Costliness is usually the first word associated with green home design. I partially agree with that idea. I think that many times, people get so wrapped up in going green that they ignore fine structures in order to build “better” structures. Their heart is in the right place, but it doesn’t make much sense to me. Research here.
In my mind, green home design shouldn’t be limited to new construction. Greenness should be promoted in your current home. For example, insulate your home in a better manner to reduce your fuel consumption in the winter and thus reduce your heating costs. Yes, we should build any new construction to green specifications, but so many times I see perfectly good buildings wasted to construct “greener” ones. I don’t like when stores move into greener malls and plazas, and then the old buildings sit for years until they are finally neglected to the point where they are torn down. So much money and space could have been saved if someone had just come in and updated the existing structure.
My point here is that sometimes, it’s better to revitalize existing structures and make them as green as possible than to construct new buildings and let the old ones waste away. Green home design doesn’t mean building a new home. Green home design means building greenness in your current one.