Is Building "Green" in Pagosa Country Affordable?
By Suzanne Matthiessen
Note: This article was originally posted in the Pagosa Daily Post section of Pagosa.com on February 7, 2005, and has been revised for inclusion on Pagosa Country Living, March 2006.

One of green builder Frank Freer's homes in Pagosa during the construction phase. Photo courtesy Frank Freer

Except for among a very small percentage of the population, the act of designing, building or remodeling our living spaces requires working within defined, and sometimes tight, budget parameters. One of the most common complaints people give for not building environmentally-responsible homes is that the material and construction costs are too restrictive; that building "green" takes way too much "green"—cash that is. It is true that the initial expense of some items may be higher, and the homeowner is hard-pressed to justify long-term cost-savings benefits in terms of energy consumption and healthier living circumstances. People sometimes feel if they only have X amount of money to spend in the now, then the future is temporarily irrelevant to them.

However, building green must take into account the short- and long-term impact of a home on both the environment and its inhabitants when examining issues like energy efficiency, use of new and recycled natural materials, onsite resource conservation, and the air quality generated within the structure. And in actuality, many environmentally sound building practices cost close to the same as conventional methods. Those that are higher can be implemented strategically through a disciplined team effort by the homeowner, architects and designers and contractors. In that way, budgeting for the long-term savings and on-going health and lifestyle benefits of a green-built home can become more manageable at the outset. It is possible to build the green home of your dreams in Pagosa Country … and not go broke in the process.
According to a recent study by the California Sustainable Building Task Force, although green building raises upfront construction expenses a few percentage points, it offers a tenfold savings over twenty years by reducing energy and waste costs. And those upfront expenses are decreasing as more companies jump into the market with more eco-friendly, sustainable materials, driving prices down.

Although some of the benefits may not accrue financially to the homeowner directly, everyone on a global level shares in a plethora of environmental and social-responsibility gains. Henry Thoreau was dead-on when he said, "What is the use of a house if you don't have a tolerable planet to put it on?"
In order to have a "tolerable planet," we need to go beyond conventional ways of thinking about costs and benefits, and create buildings that hold a sense of reverence for the Earth and its inhabitants. A "big-picture" viewpoint is required to justify many green building strategies and evaluate the whole building and its impact, and compare it to what would have been built without the green building intelligence.

Analyzing the project holistically provides an opportunity to examine building processes in an interrelated manner. Taking into account environmentally sound design principles, energy efficiency, healthy building materials, and consideration of site and landscaping conservation methods provides an integrated approach to both immediate and future needs and global responsibility. If the design and consulting resources are directed to where they are most needed by implementing a true team-based, systems approach to green design, both financial waste and human energy inefficiency can be abated.

Green builder Frank Freer, owner of Lower Piedra Design in Arboles, has built several timber-frame straw bale homes in the Pagosa area. He says, "Although you can control labor costs somewhat by running an efficient team, materials costs are the variable that's harder to control. "

Freer agrees that both owners and builders of green homes have to be both creative and well-connected to the network of suppliers of alternative building materials in order to get the best deals. Freer feels that although a green home costs more to build than a conventional structure, he doesn't think it's a building option only for the wealthy. "The floor plan is key. Houses should be a little smaller, which can help bring it into people's budget, as well as keep it more environmentally sound.

"In addition," Freer added, "you have to look for resources close to home. Many of my resources are within a short radius from here, such as the wood used. If the owner has trees already on the property that can be used, they can realize a huge savings. My friend Eric Hustud has a company called Lorax, which uses draft horses to help thin their forest out, and we design a project around the wood."

Freer can be reached at 970-883-5507.


When looking to build an affordable and healthy green home, consider the following:

• Renovate an older building. By doing so, you can save significant quantities of materials and energy, thus benefiting the environment. In addition to reducing project costs, there may also be significant savings in time and money associated with not needing extensive regulatory review and approvals.

• Build smaller. The "mini-mansion" craze is not environmentally friendly. Smaller, more space-efficient buildings require fewer resources during construction, disturb less land during site work, and use less energy during occupation. According to Frank Freer, depending on the design, the total construction cost of a smaller building is generally lower as well. Read "The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live" by Sarah Susanka for inspiration.

• Integrate the building and design process. Including the general contractor in early meetings with the architect, engineer, interior and landscape designers may identify ways to streamline the construction process.

• Orient the home wisely on the site. Situate the home on the property to optimize passive solar energy efficiency and to lower the wind's effect on heating needs. Locate more of the windows on the south than other orientations. To minimize cooling loads in houses, reduce the area of windows on east and west facades. By installing fewer windows, costs should be lower.

