Builders

Get Your Green Building Certificates Easier w/ Consulting

Home InSight enjoys working with like minded, environmentally conscious real estate professionals, including builders. The greatest advantage you have working with Home InSight is a code-certified engineer who understand the needs green building program requirements attempt to address.

HERS Ratings. Every green building program has at its base, HERS Ratings, to support certification. Sherlock Homes is a HERS Rater. These should be done as early as possible in a project to avoid costly rework later.

ENERGY STAR Certification. The US Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR program is well known. Meeting ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes requirements is also a basic requirement for some green new-construction programs. The first requirement is to meet local building codes. Home InSight helps builders comply with building code requirements while meeting more challenging ENERGY STAR requirements. Sometimes, the requirements seem to be disconnected. Careful compliance with both is necessary to avoid constructing an unhealthy house.

EarthCraft House Certification. Southface Energy Institute's EarthCraft House program incorporates ENERGY STAR Quailified Homes requirements in its 10 category construction program leading to a more environmentally friendly house, as well as a more energy efficient one. Homebuyers of EarthCraft Houses expect healthier, more durable, more comfortable, and more energy efficient house. Home InSight helps builders decide what they will do to complete a certified house during a design review at the beginning of the project.

EarthCraft House Renovation. Energy improvements can be made to existing houses while receiving a green-building certification. Unless all the drywall is removed, the house cannot be certified as an ENERGY STAR Qualified Home. However, the energy performance can be modelled to best determine how to improve the energy performance of the house. Like the EarthCraft House program, certification depends on compliance with a set of requirements established at a design review.

Building America Challenge. Any builder certifying a house as Gold with a HERS Index less than 70 automatically complies with the requirements for the Building America Challenge. As your Technical Advisor and registered ENERGY STAR partner, Home InSight can help you certify the house under that program too.

LEED for Homes. This program is in transition. When training is offered, Home InSight will be trained to support builders in this program.

Inspections. Beyond the design review, two on-site inspections are required: predrywall and final. The goal of the PreDrywall inspection is to show compliance with the Thermal Bypass Checklist requirements. The purposes of the final inspection are to complete the Thermal Bypass Checklist, verify compliance with other program requirements, and to complete field verification for the HERS Rating. As your Technical Advisor, Sherlock Homes provides these services.

Consultation. Builders who use consultation during their first project usually succeed in getting their first house certified. Home InSight is ready, willing, and able to assist you, but respects your decision to do it on your own--your way. Without consultation, it becomes a struggle after the Predrywall inspection to address discrepancies without some level of rework. Theoretically, we can all comply with written requirements the first time. Unfortunately, as humans, we interpret the same words to mean very different things. We do what we later deem crazy after the fact. Sometimes, we laugh and go on to get certification on the 2nd house instead. Sherlock Homes wants you to be successful the first time so your bean counting managers, lenders, and other decision makers will be happy with you!

Referrals to EcoBrokers. EcoBrokers are Realtors who understand how to market green-built homes. Data shows your certified house will hold its value better than on that's not. Home InSight is developing lasting relationships with EcoBrokers around the San Francisco Bay Area. You may choose to become an EcoBroker Affiliate yourself.