What is Green?

When building GREEN it is important to take a "whole house approach".  The selection of materials and systems go hand in hand to create an overall package that provides the best indoor comfort and resource efficiency.  We take a practical approach based on what is most cost effective for our climate.  We break down the green building process as follows.

1. Energy Efficiency
This is all about saving gas and electricity.  With effective home placement on the site, you can take advantage of year round savings.  We take in to consideration the home’s orientation to the sun and plan windows, overhangs, covered patios and shade trees to take advantage of the suns heat in the winter and shading in the summer.  We have selected energy efficient products that when combined with the building envelope design, create the most energy efficient package for the money.
   

2. Water Conservation
Conserving water takes place both indoor and out.  We use water conserving fixtures and install drought tolerant sod and landscape.
   
3. Indoor Comfort
An important first step in improving both energy efficiency and indoor comfort is constructing the building envelope to reduce air infiltration, properly installing the insulation, controlling indoor humidity and installing quality doors and windows.  We also use many products with low VOC's and provide balanced fresh air ventilation along with a high efficiency air cleaner.
   

4. Construction Materials
We use materials that are renewable, recycled or resource efficient that are more durable, structurally stronger, and require less maintenance.
   

5. Site Management
Trees can significantly reduce the amount of energy expended to cool a home in the summer.  We utilize the city of San Antonio’s Tree Preservation Ordinance when placing a home on the home-site.  Each site is designed for the least environmental impact with parking and recyclable construction debris locations identified.
   
6. Inspections and Testing
All of our homes are certified GREEN by the National Association of Home Builders, Build San Antonio Green and Energy Star.  Each home undergoes third party verification and testing for Energy Star, Build San Antonio Green, National Association of Home Builders, Texas Residential Construction Commission, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, Structural Foundation Engineer, Structural Frame Engineer as well as any municipality requirements.