Top 3 Questions About Portland Modern Homes & Sustainable Construction

Sustainable new modern homes cost about the same to build as their traditional counterparts, but are generally simpler and less expensive to maintain. As you look at the options available regarding Portland modern homes, it’s important to interview prospective builders to find out which homes meet your green values best.

Questions to Ask Green Portland Home Builders

1. What is your experience? In addition to having a solid reputation as a builder of new modern homes, a contractor should have considerable professional experience, recent training and industry certifications in green residential building. You don’t want your home to be part of a builder’s learning experience.
2. How are your Portland modern homes safe, green and sustainable? A truly sustainable builder makes it a point to construct homes using materials that are as free of toxins as possible. Toxins can come in paints that contain volatile organic compounds, PVC products, lead-containing solders in faucets, mercury in compound fluorescent lights and halogenated flame retardants.When a builder mentions that materials in a home reduce energy consumption, ask him to specify if they will help reduce your personal energy consumption or if the manufacturing process helped reduce global energy consumption.Also, ask about the specific types of sustainable materials used. For example, trees are sustainable, renewable resources, but take a long time to grow. Bamboo and cork, on the other hand, are also sustainable and renewable, but don’t take decades or hundreds of years to re-establish.
3. Can you provide me with references? A Portland home builder should have no problem with providing you the names of clients have purchased their homes. If you do get references, ask the homeowners about what they do and don’t like about the home, as well as about the success of the sustainable and green elements included. If the builder hesitates or refuses to give you references, see this as a red flag and take your business elsewhere.

H. Hudson Homes prides itself in the building of sustainable modern homes in the Portland area. Contact us to learn more about our practices.

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