GreenTools for builders and homeowners
Learn sustainable practices for every stage of planning, building, development, and renovation. Whether you’re painting a room or building your dream home, green building techniques can improve your surroundings and environmental impacts. Find resources for green building certification, building guidance, affordable housing development, and more.
Green building handbook
The King County Green Building Handbook is your guide to increasing efficiency in your next home project. Whether you’re building new, remodeling, or replacing old systems, we have strategies that will help you make healthier, more sustainable, and potentially cost-saving decisions.
Rural building projects
Our resources can help you save money and limit the negative environmental impacts of development. When building in rural King County consider these tips:
- Locate your home to take advantage of your site's natural features.
- Avoid building in sensitive areas like wetlands and streams.
- Ask your septic designer about low-impact and high-performance systems.
- Optimize the space needs and size of your house to save money on building materials and utilities.
- Consider certifying your project as Built Green™
Rural building resources:
- Download the Rural Green Building Guide
- Learn how to restore and protect your soil by meeting King County's Post-Construction Soil Standard
- See our Rural Stewardship Planning page for help developing site plans
- See our property research page for information related to your parcel or property such as jurisdiction, zoning, and critical environmental factors
Residential case studies
Find inspiration for sustainably building or remodeling your home. Our real-world case studies demonstrate strategies for resource efficiency and pollution prevention. Day-to-day these homes are more economical to maintain, healthier for occupants, and less burdensome on the environment.
- Rural Green Building and Universal Design Case Study
Case study of the Built Green 3-star residence of Mike and Karen Vowels in rural Duvall. - Custom Home Case Study – Eastside Harvest House
One of the most sustainable homes in the NW region, Eastside Harvest House takes advantage of abundant resources – sun, rain, good farming soils and climate. - Custom Home Case Study – zHome
The zHome partnership team formed with a shared vision – to create an iconic, deep green, high performance development in the NW. zHome is a 10-unit townhome development in the center of Issaquah Highlands. - Custom Home Case Study – Suncadia
Describes project background of the 5-Star Built Green home at Suncadia, resources, energy saving technologies and more. - Cutting the Scrap: Houses with Less Waste
Case study of Lozier Homes' Klahanie housing development project in Issaquah. - Affordable Housing Case Study
Case study of the Martha Rose Construction Rainier Vista planned community project in Southeast Seattle. - Remodel Case Study
Case study of the McFadden family's three-star BuiltGreen™ residential remodel project in Kirkland.
Green building certifications
Learn about the different rating programs and certifications that promote sustainable design and construction.
LEED for homes
LEED for Homes is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green single family, duplex, townhomes, and multifamily buildings.
LEED for Homes is developed and certified through the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The LEED green building certification program encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.
All components of the building process are taken into consideration when developing a project under this rating system:
- Location and Transportation
- Sustainable Sites
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Water Efficiency
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Materials and Resources
- Regional Priority
- Innovation
Visit the LEED for Homes Certification Program to learn more about the program and certification processes.
Read about Cascade Built's LEED for Home project to get inspired.
Built Green
Built Green is a residential green building program. It’s run by the Master Builders Association in partnership with King and Snohomish Counties. The program provides easy-to-understand rating systems that quantify green practices for remodeling or construction of:
- homes
- apartments
- community developments
Built Green homes are more energy- and water-efficient, use fewer toxic materials, and minimize the impact on the environment during construction. Homes are certified as either a three-star, four-star, five-star, or Emerald Certified Built Green project.
Visit the Built Green website for more information on enrolling your project and finding participating builders.
View successful Built Green case studies:
- Custom Home Case Study
Describes project background, resources, energy saving technologies and more. - The 5-Star Built Green Home at Suncadia - Features of Green Materials
This list of sustainability features shows the benefits of green products.
Affordable housing projects
Tips for developing green affordable housing
Residents living in affordable housing units should have access to the same sustainable amenities as market rate housing. You can use green building practices to create a healthier living environment, adapt to future climate change, and reduce maintenance and operational costs.
Consider incorporating green practices that improve building material use, indoor air quality, site and water protection, energy efficiency.
Incorporate green building in these areas:
- Materials and material management
- Indoor Air quality
- Site and water protection
- Energy Efficiency and renewable energy
- Building decarbonization
- Water efficiency and reuse
- EV charging infrastructure
These easy practices create big benefits at little or no cost:
- Low VOC paints, sealants, and adhesives
- Low flow toilets and plumbing fixtures (WaterSense labeled)
- ENERGY STAR rated appliances
- LED light fixtures
- Materials with recycled content such as insulation, sheet rock, and acoustical ceiling tiles
- Formaldehyde free insulation
- Construction Waste recycling (minimum 85%)
- Carpet that is low-pile and is Green Label Plus Certified
- Concrete and steel materials with low embodied carbon
Affordable housing green building charrettes
The charrettes are intense work sessions that bring together diverse groups, such as:
- Housing developers
- Architects
- Contractors
- Public and private funders
- Policymakers
- Potential residents
- Community members
- Transportation professions
The sessions help integrate sustainable design principles into affordable housing development projects. Developers receive support in establishing cost-effective green strategies early in the planning process. The charrettes take an integrative and holistic approach by considering the existing community. They help ensure new developments are responsive to the environment, neighborhood context, and the needs of residents – all while staying within budget.
Contact the King County Green Building Team for more information.
Affordable housing case studies
Read about these projects that successfully incorporated sustainable building strategies:
- Senior City, Federal Way, WA
- Seattle Housing Authority High Point – West Seattle
- Greenbridge Hybrid Deconstruction
Affordable housing technical resources
- Green building certifications
- Evergreen Sustainable Development Standards
- Universal design, Access Living
- Universal design, Institute for Human Centered Design