• Design an open floor plan. Provide an open room layout for common-use areas to facilitate distribution of natural daylight, reduce ducting requirements for heating and air conditioning, simplify the planning of space, and reduce material costs.

• Use salvaged/ reclaimed materials. Salvaged materials can often be obtained at lower prices than new (virgin) materials. Salvaged materials are beneficial environmentally as their use saves natural resources and reduces the load on landfills. Examples of usable salvaged materials include lumber, millwork, glass block, certain plumbing fixtures, and hardware. Make sure salvaged materials are safe (test for lead paint, asbestos, and other contaminants). Don't sacrifice energy efficiency by reusing old windows on exterior walls, and don't reduce water efficiency by recycling old toilets, showerheads, or faucet aerators. However, be aware that higher labor costs might be associated with use of reclaimed materials.

• Save water. There is usually little, if any, additional cost associated with substituting water efficient equipment. Waterless urinals eliminate the need for water supply piping. Low flow showers and outdoor drip irrigation save vast amounts of water. For health’s sake, buy filters that trap chlorine and other toxic chemicals, either in a whole-house system or at point of delivery.

• Manage indoor air quality. Choosing non-toxic materials for the interior can have health benefits by reducing the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are in the air you breathe. Good interior air quality depends on reducing the sources for VOCs and providing controlled fresh air throughout the day. Conventional paints, glues, cabinets, furniture and carpets can all have a variety of toxic fumes that are released over time. Environmental and human-safe alternatives are available. Non-toxic paints once added considerable expense in building costs, but now they're price-neutral.

Where is carpet necessary? Rather than carpeting all floor slabs, consider leaving some areas exposed. Molds and other biological pollutants will be avoided as well as the environmental and health impacts of synthetic carpeting. There are many options for attractively finishing concrete slabs, including texturing and pigmenting. Many of these are less expensive than carpeting. Also, consider environmentally sound flooring options such as cork and bamboo. And for the places where you insist on carpeting, natural-fiber carpets are becoming more price-competitive with the petrochemical-based standard.

• Plan an integrated energy design. By carrying out integrated design, it may be possible to pay for increased efficiency measures through savings in HVAC equipment. A well-insulated building enveloped with high-performance window glazing and shading strategies may allow you to significantly downsize conventional heating and/or cooling equipment. Specify energy efficient appliances and lighting. Add motion sensors to turn off lights when no one is in a room. Look into alternative options for insulation, such as recycled denim—the shredded factory scraps left over from making blue jeans.

• Protect existing vegetation. It may cost a little more to protect existing trees and topsoil on a site, but that cost can easily be recouped through spending less on plantings following construction. Large trees around a new house may also significantly boost the property value. Protection of shade trees can allow downsizing of air conditioning equipment, because cooling loads can be reduced.

• Use native and xeriscape garden and landscape materials. Indigenous landscaping supports wildlife and biodiversity far better than conventional turf. Native landscaping also does not require massive irrigation and toxic chemical treatments. In many instances, it costs less to landscape with native vegetation than to put in lawns. In the high desert alpine region Pagosa is situated in, xeriscaping (dry-adapted plantings) and drip irrigation systems are highly recommended. As an organic garden designer and caretaker here in Pagosa, I can assure you that although we have limitations due to our short growing season and climate conditions, lush, water-wise, environmentally friendly gardens are entirely possible here.

• Build patios instead of wood decks. In order to sustain considerable usage, most wood decks are made from pressure treated wood or from rot-resistant types of wood—most of which are from old-growth forests that are in limited supply. Depending on where you live, often the lower cost alternative is to build concrete, stone, or brick patios depending on masonry costs.

• Establish an onsite recycling program. Some new construction or salvaged remodel waste materials can be sold, thus recovering the investment in separation and separate storage. Significant savings and environmental responsibility are achieved through avoided landfill expenses.
Obtaining frame-to-finish green building materials has become increasingly easier and more affordable as the trend for healthy homes has shown rapid growth over the past several years. Although green builder Frank Freer obtains his non-toxic paints and finishes in Santa Fe, most of his materials sources are found within a short range of Pagosa. Since consumers are more knowledgeable about the components of "sick building syndrome" (SBS), and terms such as outgassing and VOCs are in the vocabulary of even mainstream Americans as the general populace confronts environmentally induced health issues, they now demand more locally available non-toxic alternatives.
Just as the cost and availability of organic produce has become more accessible for the average consumer, the enlightened trend toward environmentally sound building will become more affordable as demand increases. Pagosans who have made a commitment to green living are forging a positive path for the future of Mother Earth and her inhabitants.

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