BOISE, ID - The common wisdom in the housing industry is that custom homes are expensive, and custom green homes are even more so.
But several Boise-based organizations have teamed up to prove the common wisdom is wrong -- and to set up a pilot project to provide Idahoans with beautiful, affordable, eco-friendly homes within the city limits.
The Healthy House Institute (HHI), which has been helping Americans all over the country green their housing for over 20 years, has teamed up with long-time area homebuilder Earthcraft Construction, which has 30 years of experience building sustainable, energy-efficient homes.
The two assembled a wider consortium including consulting with the SCGH LLC (formerly "Sierra Club Green Home") program as well as experts in solar and renewable energy, LEED certification, landscape architecture, financing and realty services, and other disciplines -- to provide custom-built, affordable, green homes in Boise.
For the pilot program, two house lots are available in the Salome Terrace subdivision in Boise -- where HHI President Allen Rathey is relocating his own offices.
"We're delighted to work with Earthcraft, because they've turned design-build green homebuilding into an art form, and yet kept it affordable for our Boise neighbors," Rathey noted.
Earthcraft President Mark L. Hixson added, "Partnering with HHI, with its vast knowledge base and national reputation, allows us to build even greener and healthier homes than in the past."
The partnership will expand in the coming months, creating more opportunities for Boise residents to live comfortable, beautiful, healthier, low-carbon-footprint lives.
The consortium welcomes inquiries from home seekers interested in building on one of the two available pilot parcels, as well as from investors interested in Boise becoming more sustainable or other organizations wishing to join the consortium.