Making Money With Green Building

If you pay attention to details, plan ahead and don’t make any costly mistakes, you can make money from green building.

A contract that is well written is the biggest form of protection you can have as a builder. In that contract, everything should be outlined properly, both what you are responsible for and what the end purpose is. Talk about all the green parts with the owner, contractor and the designer before you sign the contract. You should also clarify who files the greenness certification paperwork. It can be complicated filling that paperwork and you also have to pay a fee. The contract should specify who will do the green certification filing and who will pay for it.

Just because the contract says that the project is green, doesn’t automatically make it so. It should also say exactly what standards you have to meet in that project. What’s it gonna be? NAHB Green, GreenPoint Rated, LEED or another one, chosen by the client? For LEED certification you can find classes online. If you want to go with NAHB, they have a book, called “National Building Green Standard”, which is certified together with ICC (IBC and IRC producers). In that book, you can find every step you need to meet, so you can get one of the certification levels: emerald, gold, silver and bronze.

A better way of marketing buildings isn’t the only reason why owners want green buildings. If they build green, it might be the case that they plan for a new federal or state tax credit. Of course, in this case you need to know exactly what the requirements are for getting those incentives, because if you don’t meet those standards, you don’t get the money. Some municipalities might want a LEED certification, while others will require the NAHB. Until a single standard will remain, you need to check with your own municipality to see which one needs to be respected.

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