The Cost of Sustainable Architecture
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Q: I am about to build a house for my self, and I have been looking at every cost effective option, as I have a tight budget to go along. I am looking forward to building a 1200-1500 sq feet house under $20,000 (2-3 bedroom two bath ) and my question is, is it possible ??? What else can you advise me for ??

A: It is possible to build a very inexpensive house, especially if you are willing to do much of the work yourself. I doubt if you could have a house that size built by a contractor, given your budget. The secret to building inexpensively is: build as small as possible, used recycled materials where possible, do the work yourself whenever possible, choose materials that are cheap, or free, to build with, such as adobe, etc. You might like to buy my video program, A Sampler of Alternative Homes, available at the STORE since it shows a number of very inexpensive homes.

Q: I purchased 11.5 acres at about 6700 feet here in Nevada just outside Virginia City. We have cold winters with snow and hot summers with minimal rain. I want to build green for many reasons. We do not want to be anchored by a mortgage and have progressed thus far from an out of pocket perspective. Well and Septic are in place. Now it is time to figure out what type of affordable/sustainable construction we will use. I have studied ICF, adobe, cast-earth. We are at a loss in making that determination. We want solid walls, providing maximum thermal mass. We do have construction regulations and a Property Owners Association so aesthetics must also be considered. I am leaning towards adobe but am concerned about deterioration. I like concrete but not the polystyrene. Can you help in making a choice for affordable (out of pocket), sustainable (lasts generations) and efficient building?

A: I always advise people to consider the design that fits your building site first, before deciding what materials to use...so much depends on the exact design. Hybrid approaches are often the best to create a really comfortable home. If you are berming part of the house, that demands the use of materials that can tolerate that situation (earthbags, lightweight cement); an expanse of framed windows is easiest done with recycled or eco-certified wood; the house shell that is exposed to the atmosphere should be well-insulated (strawbale, AAC, earthbags with volcanic rock); often the floor is a good place to have thermal mass where the sun shines on it (adobe, flagstone). Also, use materials that can be found locally, so they don't have to be trucked in from a great distance.

Q: Is there an easy, low-level adoption of certain practices and materials that can yield both additional customers and reduced operating costs for the contractor that leverage his/her existing skills?

A: The simple idea of promoting compact designs for homes would appeal to many customers while reducing the cost to build. The trend for building enormous, showcase houses that consume so much more material to build and energy to keep comfortable, eliminates a whole sector of the housing market. Even people who buy these huge mansions often discover that they are not comfortable for living because they do not create that cozy, nest-like space that becomes a "home".

Q: I am a high school student and I am doing a report about sustainable architecture. How much would a sustainable house/building cost if the square feet was ranging up to a normal size three bedroom home?

A: There are so many variables it is impossible to say for sure, but in general a sustainable house can be built for no more than an ordinary one, and often much less.

Q: If I want to build 'green home' off the grid, solar panels, approx. 1000-1200 sq. ft, how much would it cost?

A: There are just too many variables to answer your question. Solar electric systems themselves can cost between $5,000 and $60,000, depending on size and complexity. The cost of building houses varies also, depending on the area, design, etc. I suggest that you ask local contractors what typical costs are per square foot in your area, and also if they are familiar with the aspects of sustainable architecture that interest you.

Q: I found there are many people that believe green building is too expensive and too complex.

A: There are so many different ways of building "green" that no such generalizations should be made. As a generalization, it is untrue, because there are many ways of building green; some are simpler and less expensive, while some are more complex and more expensive than conventional construction.

Q:  Do you believe that this idea will prevent green building from becoming main stream?

A: Well, it certainly won't help the acceptance of green practices...expense is often the bottom line for choices that consumers make.

Q: I will be moving to Paros island in the Cyclades island complex in Greece. I would like to build a home that will be totally self sustained, from power and water. Also I don't want to spent more then $150,000. Where do you recommend I start from?

A: The way to keep costs low is to do as much of the work as you can yourself, keep the design as compact as can be, use natural, local materials that are readily available and not too expensive, use recycled materials for many parts of the house, and do work exchanges with friends when lots of hands make sense. To start I would suggest that you read up on all of the aspects of the house that interest you. There are many resources listed at this website. For that much money you should be able to build a very nice house!

Q: I am a third year engineering student at the University of Montana in Bozeman with a background in residential construction. While building homes in California I have developed a desire to build green. As a working student the only way for me to build green is to convince others that it is a good idea. For most the determining factor is financial. For an end of year economics project I am trying to answer the question; will building green be cost effective? To do this I am comparing the building and maintenance costs of a green home to that of a home build with "standard" materials over a 25-year time period. Pricing out the costs of a conventionally built home has been simple; unfortunately it has been very difficult to price out a green home. This is partly due to the breadth of what all is considered green as well as the fact that most people writing about the financial aspects of their green homes are venting horror stories with poor contractors. I was wondering if you have any information or know of any search avenues that would aid in my research?

A: You are absolutely correct about the breadth of  "green" building and the difficulty of comparing this to conventional construction. I have been asked this question many times, and my usual response is "It all depends on the choices you  make." I know of owner-built simple homes made with pressed adobe blocks that have been built for around $1,000...whereas many nice homes made with alternative materials cost a fair amount more than their conventional counterparts, because of all the custom work that needs to be done, in plastering, etc. Also, "green" can imply the use of lots of expensive technology, such as solar electric equipment. In general, I would say that it is possible to build a green home for something comparable to its conventional counterpart, and that over time this green home will cost less to operate and will save quite a bit of money.

