The first home put on the market by northwest Indiana builder Sarah Oudman, the owner of Treasure Homes, Inc., has been certified to the Emerald level of the National Green Building Standard — and it’s affordable.

To meet the highest level of the standard, the home was built to be 60% more energy-efficient than a home built to the 2006 International Residential Code.

The three-bedroom, two-bath home is priced at just under $250,000. While that’s about 5% to 10% more than comparable homes in the area, the utility savings can make up for the difference almost immediately, Oudman said.

The home is located in the Village in Burns Harbor, the first residential subdivision to be certified to the National Green Building Standard.

“If you are watching your details, working carefully with your team, it’s probably more doable than some people realize,” she said.

Oudman is not a novice in the green building business or in residential construction. Before starting Treasure Homes she and her hsuband had an interior trim carpentry business, and they still do.

An active member of the Porter County Home Builders Association, Oudman has taken a lead in the HBA’s green initiatives and offered a series of green home tours for area real estate brokers, appraisers, bankers and home builders.

Treasure Homes has been getting the word out about this house as well. Local congressman were expected to attend a Sept. 7 press conference on the home, which is the first in the state to  be certified Emerald.

The pale green, Prairie-style home was built with insulated concrete forms in the basement and structural insulated panels on the main floors, and sealed with sprayfoam insulation — a construction style that assured an extremely tight envelope,  key to the home’s energy efficiency, Oudman said.

The heating and air-conditioning system includes a mechanical ventilation for healthier air exchanges. The home is also water-efficient, with a tankless water heater, a manifold plumbing system and 1.28 gallon-per-flush toilets.

Leading up to a two-and-a-half-car detached garage, a pervious concrete driveway filters storm water from the site and helps create outdoor living space surrounded by drought-resistant landscaping.

A ramp leads to the back of the house, making its main level wheelchair accessible.

The home benefits from its location in a green-certified community. “The density, the availability of public transportation, those things were  already there for us,” Oudman said.

Other builders in the development have been building to the green standard, including Coolman Communities, Accent Homes, Pickering Homes, The Given Group, Village Builders and J. Kremke Construction Enterprises. 

Oudman said that her home builders association, its members and Energy Diagnostics, an experienced green verifier, all helped make the building and certification process easier.

Treasure Homes has also worked closely with local real estate brokers and appraisers, educating them about the construction process and the value of green building.

Oudman was a member of a task force created by the local Realtors® association to add green features to its Multiple Listing Service. “It was a good opportunity for them to understand our perspective as builders, and for us to understand their perspective as well,” she said.

“We have to change our mindset on how we look at the value of homes. It’s not just first costs or cost per square foot, it’s what it costs to operate the house over the long run, whether it’s something you can really live in for a long time,” she said.

For a virtual tour of the home, is available click here.

For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8132.

'National Green Building Standard’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“The National Green Building Standard,” available through BuilderBooks.com, provides “green” practices that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.

The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environment quality; and owner education.

Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here.

'National Green Building Standard Commentary' Available at BuilderBooks.com

The "National Green Building Standard Commentary," available through BuilderBooks.com and a companion to the ANSI approved "National Green Building Standard," that provides valuable insight to the intention and implementations of the practices and provisions found in the green building standard.

The "Commentary" is a useful resource for any designer or builder using the ICC 700-2008 as a rating system for developing or renovating residential properties of all types to reduce their relative impact.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

More Than 5,000 People Have Earned Their Certified Green Professional (CGP) Designation

The Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation teaches builders, remodelers and other industry professionals techniques for incorporating green building principles into homes using cost-effective and affordable options.

Earning the CGP demonstrates to clients and peers your commitment to the best and latest in green building practices and techniques. More than 5,400 people have earned the CGP designation to date.

For more information, visit www.nahb.org/CGPinfo.

'Build Green and Save’ Available at BuilderBooks.com

“Build Green and Save: Protecting the Earth and Your Bottom Line,” available through BuilderBooks.com, is a comprehensive, easy-to-read reference that shows builders how to identify and select green building materials; implement green construction techniques; explain the benefits of green housing and offer affordable green building solutions to consumers; and use resources wisely and reduce water and energy consumption.

To view or purchase this publication online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

For answers to questions about National Green Building Certification by the NAHB Research Center, certification to the standard or the guideline sunset, complete and submit the Contact Us form on the NAHBGreen website.