Owner Builder Green Home

The purpose of the Owner Builder Green Home is to help consumers better understand "green" home design and construction by articulating the major phases of the building process with the most efficient and effective products available.

Building or remodeling a home becomes a real-life, on-site classroom where you learn much about product design, construction, landscape, décor and maintenance.

It's a process of progressive approximation.

The Owner Builder Green Home integrates product style and performance, combining the art and craft of home building.

Builder, Educator and Journalist, Tom Landis, highlights construction products and technologies as well as introduces the experts with the "right stuff" so consumers become more knowledgeable when doing their own project.

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"Green from the Ground Up" with Guest David Johnston
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Author and green building expert, David Johnston, is a leading thinker behind the green building movement, transforming the way we think about building. His approach to green building has been embraced by municipalities, homeowners, building professionals and sustainability advocates nation-wide. In direct response to the growing demand for sustainable, healthy, and energy-efficient homes, Mr. Johnston presents the most forward-thinking theories and the best-proven methods of new and remodeled green construction in his newest book, "Green from the Ground Up."

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MAJOR PHASES OF THE BUILDING PROCESS

PLANNING & DESIGNING
BUILDING SITE
FOUNDATION
FRAMING
ROOFS & ATTICS
SIDING & DECKING
WINDOW & DOORS
PLUMBING
HEATING-VENTILATION-AIR CONDITIONING
ELECTRICAL
SOLAR ENERGY
INSULATION
WALL-FLOOR COVERING
INTERIOR FINISHES
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
LANDSCAPING

THE PROCESS OF PROGRESSIVE APPROXIMATION

And so…your journey begins…as you plan the details of your new home building or remodeling endeavor.

It's a work in progress. You're trying to determine what products and practices will be required to create your new homestyle, one which matches your lifestyle.

Determining what you need for your home is a journey of progressive approximation as you work with the design/build community, developing collaborative relationships in order to better understand what may be required.

What is progressive approximation? It means you do not know where you are going but you will know it when you get there. It is a process of refining your ideas, weighing and considering the possibilities.

It means taking the time to get to know the building community through meaningful dialog. Eventually, you will arrive at a place where you thoroughly understand the goods and services necessary to complete your project. Be patient! It is a creative process.

You will get your creative juices flowing as you consider your options, what resources may be required, and determine the product/service mix just right for you.

There is a range of products from which to choose, hundreds of choices, and, you may make a few mistakes along the way. Nevertheless, you will learn from your mistakes, adjust your decisions and move toward workable solutions until you arrive at a final solution set.

Do not worry; it is always this way at the beginning of a home building or remodeling endeavor. Progressive approximation is just another way of saying "Plan Ahead."

Luckily, for you, there is a marketplace of manufacturers, suppliers and contractors who are ready to help as you move forward. It is just a matter of collaborating with the right people in a meaningful way!

You start by articulating your vision…defining your lifestyle, creating a storyboard, pondering your options and considering what may work best for you.

You are turning a house into your home so thoroughly enjoy the planning process. After all, you are creating a sacred place, a place where you will be celebrating birthdays, holidays and break bread together.

You know for sure you do not need to identify the entire ensemble of product features all by your lonesome. From the very beginning, you will collaborate with family members, designers, manufacturers, suppliers and contractors.

Your journey is much more than simply planning for the use of doors and windows, cabinets and countertops. It is about building relationships with people you know and trust.

There is a long tradition for collaboration in architecture and construction endeavors. The French word "Charrette" means "cart" and originates from the É cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris during the 19th century where proctors circulated a cart to collect final drawings from architecture students putting their final touches on their designs.

Today, a Charrette commonly refers to a collaborative planning process that harnesses your talents and energies with designers, manufacturers, suppliers and contractors to create and support a feasible plan of action for your new home.

You need to embrace your ideas, talk it over with design and build professionals, and communicate your wants, needs and desires to the entire building community.

Deciding on what products and practices to use is about sharing your vision so you can collaborate with others in nurturing, sustainable relationships. The art and craft of home building or remodeling requires that you sit down in face-to-face discussions with all the individuals who will be involved in your project.

As you do this, what will first appear as vague notions of what you want to achieve slowly emerge as best guesstimates of what may be required for your project.

Continuing discussions with design/build professionals, additional ideas will spring forth leading to more refined ideas of what products may be needed to do your job.

Eventually, you arrive at a point where your vision is documented by drawings, specifications and written proposals from qualified people who will be pleased to do the work.

In essence, to better understand the design/build process, you need to move forward by progressive approximation through a meaningful dialog with product manufacturers, designers, suppliers and contractors, articulating your vision and collaborating with them in your own Charrette.