Lakesideca Curmudgeon

Back in 2010, I presented a case for simplifying green building certification. I was frustrated with the complexity of every green building program I was working in and felt there had to be a better path for builders and consultants to create and verify high-performance buildings.

Little did I know that eight years later I would be involved in several projects seeking similar simplification.

At , my green building certification and consulting business, we certify projects through LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Lakesideca Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify. , National Lakesideca StandardNational Lakesideca Standard Based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and passed through ANSI. This standard can be applied to both new homes, remodeling projects, and additions. , EarthCraft, Green Globes, and Enterprise Green Communities. Our work is primarily multifamily — both affordable housing and market-rate projects — as well as market-rate single-family homes. Most of our projects are standard low- and mid-rise apartment buildings of the type that are popping up everywhere.

It has been a busy winter and spring, wrapping up construction. Work on the house and carport were essentially complete in March; however, delays in locating the pervious pavers and an installer for the pervious concrete kept us from completing the site work until mid-April.

We wrapped up landscaping and received our Certificate of Occupancy on April 29th.

Our home construction project is over the hump: drywall and flooring have been installed, exterior trim is wrapping up, and interior trim, cabinets, and tile will be starting soon.

Although things are generally going quite well, and while I am happy with the house, I am not enjoying the process very much. Even after 25 years as a contractor, I don’t deal well with the stress of coordinating dozens of subcontractors and suppliers. Materials don’t arrive when promised, workers don’t finish on schedule, and managing different trades in the house at the same time creates tensions.

Carl Seville and his wife are building themselves a new home in Decatur, Georgia. The first blog in this series was titled The Third Time’s the Charm. Links to all of the blogs in this series can be found in the “Related Articles” sidebar below.

Carl Seville and his wife are building themselves a new home in Decatur, Georgia. The first blog in this series was titled The Third Time’s the Charm. Links to all of the blogs in this series can be found in the “Related Articles” sidebar below.

Carl Seville and his wife are building themselves a new home in Decatur, Georgia. The first blog in this series was titled The Third Time’s the Charm. Links to all of the blogs in this series can be found in the “Related Articles” sidebar below.

Carl Seville and his wife are building themselves a new home in Decatur, Georgia. The first blog in this series was titled The Third Time’s the Charm. Links to all of the blogs in this series can be found in the “Related Articles” sidebar below.

Carl Seville and his wife are building themselves a new home in Decatur, Georgia. This is the first blog in a series describing the construction project. Links to all of the blogs in this series can be found in the “Related Articles” sidebar below.

It’s been quite a while since my last post. The good news is that the recession is over and business is good, leaving me little time to write these days. The bad news is that there is so much work going on, which, combined with a shortage of skilled labor, ends up with large knowledge and communication gaps that create problems in the field.