WASHINGTON — A recently completed remodeling project in Munster, IN, is the first home remodel to earn certification under the National Green Building Standard, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced on May 21.
 
The 1,100-square-foot ranch home built in 1974 was renovated by Lyng Builders, a Frankfort, IL, custom home building and remodeling company, after floodwaters filled the basement as well as two feet of the first floor.
 
Working within a tight budget to repair substantial structural damage, Lyng Builders also persuaded the home owner to make improvements that can help save on utility bills by decreasing energy and water consumption and to obtain national green certification through the NAHB Research Center, which trains and accredits third-party inspectors.
 
For projects to be certified, remodelers must address a range of factors, including energy, resource and water efficiency and indoor environmental quality in the newly renovated home.
 
“With 111 million existing homes, remodeling these energy and water guzzlers must be a top priority to achieve a more efficient housing stock,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a builder and developer in Tulsa, OK. “NAHB leads the housing industry by helping professionals take advantage of the first and only national standard to certify green remodeled homes.”
 
Already, more than 1,500 new homes, renovation projects and subdivisions are in the scoring process for the standard at nahbgreen.org, the online home of the NAHB National Green Building Program.
 
Approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in January, the ICC-700-2008 National Green Building Standard sets benchmarks and a verification protocol for single-family homes, apartments and condominiums, remodeling, lot and site development and all kinds of residential construction.
 
To learn more about green remodeling from NAHB Remodelers, visit nahb.org/remodel.

 
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