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Green building doesn't have to be overly expensive. Using smart green home design, and other tactics, you can build a great eco home that won't completely break the bank.

Overall, most people overestimate the cost of building green. Still, in some areas you will spend more in the beginning, but remember that part of green building is reaping those money saving rewards related to water and energy use later on.

You can use the following tips to lower the costs.

Plan ahead: When building my own house, the single most expensive thing was that I was building with a poor planner. You need to plan everything. I was working with a great designer and we had good ideas, but because we didn’t plan tasks to correlate properly we lost many weeks worth of work time. For example, make sure you schedule inspections, material deliveries, and extra help at the appropriate times. Our house went over schedule by months - and that's a large loss of money when you consider land payments, current rent, and building supplies. If you're hiring a home builder make sure they have a great track record.

Get your whole team together early on: Research surrounding green building shows that when you involve your contractor early on in the design process, the whole project goes smoother.

Don't separate "green" from not green construction: Assume from the start that smart green home design is the norm and research shows that your costs will stay lower.

Use green design suitable for your situation: You may have your heart set on straw bale, but if that's not typical where you live, or it's unreasonable to do, try other eco design strategies - some more suitable to your community, land, and materials available.

More green building money saving tips tomorrow.