|
Letter to the Editor: Snow Shovels in Miami
Dear Editor:
Your article concerning voluntary green building programs vs. mandated ones (“Mandates Would Disrupt Green Market, NAHB Tells Congress”; May 21, 2007) was right on target.
I am a green builder in Tampa, Fla. I am probably the premier green builder in our marketplace, and a mandatory LEEDS type program or requirement would likely end my 20-plus years as a builder.
My homes are already 65% more efficient than the conventional home built in our marketplace, and I am competing with volume builders on a head-to-head basis. Requiring LEEDS-based performance that does not fit the Florida market is like requiring us to provide snow shovels to the folks in Miami Beach. At best estimate, it would raise the entry price of homes by more than $4,000 merely for the certification in a slow market already being hammered by high property taxes and impact fees.
The homes I build are probably as efficient as LEEDS homes, but are being built to Florida Green Build voluntary standards at a fraction of the certification cost. Custom builders such as myself are having a hard time competing for the buyers who want green homes but feel they cannot afford them. That is a common misconception, but forces are at work to make home buying difficult and less affordable. Mandatory programs are merely pressuring home buyers to remain in their older homes longer and put off buying new homes.
Enterprises like the Florida Green Building Coalition should be praised for their voluntary programs and the desire to make green building a mainstream venture. We still have a long way to go in educating both builders and the public, but our baby steps are paying off.
Thanks again for NAHB's support for voluntary programs to make us all more environmentally aware and better home builders.
Brian McElroy, MIRM
President
New Age Homes by
McElroy Construction, Inc.
Valrico, Fla.
|
