LEED & GREENPOINT RATED CONSULTING
Take your home to the next level
Third Party certifications such as LEED and GreenPoint Rated (GPR) provide a guideline for integrating sustainability into every aspect of your project. Not only will your home be water and energy efficient, it will have better indoor air quality, have sustainably sourced and healthy materials, feel more comfortable, and last longer. Because of California’s strict building code, you could be surprised at how close you are to achieving LEED or GPR already, without changing or adding much to your plans. Our team of LEED Accredited Professionals and Certified Green Building Professionals have guided certification for thousands of square feet of buildings and are confident we can help you achieve whichever program and certification level is right for you.
Some of the categories that LEED and GreenPoint Rated evaluate
certification systems
LEED for Homes
LEED for Homes is a program run by the United States Green Building Council and is the most widely recognized third party green building certification program in the United States. It is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. There are prerequisites (mandatory) and credits (optional) that provide a definitive measure of what constitutes green building. The amount of credits complied with determines the level of Certification.
GreenPoint Rated
GreenPoint Rated is a program created by Build it Green and is specific to California. It is a very trusted independent green home certification program and provides proof that a home is healthy, comfortable, durable, and resource efficient. Like LEED, there are prerequisites that must be met and optional credits that determine the level of Certification a home achieves. However, there are lower thresholds for certification and it is generally less expensive than going LEED.
the consulting process
1. INITIAL MEETING
Meet to determine scope of work, program eligibility, and discuss how the process works. LEED and GreenPoint Rated each have their benefits and it’s important to choose the program that’s right for you. This is also where we discuss the possibility of a Green Building Incentive Program, costs, and the registration process.
2. CREATE PROJECT TEAM
The beauty of these programs is the teamwork it takes to achieve Certification. By thinking of your home as an integrated system instead of individual parts, we can identify synergies between trades which can increase the sustainability of the project and potentially reduce cost. We will bring together key players such as the homeowners, consultants, architect, 3rd party rater, tradesmen etc., to create a project team and to have a discussion about project goals. We will walk through the Checklist and make sure all prerequisites can be met and choose credits we hope to achieve.
3. CONSTRUCTION
Throughout the project, we will continuously check back on these goals and meet with project team when necessary. One of our duties as consultants is also to ensure that required HERS testing and site visits are conducted when necessary. We will also provide documentation assistance, as credits and prerequisites often require specific documentation.
4. ACHIEVE CERTIFICATION
After the project is complete, we verify all documentation is satisfactory and prepare a package for Certification submittal. These documents are reviewed by a third party Rater and Provider. We act as the liaisons between them and the project team, ensuring that all necessary documents and photos are supplied. After a successful review, your project is certified!
5. POST CERT PR AND MARKETING
Both LEED and GreenPoint Rated Certifications are achievements to be extremely proud of. They are challenging and rewarding, and signify that you went above and beyond to build with consideration to our environment and our future generations. Should you so choose, we will provide you with support in showcasing your beautiful and sustainable project.
Some awesome projects we've helped earn LEED and GreenPoint Rated certifications:
GreenPoint Rated Consulting Meeting with Lynne Mitschke (Rater), Hilary Dimock (homeowner), and Katie Teare (Green Programs Manager)
INTERESTED IN CERTIFYING YOUR PROJECT?
Let’s talk about certifying your project LEED or GreenPoint Rated.