Oxford’s about to get a whole lot greener.
That’s because Coldwell Banker Shooltz Realty’s in-house builder has received designation as a ‘Certified Green Professional.?
Brian Miller, who runs Built By Miller, received his certification this summer. The certification comes from the National Association of Home Builders and is the first year the organization has had a certified green program. He will officially receive his designation at an upcoming national green building conference.
As one of the first to attend this program, Miller is a pioneer of sorts.
‘I believe this is the evolution of building,? said Miller, who’s been remodeling homes since 1979 and has been building new homes since 1988. ‘The more knowledge we get as an industry, then the more we can help with green building movement. I do believe that if you’re not part of the green movement, you will definitely lose business. As a good businessperson you educate yourself and use that.?
Miller recalled that back in the 1980s, they began building energy-efficient homes using ONE’or optimum value engineering. And now, it’s a rapidly-growing building style. Miller said he’s heard that some Texas towns have been very aggressive towards rewriting the local building codes with green regulations. ‘In the long run, it will happen everywhere,? he said.
The in-house builder notes that a lot of states develop their green-building program but that the program is designed to suit each state’s needs. Building green in the hot, dry climate of Arizona will differ from building in the cold, wet environment of Michigan.
For Michigan, Miller uses a ‘Green Built Michigan Builder Certification Checklist? that contains guidelines needed to build an environmentally-friendly home. Among them ? lot design, preparation and development, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor and outdoor water use, indoor environmental quality, operation, maintenance and homeowner education and global impact.
Miller pointed out that most of the green-friendly building styles revolve around indoor air quality with the emphasis of insulating a tight home (meaning a home free from unwanted moisture, pollutants and other things that can compromise your home’s structure). Making a sufficient indoor air system means building tight, using more insulation and better windows. This is especially vital for older customers who don’t get out of their houses that often. The result is a sustainable house that can save a lot of energy.
For Lisa Jones, relocation director and office administrator for CBSR, Miller’s certification is indeed good news. ‘It just opens us up to a whole different group of people, such as those looking to be green friendly,? she said. ‘We’re offering what other realty companies can’t offer. We can offer green-friendly services and have someone knowledgeable who can answer their questions.?
What’s the biggest importance of this certification? For Miller, who has worked at CBSR as an in-house builder for three years, it means keeping educated about building trends and helping to do his part to be environmentally responsible.
‘The education and keeping yourself current is the best way to deliver your product to your customer,? he said. ‘Not only is green building about saving resources, but it’s also about sustainability. So if a customer has an existing home or if they build a new home and you can make home sustainable where they can live there a very long period of time’not too big or not too small’you design it small at first and then it can grow with them. Sustainability is what green building is. It’s not the other way around.?
Currently, Miller’s time is spent less on building new homes and more in the renovating and retrofitting of bank-owned homes that customers are buying. Because these homes aren’t heated or insulated properly, he said, it’s all the more reason to have knowledge in green building style and keeping updated with environmentally-friendly construction. For more information visit www.builtbymiller.com.