Builder Concentrates on Green Homes and Communities

by Tracy Ostroff
Associate Editor

Summary: Austin builder Clark Wilson took a five-year hiatus from the industry after he resigned as president of the homebuilding company he founded in 1992. During the period of his non-compete clause, the veteran builder studied the market and considered what would be the next up-and-coming trend on which he and a new business could capitalize. The answer, Wilson reports, was a “no-brainer”: green building. He founded Green Builders Inc., a large-scale community developer of green, sustainable homes. The company has received the Energy Star® certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on all of its first completed green built homes.

Wilson, the president and CEO of Green Builders Inc., says that the timing is right for such an enterprise and to take green building to the mass market. “Green is at the top of our awareness,” he says. Although the decision to practice sustainable building was rooted in economics, Wilson says the two pursuits are not mutually exclusive. “To be honest, to be a good business is to be a good environmental steward; save consumers money, energy, and other natural resources; and tread lightly on the earth.”

He also points out that previous developments had been the work of smaller companies. At the same time, he came to the conclusion that his area did not need another large-scale general builder, but rather one that would make a difference in the same way the smaller companies had accomplished.

These company properties, and all future Green Builders homes, will offer a monthly energy savings of more than $100 on average and reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 50 percent, according to company estimates. “Just one Energy Star-qualified new home can keep 4,500 pounds of greenhouse gases out of our air each year. With our participation in the EPA's Energy Star program, we're helping consumers live green and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Wilson says.

First steps
The first homes are part of an 800-acre master-planned community in Georgetown Village in Georgetown, Tex., a suburb of Austin, with 2,000 houses that will be built with sustainability at their core. All of Green Builders’ first 15 completed homes feature a built-in recycling center, Energy Star-rated dishwasher, tankless water heater, conduits for future solar panels, and low-VOC paint and varnishes. These homes include state-of-the-art foam insulation on the roof and walls to reduce heat from the outdoors; seal the home for better air quality with less pollen, mold, and allergens; and reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 50 percent. Compact fluorescent bulbs come standard.

The buyer can further green their home with upgrades, including recycled clay tile floors in all wet areas, bamboo or sustainable wood floors, recycled carpets, and locally harvested granite countertops. Green Builders homes are designed with environmental centers that feature all of the technical components for managing the home in one central area. Each property also incorporates hydro-zoned landscaping with native plants and trees and a centralized sprinkler system with a rain sensor.

Energy Star rating
The team chose to use the Energy Star rating because the widespread familiarity of the program and its logo for energy-saving products and appliances gives the sustainable elements more traction with the public. The builder will also seek a five-star rating from the Austin Energy Green Building Rating System, a city program that is free and one of the most stringent evaluation systems in the country. The five-star rating for all the Green Building Inc. homes would substantially increase the inventory of such properties in the city limits.

Wilson and green building sciences consultant Elliot Johnson, AIA, an architect well-known for sustainable projects in Austin and owner of Images Of …, notes that the homes do not necessarily have to cost more, particularly if sustainability is programmed at the beginning of the project—as the architecture team, led by Danze & Davis Architects, did.

The homes, designed with low-pitched roofs, overhangs, and natural materials in the Texas Craft style, have a bit of a green look to them, Johnson says. They do have a distinct look and feel to them, Wilson agrees, but adds that team members are conscious of not “taking the market too far, too fast.”

Johnson says the team has three specific goals. The first is to exceed the Energy Star rating by 50 percent to qualify for a federal tax credit for energy-efficient homes. The second is to meet the five-star requirements of the City of Austin. The third is to differentiate Green Builders Inc. from other builders doing sustainable projects.

Good market
Green Builders energy efficient homes are priced from the $200,000s to $700,000s. So far, Green Building Inc. has sold 25 percent of the 15 homes it has brought to market. The company is gearing up for the spring selling season in the Austin market, which still remains relatively healthy, Wilson says. He reports that more than 400 people attended the last open house. The green homes have a lot of pull, Wilson says. “This year is going to be the turning point.” He says their research indicates a tipping point in 2008 of consumers using their head rather than their emotions when making home-buying decisions. “The Internet has changed everything,” he notes. Consumers have their game on when they look at the projects and want to see that there is substance behind the green applications.

Wilson says building green residences on a large scale is an idea that could find traction anywhere. He says he hopes more companies will enter the market to help drive down costs of materials. For his part, Wilson has more properties planned for Georgetown Village, with more developments on the boards, including one that will preserve open space and another that will be centered on a community garden.