Flagler Palm Coast Parade of Homes
The verdict is in! Green homes in Palm Coast, Florida are red hot! This year’s Flagler Palm Coast Parade of Homes is the first time a category for green homes was included; and attendees were not disappointed!
It seems that green housing has sparked a growing interest, despite the misconception amongst some builders and consumers that “green” homes are less attractive and too expensive. Well… this year, green homes stole the show! The winning home of the “Green Home” Grand Award in its price range is Birchwood Plus, a green certified house built by Florida Green Homes, LLC.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by my peers,” stated Jeff Vasilevskiy, President of Florida Green Homes, LLC. “Most builders just think it’s too expensive to build green, and some charge quite a bit more for green construction, making green homes somewhat of a luxury item. I simply lowered my profit margins to stay competitive.”
Flagler Palm Coast Parade of Homes
“The level of consumer knowledge about green construction was also significantly up from last year’s, and more questions were pointed to the economics of green living than to the choice of tiles or particulars of architectural detailing,” said Inna Hardison of Ha Media Group. ”It is encouraging, to say the least, to actually watch consumers enthusiastic about these homes for all the right reasons. After all, the choice of tiles, wall colors or even the overall layout of one’s dream home can all be changed at the stroke of a pen – the proverbial brick and mortar, the actual construction of the home cannot… and for the first time in my career, consumers are actively evaluating the “brick and mortar” the builders use.”
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I remember when I had to beg for a recycle bin for my curbside pickup a few years back. Then, last year, I helped two middle school tech ed students work on a report about Green Schools. They built a great model, wrote up a super report w/ an awesome PowerPoint Presentation, and took their project to state contest!
The up front cost of going Green still scares a few folks off, and I still think we’re at a point where too few people can afford to. However, I am seeing an increase in discussion on the topic.
In any case – we’re definitely further along the Green Grassy Path than we were when I was a 10 year old (am now 35) and my Mom and Dad were visiting Mother Earth subterranean homes in North Carolina! Going Green is actually cool, now.
I’m glad to see the Eco Home concept picking up steam. What consumers are starting to realize also is that usually the Eco/Green designs are more energy efficient and save money in the long run. It’s become the smart thing to do for more reasons than one!
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Thanks for this impressive and updated report. It helps a lot in promoting our site, we’ll come back and visit this site often. Thank you once again.
FLGREENLIVING
Miami, FL
BudgetF – some builders do charge a bit more to build a green home, i.e. pass on the 1-3% cost increase in constructio to a consumer. Florida Green Homes, LLC doesn’t at the moment, but the cost is certainly still there. I just think in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t as prohibitive as some make it out to be…:-)
Kevin – we really have come a long way, and you are right, it is actually cool to be Green now. We are no longer being called crazy environmentalists, and that’s refreshing…
FloringInfo – it really is a smart thing to do, especially cosidering that if built right, green homes will not only save money in energy consumption, but will actually stand the test of time, i.e we can pass these on to our kids, and even grand kids. I think in this country the concept of keeping a home for generations is not something that people think about, but I am hoping it migrates over:-) In places along the coast, these homes are also a heck of a lot safer with those all to common hurricanes:-)
FLGreenLiving – np:-) and thank you for reading!
Great comments Inna, thanks for stopping by!
- Rick NHS
Beautiful houses, those houses types is what client’s is asking for here in Spain. Property in Marbella area looks luxury from the outside, but it build with cheap quality and cheap Morocco’s workers.
Sundream – thank you.:-) There is plenty of cheap or flimsy construction here as well. Some just try to build the homes as cheaply as they can – but I suppose in the long run builders who pay attention to every detail will benefit. Thank you for your comment.
Clean – the base price of construction for these homes is under $90.00, which is very much in line with what other builders charge for non-green construction methods and materials. To stay competitive, I think builders who choose to build green will have to cut their expected profits by a small percentage to make it. Our client is doing just that, and it’s working.
As a builder, I'm always pushing green building materials, i.e., windows, doors, insulation, siding, decks, etc.. I'll use a cost and savings chart to show how you can save in the long run and the added benefits of a reduced carbon footprint – reduced utility bills!
The fact people looking to buy new homes are more educated about the benefits of green building practices is very encouraging to me as a green builder. In the past when i would suggest building green i would first have to explain to the client in length what it actually is and what benefits can be derived from building this way. In contrast, the people today are very much educated on the subject and might even stump me with technical questions i know little about.