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Dec
21

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.

Visit our Green Building Handbook page to learn more

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:

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.

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:

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:

Affordable housing technical resources

Affordable housing regional resources

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