Top Manatee green builders push efficiency to meet market demand

Top Manatee green builders push efficiency to meet market demand

MANATEE -- A dominant buzz phrase in the construction industry for several years, "green building" is a more serious proposition now than it ever has been.

Some Manatee and Sarasota home builders in particular have paced the trend for over a decade. Last week, three of them were named among the state's top 15 green builders. One of them, Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities, is the top green builder in the state for the third consecutive year and garnered the "Builder of the Year" award from the Florida Green Building Coalition.

To make the grade, these companies are building more or all of their homes to strict standards for energy efficiency, water use and environmental impact. Gone are the days of jalousie windows and air conditioning units howling day and night to keep occupants cool. Under voluntary certification standards developed by the FGBC, some homebuilders are choosing to build their homes with healthier, more efficient materials.

But they're not doing it for free, nor are they doing it just because they want to put FGBC plaques on what they build. Some communities, including Lakewood Ranch, require homes to be built to FGBC standards. Green is also something home buyers are asking for.

"It's almost become the norm that a homeowner is looking for some type of certification or some type of sustainability engagement by the builder," said Drew Smith, the founding president of FGBC and owner of third-party green home certifier Two Trails Green Consulting in Sarasota.

Making the FGBC's list in addition to Neal Communities is Lakewood Ranch custom builder Lee Wetherington Homes and the Florida division of national home builder Taylor Morrison. Of all the companies selected, Neal Communities has built more green certified homes than any other Florida builder, according the company's marketing director, Leisa Weintraub. All the homes the company builds in Lakewood Ranch and its Fairfield and Grand Palm subdivisions are certified under FGBC standards.

"We think it's the right thing to do and we've seen the interest grow with our consumers," Weintraub said.

The FGBC singled out the top 15 homebuilders in the state to commemorate its 15th year of operations.

While the cost of energy efficient appliances, lighting and air conditioning have come down over the past few years, green certification is an option that buyers pay for. Green upgrades typically cost more than building materials that just meet local building codes. To gain points toward certification, builders install cabinets that are formaldehyde free, tile and other solid-surface flooring to keep homes cool, heavy-duty water lines and upgraded windows and doors. Neal even treats all its framing materials with non-toxic borate to deter pests, rather than using industry standard termite protection that involves soaking the earth under a home's slab with pesticides.

Jae Cho, vice president of purchasing and estimating for Lee Wetherington Homes, said it all adds up. Going green adds about 2 percent to the cost of building a home.

Every home the company has built since March 2005 has been green certified, he said.

"We were one of the original builders in the area to make that commitment," Cho said.

Certification is always done by a third-party company, like Two Trails. Certifiers inspect homes and run a checklist of green characteristics when framing is finished and when a house is complete. Homes earn some of their biggest points toward certification for having thoroughly-sealed air conditioning systems and tight, insulated doors and windows.

What happens outside the home is important, too, with more green points assigned when turf lawns are minimized and when Florida-friendly and native plants are used in landscaping.

Builders can also earn points for reducing the amount of construction waste that goes to landfills.

The FGBC requires homes to score at least 100 points on its scale to qualify for certification. It certifies at three levels, bronze, silver and gold. Neal Homes, for example, typically qualify at bronze and silver levels, Smith said. That translates to a range of zero to 60 points above the 100-point minimum.

Matt M. Johnson, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7027 or on Twitter@MattAtBradenton.

This story was originally published November 14, 2015 at 7:40 AM with the headline "Top Manatee green builders push efficiency to meet market demand ."