Could this be You?

The story of “Jack” and “Jill” is a compilation of what our past and present customers have told to us over the past few years.  If this story sounds vaguely familiar, you won’t be surprised to learn that your experience is much more common than you may have thought.

                                                        Build it Green’s Newest Clients – Jack and Jill!

Jack and Jill are a typical American couple with a precious 4 year old and another baby on the way.  They are ready to buy a “New” home.  Well, it doesn’t have to be “new” – just new to them.

They have always talked about what they could do in their everyday lives to be more eco-conscious. So, they recycle and use canvas tote bags when they shop and now drive a hybrid.

They also dreamed of buying a “Green Home” like they’ve seen on some cable channel on a Saturday morning. Before they started looking for a new home, they research “green homes” and found a realtor who is a certified eco-broker.  This realtor took them to see homes in their price range that were anything but “green”  Sure, a few had solid-surface countertops, one had a hot water on-demand system and one even had bamboo floors – but not much else. They were not impressed nor were they happy.

They wondered if they could build a green home for around the same amount of money that was in their budget.  The realtor and even some friends told them it would be way too expensive in the suburbs and probably not feasible in the city.  You need a lot of money and a lot of land – one person told them. After pointing out to the realtor that they thought they could find a builder to build them a green home, could they possibly buy the land in the neighborhood they wanted. He continued to show them houses – though this time he showed – “handyman specials” and “needs TLC” and one that was listed as “quaintly vintage”.  You see, what the realtor didn’t say – was he wasn’t interested in selling a piece of land that would reduce his commission by 70 to 80%.

Jack and Jill talked late into the night about their dream home.  They wanted their next home to be their forever home, a place that they would create fond Holiday memories for their kids, with a dining room table big enough for an extended family Thanksgiving dinner, a home they would celebrate their Silver Anniversary in and in a school district that their kids would finish elementary school and graduate from high school . And they wanted it to be as Green as they could afford it to be.

How did Jack & Jill solve their problem?

Jack & Jill did not know where to turn for help. One night Jill was up late checking her Face book page and came across and old friend.   Several e-mails later – as they were catching up – the friend mentioned a local company she heard great things about.  It was called “Build it Green”.

The next day Jill called just “to get some information”.  She didn’t want to commit to anything and she certainly didn’t want to sit through a three-hour presentation to find out her Green Dream Home was out of her price range.  She wanted a “ballpark” number to see if she and Jack could afford to build the “HOME OF THEIR DREAMS”.

After a twenty minute conversation, here’s what she found out!  Could this be you??!??!?!!
 

• Yes! She could build a semi-custom home, in the neighborhood she wanted, on her budget.  Build it Green said a  +/- 1,900 SF typical 3 story house with a basement,  with 3 bedrooms ,  2 1/2 baths starts around $275,000 to $325,000*!
• The Home she would help design would be Energy Star Certified and audited by a third-party agency.
• The Home would be at least 20 to 30% more energy-efficient that the existing codes called for. They would pay particular attention to the air quality and thermal & moisture protections. They would install more efficient HVAC equipment with increased air exchanges and a really tight building envelope.
• All these things that were explained to her were so important to her as a mom.  Simply put, these amenities are standard to Build it Green – and it makes for a healthier home, especially for allergen sufferers.  It also cost less to operate and to maintain a comfortable home in every season.  That cost saving can be seen in every month’s utility bills. (Can you say…. Disney World Vacation..?)
• Build it Green had several realtors (that were happy to assist in finding the right piece of land) because Build it Green gave them extra commissions for helping their clients.
• Build it Green also has several architects that they work closely with in order to match the client with the architect that best suits the client’s taste.  This would eliminate having to shop around and waste money picking a high-priced architectural firm, but getting stuck with an associate that just graduated from school.
• Build it Green also has a tremendous network of mortgage specialists that they could recommend.  But since Jill’s brother-in-law, who is in the mortgage business and was promised the work, Build it Green would happily work closely with the Brother-in-law and the bank.  They have experience with various lending institutions, construction loans, payment draws and know what to do to keep the project on schedule and the draw schedule on progress.  This is important because a missed draw payment could lead to delays from important vendors such as windows or roofing. Build it Green avoids these supply nightmare by paying attention to details like this that could cause Jill’s home to be left open to the weather elements additional time. Closing the home to the weather as soon as possible, leads to a healthier home  and eliminates mold and moisture issues later.
• Lastly, She learned that Build it Green wanted to help us to put us in the Home of our Dreams and could do it affordably and still make it Green.  She and Jack could add even more Green options as their budget allowed!

*Land costs are not included in the example construction pricing