FROM THE EDITOR
“We bid our job to seven companies. Everyone said to us, “That’s too many; narrow it to a few you like or you’re wasting time.” It turns out, we didn’t bid it to enough builders.”
We bid our job to seven contractors.
A Dear John Letter
This special green remodeling issue takes a look at the products that help builders retrofi t clients’ homes and highlights some savvy projects that show how builder-homeowner teams can update the energy effi ciency and fl ow of existing houses. As I edited the piece on how remodeler
Michael Strong guides his clients through the remodeling process, I was in the middle of getting bids for a green retrofi t of an 1853 farmhouse. It was one of those moments where I thought to myself, Where’s this guy when I need him? Here’s why. My husband and I just
fi nished the process of fi nding builders to bid on our plans to put an addition on our house and retrofi t the original part to be ultra energy effi cient. As modeled by an energy auditor, the rehabbed house should have a HERS rating of 40 and could get to net-zero energy if we add solar. There’s nothing tricky about the job—lots of insulation, proper air sealing, high-performance windows, geothermal, LEDs, and passive ventilation. Because we gave the architect and the
energy auditor the lead in designing the most energy-effi cient house possible for our budget, we thought we’d just fi nd a builder to execute the job after the design was complete.
8 GreenBuilder September 2010
Everyone said to us, “That’s too many; narrow it to a few you like or you’re wasting time.” It turns out, we didn’t bid it to enough builders. Of the seven, two didn’t respond at all, one
needed months before he could talk to us, one drove by the site and told us to knock it down and start all over with a new home, one came in right in the range we thought it should be, one came in 100% over that range. The most interesting response came from
a smaller remodeler. Here is an excerpt from what I call his “Dear John” letter to me: I have found through my research that Green Building is not always the least expensive way to build initially, especially in a whole house transformation such as yours. This is a project we would ordinarily bid on. However, in this case we feel that we may not be the best contractor for your project based on the [HERS] requirements and guidelines. While we are mindful of the need to be
”Green” we are not certifi ed as a green builder. It would only take an innocent mistake on our part for you to loose the tax rebates and incentives you are going after. … In today’s economy it is really hard to turn
down the opportunity to bid on any job. We are fully capable of doing the work on this project but in the interest of good business ethics our lack of certifi cation in the programs listed above would be a hindrance and liability for both you and us.” We wish you the best with your new undertaking and hope that you will keep us in mind for other projects. While the letter was honest, there was a
lot about it that discouraged me, not the least of which was the fi nal line that invites me to keep the company in mind for other projects.
Where will this remodeler be down the
road when the “next project” comes up? Will he be a green remodeler or out of business? Will he have, in the meantime, learned that green building may not be the least expensive way to build but that it doesn’t have to be the most expensive, especially when long-term utility bills are considered? Will he have seen that although education is big part of being a green builder, getting “certifi ed” is not necessary? Will he have learned that quality building techniques and using the expertise of an energy auditor helps homeowners take advantage of rebates and not some enigmatic practice that an institution has branded? Of our seven bids, we had one legitimate
bid. We sign with that company tomorrow. (Coincidentally, though not a green building company, this was the fi rm we thought was the best fi t for us anyway.) We are happy with our choice, but we do fi nd it odd that in this down economy, with green building growing briskly nationwide, that we ended up with a choice of one. For those of you who think it’s hard to
impress your green values on prospective home buyers, I’m here to attest that at this point in time it cuts both ways. GB
Cati O’Keefe Editor-in-Chief 513-407-5611
cati@greenbuildermag.com
www.greenbuildermag.com
Christopher Cone Photography
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