Southern Crafted Homes - Building Better Lifestyles

In the middle of 2008 an idea was floated in Pasco County to mandate Green building for all new county buildings and renovations of existing structures. Some of the individuals who floated the idea also thought it would be a good idea to require that of private industry as well and started to explore the idea. Ever the opponent of government interfering with private enterprise I took a vigorous stance against this. After we had firmly planted our feet and decided on our position we belatedly realized we knew nothing about what building Green meant. We also wondered if we as a company were doing everything we should to make sure our product was the best when it came to the environment and our consumers.

So over the course of the next several months we studied and built a case against this new fad called “Green”. We knew we didn’t want to be one who jumped on the band wagon and we certainly did not want to be out in front on something we thought might not last. But as our team commenced with our research we learned a lot and one of the prime things we learned is we had room for improvement regardless of what someone wanted to label a particular way of building. So we put this Green thing aside for a moment and focused on air quality, recycling, sustainable building products, transportation, product content, building envelopes, energy consumption, water conservation, and a host of other subjects.

It was not long before we had questioned almost every product that went into a Southern Crafted Home. We looked at windows, house wrap, insulation, duct work, exterior doors, countertops, drywall, framing assemblies, landscaping, faucets and shower heads, toilets, and air conditioning units. We looked at appliances and light fixtures, carpet and tile, and even our pest control. Changes were in store but we were still gun shy about this Green thing. So we trademarked a name Eco-Crafted and proceeded to make changes to our homes adding about $1,000 in costs to our smallest homes and up to $6,000 to our largest homes. Many of our peers questioned this and some thought it outright foolish from a business standpoint. To some extent we agreed but then there was a different face on this and that was about doing the right thing.

The more we learned about air quality, fossil fuel consumption, and sustainability the more it became about making positive changes to how we do business and doing our part for the environment. At the same time we realized it was bringing great value to our homeowners through improved quality of life, lower utility bills and overall value to their homes. Once again our peers told us homebuyers will not pay for that. We agreed. We agreed that a homebuyer will not pay extra for something they should expect to already be included in their home. A homebuyer should expect that their builder will build efficiently with safe building products and a focus on sustainability.

Before long others were paying attention, particularly some of those who started us down this path in the first place, namely those who intended to impose these requirements on us. They patiently watched and on occasion encouraged us as we went through our self exploration of what Green is even if we didn’t realize that was what we were doing. In our minds we were just doing product improvement. But finally in December 2008 we had defined and modified our entire building science. By January we were certifying every home under the EPA’s Energy Star program and by February we were informed that our homes qualified under the FGBC Green program. Our argument had come full circle and by doing the right thing we found that we were in fact Green!   Ironically in 2011 Southern Crafted Homes  won the Leadership in Housing Award from the EPA and Builder of the Year from FGBC. We had come a long way from our anti-Green position.

Looking back this has been a rewarding experience. We would like to see more builders and contractors get involved in improving the built environment. Our position on government regulation of our industry hasn’t changed. But our belief in green building being an important component of an ever changing and continuously improving industry is strong. The benefit of working within the confines and parameters of a specific and approved standard such as FGBC is that it provides clear and meaningful standards and principles. This ensures that when someone is using the word Green in describing their product and processes we can agree on an apples to apples comparison.

Once one becomes familiar with the term Green it is natural they will then learn about “Green washing”. This is when a company throws around the word Green in their advertising and marketing without actually complying with standards or certifying their product by a third party. This is an added benefit of being a member of FGBC in that they have an established standard that is easily measurable and they provide the third party certification that brings credibility and integrity to any claims of being Green as a builder. The organization provides innovative and new ways to educate the community on how to create a healthier and more environmentally sustainable future. They also lend accountability to the industry by monitoring members and their performance.

The value proposition is there. More and more people are realizing that we must be good tenants of our environment. Younger people in particular value the environment and believe in protecting and preserving it. We realize we must continue to pursue ways to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels.  There is also a great desire to eliminate chemical environments that hurt our air quality and affect each of us personally. As we look ahead to a bright future we see our industry as leaders in finding new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and have a positive impact on our environment. Today not only homes but entire communities are being built to be self sustaining and environmentally friendly. The future is indeed not only bright but Green.