Whitney Blair First NAHB Green Certified Home

As a result of our Green practices follwed in the construction of our custom home in Devaun Park, we have received the NAHB Silver Level Green Certification: this is no small feat! There are 3 levels recognized by the NAHB for Green Certification: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. This is also the first Green Certified home of any level in South Brunswick County, so we are quite excited over this achievement.

In depth information concerning the various levels of certification can be found on the NAHB website at:

http://www.nahbgreen.org/Certification/default.aspx

Additionally, as with all Whitney Blair-constructed homes, this home is Energy Star Certified, receiving the highest Energy Star rating possible: a 5 Star Plus rating! Provided below are a couple photos of Energy Star testing being conducted to determine our rating:

Energy Star testing underway



Stay tuned for additional Green updates from Whitney Blair with our new homes under construction in the Wilmington and Brunswick County areas, as we go for the NAHB Gold rating!

Whitney Blair Inc. Green Methods

Good Afternoon. We hope everyone is having a great week. Over the past eighteen months Whitney Blair Inc. has made it our mission to research green building materials, methods, and technology. Our staff then implements the use of these materials, methods, and technology in the field on the homes that we build. This results in homes that are built smarter, environmentally friendly, and with greater energy efficiency. We thought we would take a minute or two and point out a few of Whitney Blair's "Best Practices" that you may, or may not know we include for our custom home clients. Questions and feedback are welcome and encouraged.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team



One of the greatest areas of air infiltration and energy loss is where the sill plate meets the top of foundation. By using a Sill Sealer it provides a barrier that conforms and seals off the voids and irregularities between the top of the foundation and sill plate.


By parging the top of the foundation block it assists in the prevention of termite infiltration.




The vapor barrier reduces potential moisture infiltration from ground water below.

Welcome to Green Building

Happy Memorial Day Weekend and welcome to the first entry of the “Green by Whitney Blair” blog. In this blog we will explore green building practices and affordable methods. As a certified member of the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program, U.S. Green Building Council (LEEDS), and the ENERGY STAR program, Whitney Blair Inc. has firmly positioned itself ahead of the industry curve.

One of the largest fallacies when it comes to “being green” in the construction industry is that it is not realistically affordable. This is untrue. A certified green home, when built using the correct products/materials increases the bottom line cost of your new home very little, and will end up saving you money in future. Whitney Blair’s philosophy on green building is to concentrate on using a mixture of products/materials that will pay for themselves and begin putting money back in the homeowner’s pocket within three to five years. Another myth is that associated with “being green” is that the home has to be completely “off the grid”, such as covering your roof in solar panels, to qualify. While this absolutely qualifies as a green home, you do not have to go to these extremes to certify your next home as green.

We hope that you will enjoy the information that is provided to you in this blog. We encourage comments and questions from each and every one of you. Below you will find an article from NAHB discussing how quickly the green building trend is taking off. Thank you again for taking the time to read our blog.

Have a great, happy, and safe holiday weekend.

Best regards,


The Whitney Blair Team
www.whitneyblair.com
http://whitneyblaircustomhomes.blogspot.com
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994


Green Building Growing At A Surprising Rate, NAHB Says

May 20, 2009 - As builders and remodelers retool their businesses in a tight credit market and recapture the interest of jittery consumers, this spring is the greenest yet for the nation’s home building industry, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“We’ve said for a while that green building is a bright spot in a down market,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder and developer in Tulsa, Okla. “However, the growth of the NAHB National Green Building Program exceeds even our most optimistic expectations.”

For instance, more than 3,100 builders, remodelers, designers and others in the home building business have earned the Certified Green Professional educational designation. Based on the successful completion of 24 hours of instruction, industry experience and commitment to continuing education, the designation provides consumers with confidence in the qualifications of credentialed professionals, Robson said.

A Master Green Builder-Remodeler designation that incorporates additional building science and project management coursework is slated to be unveiled next year, he added.

More than 200 single-family homes, remodeling projects and developments in 43 states have received National Green Building Certification, with another 300-plus scheduled for inspections.

“The NAHB Research Center has certified projects ranging from affordable starter homes to high-end custom homes with every conceivable amenity,” Robson said. “This national certification program clearly is making green building more mainstream.”

The number of state and local home builders associations affiliated with the NAHB National Green Building Program hit 99 last week, so there are now 40 states with affiliated programs. These programs team national certification with professional education and consumer awareness initiatives.

“The fact that 17 of these programs are statewide is especially encouraging for home buyers and home owners because it increases their access to bona fide green building, whether they live in South Dakota or South Carolina,” Robson said.

Homes certified in the NAHB National Green Building Program meet benchmarks set for energy, water and resource efficiency; indoor environmental quality, lot and site development and home owner education and home maintenance. Green building practices are incorporated into every step of the home building and land development process to minimize environmental impact.

Various tax credits for energy-efficient products, like Energy Star-rated windows, and a growing number of state and local incentives for buying green are also encouraging consumers to choose energy- and resource-efficient products and homes,” Robson said.

Consumers can find a Certified Green Professional, a local green building program and a gallery of certified green homes at www.nahbgreen.org.