend in New Residential Construction Eco Friendly Homes: A Trend in New Residential Construction
In a day and age where many focus on energy efficiency, most homeowners don’t realize that the overall construction of their home may be a major set back. However this is quickly changing as experts are predicting and surge of “green home” and “eco friendly” housing construction to continue to rise sharply between now and 2020.
Many builders are saying that buyers are now more willing to pay extra for their homes to have green features. In 2013, 73 percent of single family builders and 79 percent of single family remodelers say that buyers were willing to pay a 3-5 percent premium for green homes.
One family in Clinton, Maryland decided that they wanted to take things to the next level, and build their house partially underground. The two story 3,300 square foot home features three bedrooms, two full baths, and even a two car garage. Most of the house is under ground while the facade of the house takes on a more normal look. “Viewed from the front, my house looks no different from any other house. From the sides and the rear, all that the eye’s can see is a large hill of landscaped earth” says the homeowner.
The home was built back in 2006 by Formworks Buildings Incorporated. This company has been building earth sheltered green homes for over 30 years. The company claims that owners of their homes will typically pay 90 percent less to heat and cool their homes than the standard construction homeowner. They use a unique steel reinforced concrete shell arched structure under the ground, which are extremely strong, long lasting and very low maintenance. In the future with advances in technology we will surely see even better results to energy savings in green homes.
Green homes are really a win-win situation for both the homeowners and the environment, so why not consider one for your next home?
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