Annual Green Home Tour Nearing Kick Off
Green Home Builders of the Triangle (GHBT) presents the 2015 Green Home Tour May 2 – 3 and May 9 – 10, noon – 5:00 pm, at new and remodeled green certified homes throughout the area. In its tenth year of inviting the public to view green building practices and materials, this free self-guided GHBT event showcases a variety of excellent examples of certified green home construction. Each home in the tour is inspected and third-party verified, making sure each home meets the minimum certification requirements established by the National Green Building Standard (NGBS). Green Home Builders of the Triangle is a joint council of the Home Builders Associations (HBAs) of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties and of Raleigh-Wake County.
With today’s home buyers looking for healthy, efficient, cost-effective homes, green builders are poised to fulfill these consumer needs. The Tour showcases a diverse collection of certified green new and remodeled homes in this annual open house, with a building professional onsite at each home to answer questions and present the home’s green features. The tour homes may be in various stages of construction or owner-occupied. This is a unique opportunity to see first-hand some of the innovative green building practices at work in our area.
According to Jeff Wiblitzhouser, 2015 GHBT Chair, the following defines high-performance green certification: Efficient and environmentally low-impact site and lot design and development; efficient energy and water usage and performance; clean and healthy indoor air and environment; durable low-maintenance products and superior construction techniques; building material efficiency and recycling/reuse; homeowner training and education about the home’s performance features and maintenance; and independent third-party testing and verification confirming adherence to the rigorous standards of NGBS. The benefits of these homes include superior return on investment, increased home comfort and healthiness, a limited impact on the environment, and the conservation of valuable and increasingly scarce resources.
“The Triangle Green Home Tour features new homes and renovations by many of the leading builders in the Triangle area,” says Wiblitzhouser. “These builders are an elite group of professionals who are not only passionate about being on the forefront of residential building science and technology, but also include professionals who are recipients of national awards and are recognized as thought leaders in their field. You will enjoy not only touring these homes, but take away an increased understanding and appreciation of what makes a superior home and the thoughtfulness and exhaustive detail that goes into the design and construction of each one.”
The Triangle has long been recognized as a leader in building innovative, high-performance, green homes. According to the Home Innovation Research Labs’ National Green Building Standard Certification Program, nearly 22% of all green certified projects in the country are NGBS Green certified in North Carolina.
The HBAs of the Triangle look forward to hosting the 10th annual Green Home Tour to show local homebuyers the array of green certified home options available to them. A Kick Off Reception for the Green Home Tour will be held in Orange County on Friday, May 1, 4:00 – 6:00 pm at the Forest Ridge Community Model Home, 301 Clarkson Ridge Lane in Hillsborough. On Saturday, May 2, 10:30 – noon, a Chatham County Kick Off Reception will be held at the Briar Chapel Club House, 16 Windy Knoll Circle in Chapel Hill.
Green Home Tour guidebooks are available at all area Harris Teeter stores, HBA offices, and area Realtor® Association offices. For more information about the Tour, go to www.GreenHomeBuildersoftheTriangle.com or call (919) 493-8899.
