What does it take to build a platinum level green certified custom home in Winter Park, Orlando and Central Florida?
With most homes, there isn't any practical way to know "what's behind the walls". Green certification provides a third-party performance evaluation that enables the comparison of different homes against predetermined standards. These criteria include energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor environmental health, resource conservation, community impact, and building durability and maintenance.
There are several independent organizations that offer green certification including The U.S. Green Building Council (LEED), The National Green Building Standard (NGBS), and The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC). Our favorite is FGBC because we feel it in more in tune with Florida homes.
Each of the organizations manages the certification process similarly with the use of a detailed spreadsheet. Points are accumulated in each of the categories and the total determines the final level of achievement, although it's not quite that simple. The approach to achieve a high level of green certification starts early in the planning process. It's referred to as an integrative approach where decisions in different categories complement and support each other.
A platinum level of certification is not an easy task. As the builder, we implement the green materials and methods but the owner needs to be passionately involved in the process. We have built several green certified homes and we recognize the level of commitment required by our customers and appreciate their effort. We are proud of achieving a platinum level certification and want to thank our customers for their effort in the process.
Some additional articles that compliment this topic:
"It's Not Easy Being Green" (Kermit the Frog)
Little is more meaningful and personal than a home, and the experience of designing and building your own home should be rewarding and enjoyable. Choosing a builder is difficult. The process of designing and building a home involves numerous decisions about components, systems and services selected from criteria that includes price, quality, appearance and performance. How can you possibly understand everything unless the builder is willing to share all of the information?
Allow us to introduce you to The GCH Way of building your next home. Please let us know if you have any questions. Keith Groninger
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