Q: My husband and I dream of our green home between Montpelier and Burlington, VT. It would be helpful to have a very rough estimate of this dream green home for building material costs + land: we'd have a traditional ranch (wrap around veranda and gazebo deck accompanying the greenhouse), four bedrooms, two composting toilets, 2 showers, on about 5 acres, with solar panels, windmills, wells, and backup generator. Surrounding the home, we'd have an ice skating rink, cross country trails, and a downhill slide. Then, a pool, tennis courts and small gym? Is this affordable for the middle class couple?

A: What you describe sounds ambitious on a moderate income, but then I am not familiar with property values and building costs in that area. You might find someone through the directory at http://directory.greenbuilder.com/search.gbpro  who could advise you more specifically. It sounds like what you have in mind could be used as a resort, and thereby provide some income as well. I might suggest that you consider designing the project so that it could be implemented in stages, starting out on a much smaller scale, and enlarge it as you gain experience and can afford it.

Q: How or where I could find a price list for materials for sustainable construction? I'm wanting to start my own business in building and offering eco-friendly homes to people in Tennessee. I think Everyone should be living more in conjunction with the environment.

A: I am afraid that there is no such list. There is such a large variety of materials with differing costs depending on locality and availability, that it would be almost impossible to assemble such a list. If you had a specific design that you were interested in, a materials list could be generated for that design, and then that list could be evaluated for cost in your locality...but even that is a fair amount of work. I am pleased that you are interested in going into the ecological housing business!

Q: How can the cost of green products be brought down?

A: Many natural materials actually cost less than their industrial equivalents. Other manufactured products that might be considered "green," such as wheat straw board, will become less expensive when they are used more, like most other products do.

Q: What is the cost difference in building a green house verses a traditional house?

A: Often there is no difference whatsoever. Then, once the house is built, it will save energy and money for the owner through its efficiency.

Q: For us average "joes" out there, the desire to build sustainably within our budget can be a real challenge. I have been in discussion with enough green "stick" construction firms to know this. While stick might be no less expensive than building with a SIP, the increased energy savings with SIPs is an inviting offset.

A: Building green does not necessarily cost more, especially when the energy consumption costs over time are factored in...as you point out. With "stick" construction there is the hidden cost of environmental degradation from deforestation, and this should also be factored in.

Q: I live up in Eureka California where there is a lot of rain. My husband and I are looking at houses, cheap, bottom of the market. We don't really want to spend more than $200,000. The prices of houses here in California have become bloated well past reason, but we have to deal with it. Anyway, it occurred to me that buying a scrap of land and putting something on it that we might actually like might be a possibility. I've always been a huge, rabid fan of alternative, ecologically kosher architecture. I know there are eco house kits but I can't get anyone to even talk to me because they want to know my whole financial story; first to know whether I'm worth an enquiry response. I can't plan without knowing what is out there and how much these house kits cost. Can you think of something within our lowly economic perimeters that might work in a wetter climate like Eureka CA? Starting from scratch with a smart design is something I would rather do than settling for an old wreck in the slums.

A: There aren't really many ecological kit homes available that I know about, other than yurts perhaps. It is often much more ecological to start from scratch with a house that is designed for the exact site where you want to build. Many of the homes featured at www.dreamgreenhomes.com can be adapted to work in many locations. The cost of building varies from region to region...local builders and realtors can give you typical cost per square foot figures for where you want to build. Yes...you can build a very fine house for under $200,000, especially if you can find land that is inexpensive enough. Don't give up!

Q: Does going green in your home have to be expensive? Why or why not?

Measures such as sealing obvious air leaks in the shell of the house, providing good insulation in the walls and ceilings, putting thermal curtains on windows in the cold season, replacing incandescent lights with compact fluorescent, and buying energy-efficient appliances are not terribly expensive to implement.

Q: Is there anything you can do to offset the costs? If so, what?

A: Once such energy-conservation measures have been taken they will actually start to save you money in reduced utility bills. Also, there are often tax rebates offered by either the state or federal government that encourage energy conservation.

Q: Where can we build a home for under $200,000? California is our first choice, but we are willing to move out of state.

A: The main problem of building in California is the cost of real estate, as well as the cost of labor; materials costs are probably similar around the country. My understanding is that it now costs between $200 and $300 per square foot there for new construction. So at the lower end of this, you would be able to build a 1,000 sf house for about $200,000, if you already owned the land. This really saddens me, since it puts such homes out reach of many people.

A few years ago I built my own 1200 sf home in the mountains of Colorado for about $16 per sf...but I did most of the work myself and it took me about three years to do so. And I am good at finding recycled materials and using natural materials that are in abundance in that area. So the cost of building depends on many factors.

A few months ago I toured parts of the Ozarks (Oklahoma and Arkansas) and noticed that there is a lot of relatively inexpensive real estate there (both bare land and developed)...and it was beautiful. Now, with the downturn in real estate generally around the country, you can probably get some pretty good deals, certainly for less than $200,000....so again, it all depends...