Looking for a builder may not be the best first step, either. Working with an architect, rather than having a builder try to “green up” an existing plan that they have built before, may lead to a much more satisfying project in the end. Builders may believe that they can add some green features to their existing product line, but I think much better results are had when a client works with both their architect and their builder in order to create a green building as a team.

Architects are perhaps better situated to offer their clients advice about the variety of options they are considering without trying to sell them something. There are also issues such as passive solar design that require a much broader approach, like an architect offers, than what most builders can offer. Much of green building already incorporates “not doing more work but doing more thoughtful work.” Working with an architect engages that thoughtful planning process, and leads to better and more fully considered plans and better homes.

This is also why there are not lots of green “plan book” plans. Factors such as the region of the country you are in, as well as the orientation on the building site (to name just a couple), will have a large effect on how the house performs. A very efficient, appropriate design for a house in Vermont will probably be totally inappropriate if it is built in Arizona, for example. And there are far too many cases of subdivisions with the same house plan built on both the north and south sides of the street, completely ignoring how the sun is going to affect each house.

Another point that was made at the conference was that before investing in an expensive system like photovoltaic panels (which have a relatively long payback period in Michigan) you should first make the house as efficient as possible. First of all, the costs of improving the efficiency of the house are lower than the costs of a PV system, and secondly, if the house is running efficiently, the PV system will be providing a greater percentage of the house’s energy needs. Take the “low hanging fruit” first, before getting into more elaborate systems.

>> Learn more about How to Choose a Solar Installer for your Home at Renewzle.

Consider as well what “green” means for your particular project. A photovoltaic solar panel installer might well be a green builder, but they are probably not the ones I want to talk to about installing formaldehyde-free cabinets in my kitchen. Again, I would tend to prefer people with good, broad experience in their field of expertise. But the things that matter to you should help drive the selection process.

When building a new home, a homebuyer can use EnergyStar requirements, for example, as criteria for a more efficient house. Another option would be the pilot program of LEED for Homes, if the house is being built in one of the twelve regions of the country where the program is currently available. These guidelines can be used to get a home that meets some independent criteria for green.

This is not to say that there are not resources avialable to help you find the people you will want to work with on your project. Professional organizations can sometimes help guide you to the people best able to work with you. Local chapters of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB/HBA) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) may have committees on green building. Speaking from local experience, the southeast Michigan NARI was instrumental in organizing the “Remodel Green Midwest” conference I wrote about a few weeks ago, and they have a very active committee on green building. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) also has resources to help you find an architect, as well as advice about working with an architect.

Lastly, you will probably want to talk to several different people in order to find someone you are going to be comfortable working with. If you don’t interview more than one, then you should have some very good references about them from people whose opinions you can trust. Ideally, you should talk to a few people to get information and find the right person to work with. Building a house should be a collaborative effort, not a product selection.

Editor's note: Thinking about building green? Philip's two-part series (second part on Friday) explains the many variables you need to consider before signing a contract with a "green" home builder.

I recently received a message from a reader asking for help with finding a local green builder. Unfortunately, she is looking in a city two time zones away from me. And while I'm gathering resources and collecting information, the information I have is not that widespread. I don't have a vast database to help point people looking to do green building find the people who can help successfully execute those projects. But perhaps I can offer some guidelines about finding the right people to work with.

Her question is not entirely unique, either. I am in the middle of a two-day conference on green building (Midwest Green Building Conference) right now. One of the sessions I attended this afternoon had this very question come up during some of the discussion: "How do you find a green builder?" And, we found, there are a number of things that make this question difficult to answer. But there are some things you can do to find architects, builders, and specialized tradespeople who can help make a project turn out the way you want.

First of all, a "green builder" may not be the right person that you are looking for. This may sound heretical, at first. But just because someone is marketing themselves as being a green builder doen't necessarily mean that they are right for the job. We are seeing more and more products being touted as being green, although some of them have only a tenuous claim to being a truly green product. The same is true for the people. Sometimes, builders and other construction personnel call themselves "green" without much to back it up. There are lots of claims of green in every quarter of the construction industry, just like there are in all manner of consumer products. Don't just look for a claim of greenness in the name or the marketing; see what there is to back it up.

At the same time, someone who doesn't call themselves "green" may be the person you want for some (or maybe even all) of the job in question. There are a number of factors to consider, and in almost all cases, green construction or "green" methods are not radically different from "traditional" methods. Much of green building is just building better, rather than building differeently. If you are installing an HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) mechanical system, for example, you may not want to hire someone who is calling themselves green, but who is brand new in the field. Instead, you may want the person who has 20 years of experience with HVAC systems, and who knows all about how to properly install them. Building codes and other requirements must still be met, regardless of whether or not the project is green, and experienced personnel are often better able to achieve that without problems. They will also have a wider range of experience with the variety of products that have been produced in their field, and can help evaluate and understand the claims of new systems and products.

Many parts of geting a successful green home come from building things the right way. It's not about someone who has the latest and greatest technological toy as much as it is about understanding how houses perform and how to build them properly. A builder who can't install flashing around a window the right way isn't going to be able to make the building energy efficient.

There may be people who are waiting for a green-oriented client to come along wanting them to do a green project. I heard this a number of times at the Remodeling conference. There are builders who want to get further into green projects, but don't have clients asking for it. At this point, there's no reason to work with a builder who is going to resist the things you want to do. If one individual seems more interested in selling you on the way they've always done things being good enough, rather than being willing to hear what you are asking for, there are other competitors who will work with you to get what you want. Those are the people you want to find.