Home & Garden...

The other day we started looking at ways to build green for less money. Today - some more tips on this important topic.

1. Visit Green Home Building to read their excellent guide regarding Financing Alternative Homes. This resource offers tips on financing, appraising, and more to help your green building project come out strong and less expensive.

2. Weigh what you can afford to do now. If a sustainable design tactic is out of reach, can it easily be upgraded later? Although, consider if it will end up costing more to do it later. If there's going to be major reconstruction involved, it may be wise to just budget the project in at the start.

3. Focus on sustainable building techniques that offer the best return for your money. Some sustainable design ideas will start to pay you back sooner than others.

4. Build with your own hands. For some people this won't be a viable option. If it is, it can save you some money though. While building our passive solar home, my partner and I did most of the work, along with a handful of helpers. If you're going to be involved in the building process, you do need to know what you're doing, or you'll only drive costs up with mistakes. Also, know your limits. We laid the roof, did all the framing, and basic installations, but when it came to most of the plumbing, and all the electrical, we contracted out. We would have made a mess of things - and we knew it.

5. Locate recycled goods for building. This is often less expensive than buying new. In New Mexico, we visited the Habitat for Humanity ReStores to get some supplies. We also knew other builders with left over supplies, and put out some inexpensive ads, noting supplies we were looking for and willing to trade for, or pay less for. Using recycled, refurbished, and reclaimed materials can really help cut costs.

6. Lastly, keep in mind, that when it comes to green building, what you can accomplish is something. Small choices can make a big difference. Even if all you do is build smaller, collect rainwater, or install a solar system; these are tactics that can create change. Building green doesn't have to be about "all sustainable" - it's about accomplishing what you reasonably can, and when you have the means, accomplishing more.