Going Green in a Grey Economy : Green Home Architects - Going Green 4 Less

Online, November 10, 2009 (Newswire.com) - ----Cashiers, North Carolina (Rand Soellner Architect) 8 November, 2009 www.HomeArchitects.com
(C)Copyright 2009 Merry Soellner, All Rights Reserved Worldwide. "Going Green in a Grey Economy" and "Going Green 4 Less" coined by Rand Soellner as part of this press release. Anyone is hereby licensed to reproduce this press release in its entirety for informational purposes, acknowledging the source and copyright.

Rand Soellner Architect is promoting "Going Green 4 Less" : a strategy to help custom home architects be Green Home Architects, selling the idea of using energy efficient home architects design systems, materials and methods, as well as recycling choices for sustainable home architecture. People are having a hard time staying afloat these days. In this trying economy, Green Home Architects have to present reasonable "Green" solutions, or clients won't pay for them. Being politically correct can't compare with paying one's mortgage and putting food on the table.
We believe we are in an emerging (or "grey" economy) that is resurrecting. We should have faith in ourselves, and work hard and smart and purchase things that we need, to stimulate the country's rebirth. America needs about 1.5 million new homes each year and we haven't seen that change. After the wash of foreclosures is absorbed by bargain hunters, America will renew its building. Before it can rebuild, it will need to be designed. That's what Green Home Architects do.
Architects cannot beat up people with rhetoric about what's right for the planet all the time. That's like lecturing an Eskimo hunter that he can't harvest a whale to feed his village, when he has no other livelihood. People talk about a lot of things that sound right and good for society and the environment. What they actually Do: is what is right for them. So, what can we do to promote a Green Home Architecture agenda when people are worried about feeding their families? Many Green Home options are significantly more expensive than mere code requirements. And some are not. The ones that cost less are our focus.
"Any mechanical engineer can tell you that your main heat loss and gain is through your roof. That means: put as much insulation into your roof as possible," said Rand Soellner, AIA/NCARB, "We researched a single-layer R-49 batt insulation that costs only a few more pennies per square foot than standard R-30 or R-38 batts. We consulted insulation installers and asked if they would charge more labor to install the slightly thicker batts. They said No. Therefore, for perhaps another $1,000 +/- in material cost, you can have a roof that is about 22% more thermally insulative than code minimums. Now that's a Going Green 4 Less value if we ever heard one." Soellner predicted that homeowners using these Going Green 4 Less strategies would recoup such investments in lower utility bills within a year.
"People aren't going to pay for exotic things right now that sound nice, but don't save them anything in short order. Homeowners want green options and they want a cleaner planet for their children, and they also want to be able to afford to feed them...right now," said Soellner, making his point that during the present economic circumstances that Green Home Architects choices suggested by custom home architects might want to be tempered with some compassion for the realities of cash availability and swifter paybacks for modest upgrades with larger short term as well and long-term return on the initial investment.
"There are also upgrade roofing materials: roof shingles that look like slate, but are 100% recycled rubber and plastic," mentioned Stephen Clack, AIA, LEED GA, a Rand Soellner Architect associate handling the Orlando custom home architects region. "This sort of investment comes with a 50 year warranty, which means that the roof lasts 3 to 5 times longer than standard asphalt roof shingles (which require new embodied energy in their production, rather than recycled materials with inherent recaptured, and reused initial energy)." This means the roof lasts longer (and looks better and contributes much less to the local landfill), which saves money over the long run, and doesn't need replacing during most homeowner's lifetimes. This not only saves on additional future expense to the owner, but is less hassle and has lower life cycle cost and a lower life cycle energy footprint to produce the materials, which = reduced carbon footprint = sustainable home architecture. Click here for a preview of upcoming Press Release on our Green Gauge.