Why Build Smart

Building materials and energy costs continue to rise. These two factors alone make low-impact, high-efficiency building a smart alternative.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council studies show that by incorporating high-efficiency, low-impact design features, like those in the Gull Lake LEED home, homeowners can experience a return of up to ten times their initial investment over a twenty-year period.

The owners of Fairview Office Park calculate that they saved $57,464 per square foot by using low-impact design alternatives. And that their total savings over a ten-year period will total $459,700. by building will save $460,000 over the first ten years of operation by using low-impact design alternatives. Read A Business Person’s Perspective on Environmentalism, Janelle Riley’s first-person account of her experience building the Fairview Office Park, including a cost-analysis of the project.

Low-impact design also preserves natural resources and protects lakes and wildlife, which in turn creates added value for individual property owners as well as entire communities.