Writing project specs to incorporate LEED-H credits

It's so exciting to have all of these green building ideas for your home, isn't it? It can often be a more frustrating story when it comes to the actual building process and ensuring the techniques are followed exactly.

One way to facilitate this incorporation is to make it mandatory through the architectural/construction project specifications (the LEED provider will require a set of these specs anyway). Make sure your general contractor holds all sub-contractors responsible to the guidelines through written language in your construction agreement. Choosing a general contractor you can trust is a major part of making sure your home turns out as green as you think it will be.

And while sometimes the act of nonconformity is just sheer stubbornness, often it is a lack of knowledge and understanding about the new idea and why it is beneficial. Incorporate this language into your specs, and then be available to answer questions. Direct them to the USGBC page, your energy rater, or your LEED provider if they have questions you can't answer yourself.

I am writing the Greenbush project specs right now. I will be posting each LEED-H credit in a separate post so you can see how this language is included into the project specs. I'll update each credit later if something changes. Each post is labeled by credit so you can search later if you need to.

Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck building green!