Green Building Resources

Books

• Builder’s Guide to [X] Climates: Details for Design and Construction by Joseph Lstiburek (Building Science Press, 2009) • Not one book, but several different titles, with “X” being “Cold,” “Hot-Humid,” “Hot-Dry & Mixed-Dry” or “Mixed-Humid” climates, this series offers a general guide to good, modern (which includes green) construction techniques with lots of detailed construction drawings.
• Your Green Home by Alex Wilson (New Society Publishers, 2006) • A must-read book—some call it the bible of building green.
• The Sun-Inspired House: House Designs Warmed and Brightened by the Sun by Debra Rucker Coleman (Sun Plans Inc., 2005) • An excellent primer on passive solar homes and choosing the best plans for your site. Architect Coleman also sells house plans at www.sunplans.com.
• The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, by Daniel D. Chiras (Chelsea Green, 2009) • A detailed exploration of passive solar homes.

Web Sites

• www.buildinggreen.com—Examines a product’s manufacture, life cycle, pollution, recyclability, quality, and price, and puts it in layperson’s language. This Web site is widely respected as a trusted resource for accurate, unbiased, and timely information.
• www.regreenprogram.org—This green home remodeling site is sponsored by the American Society of Interior Designers’ Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council.
• www.buildcarbonneutral.org—Lots of sites can estimate the carbon footprint of operating your home, but this site helps you estimate the carbon footprint of building.
• www.buildingscienceconsulting.com—Free information including construction details, moisture management, and green building practices.
• www.efficientwindows.org—Use their window selection tool to compare the U-values, SHGC, and energy costs for windows from various manufacturers, and get window guidelines from LEED and other programs.
• http://windows.lbl.gov—Provides free, downloadable software that helps you calculate and compare windows.
• www.greenbuildingadvisor.com—An effort of Environmental Building News and Fine Homebuilding, this site provides a forum for answers by green building experts, a searchable green product guide, construction detail drawings, and downloadable construction strategy checklists.
• www.pathnet.org—Includes design and construction guides, a searchable technology inventory (maintained by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center), and field evaluations of various technologies.
• www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/AWT/InteractiveCalculators/rvalueinfo.htm—Calculate the whole-wall R-value of your building method.