Page 36 - Green Builder July-August 2017 Issue

A Healthy Approach

BY GREEN BUILDER STAFF
REEN CONSTRUCTION ALREADY makes up a growing portion Homebuilders are
of homebuilders’ work orders, and things aren’t expected to slow
down. But in the coming decade, the market’s health will be all but finding that more
married to the welfare of its customers, according to a market study
G by Dodge Data & Analytics. customers than
According to Green and Healthier Homes, an aging but more experienced
homeowning generation of baby boomers will help turn health into “the next ever want green
critical trend” as the green building movement matures. Eighty-three percent
of builders surveyed for the study also believe that consumers will pay more houses that
for a healthier home versus a green home.
If those results come true, all homebuilding is in for a hectic but profitable promote both
ride. Thirty-one percent of homebuilders report that more than 60 percent
of their projects are green, and 51 percent expect to be doing that level of their well-being
green work by 2020. Building homes with a healthy focus won’t hurt. “As the and the
building industry’s attention shifts to the impact of buildings on the health
of their occupants, the focus on health has the potential to boost the green environment.
residential market even further,” the report states.

Buying by Experience GREEN ACTIVITY OVER TIME
ODGE DATA & ANALYTICS conducted short, confidential
interviews with nine homeowners who had purchased a
home in the last year to determine the degree to which green
and healthier features influenced their current purchase,
D and how these factors might influence them in the future.
DDA notes that while the group interviewed is too small to create
a portrait of generational differences, the responses offer insight
into the age-based differences reported by builders, in terms of the
homebuyer responses to green and healthier homes and features.
Among the findings:
Green is influential, but not a primary driver of home purchases.
Participants said major factors that influenced the purchase of their SOURCE: DODGE DATA & ANALYTICS
homes included condition of the home, location (including the
neighborhood), the type of home and the price. But when asked to
rate how specific green elements influenced the decision to buy their
home, it was a different story: On the rise. Builders and remodelers have seen the amount of
■ Most interviewees reported that durability and energy efficiency their time devoted to green construction grow steadily since 2015.
■
were influential in their decisions. But these factors were among The trend will continue into the next decade.
the first passed over by first-time buyers who bought older homes. bought a somewhat recently built home also expected features such
In general, missing green elements could be added after the fact, as a healthier indoor living, because the house was newly constructed.
according to the report. ■ ■ The efficient use of materials in construction was the only factor
■ While less unanimous, about half of the respondents considered that was not considered influential by any of the interviewees.
■
healthier indoor air environment, reduced carbon footprint, water More experienced homebuyers have different green priorities.
efficiency and lower impact development influential. People who The homebuyers’ experience with other homes, knowledge about

34 GREEN BUILDER July/August 2017 www.greenbuildermedia.com

34-39 GB 0717 Greener Homes.indd 34 7/28/17 10:46 AM