The voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to move environmentally friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream marketplace. Currently, there are approximately thirty communities throughout the U.S. that have green home building programs in place or in development. By developing the set of voluntary national guidelines, NAHB intends to help facilitate the adoption of green home building practices and the formation of additional local programs in the parts of the country not currently served by programs.

In the spring of 2003, NAHB approved a resolution supporting green building. In response to NAHB members requests to provide the membership with technical guidance to support the new green building policy, NAHB tasked the NAHB Research Center to manage a project to develop national green home building guidelines.

The NAHB Research Center worked together in an open, public process with over 60 Stakeholder Group members from the home building industry to create those guidelines. The guidelines contain six primary sections:

Lot Preparation and Design - With lot preparation and design, the builder has opportunities to demonstrate environmentally sensible construction practices. Even before the foundation is poured, careful planning can reduce the homes impact on vegetation, soil, water, plus a homes long-term performance can be enhanced. Such preparation can provide significant value to the homeowner, the environment, and the community. Included for the end user, especially developers, is a Site Planning Appendix that closely mirrors this section and provides additional guidance.

Resource Efficiency This section shows how certain framing techniques and home designs can effectively optimize the use of building materials. Construction waste management concepts are also discussed. In addition, information is provided on how a homes durability and the amount of time and money needed for maintenance are affected by how certain materials are used.

Energy Efficiency This is the most quantifiable aspect of green building. The information on this section will help a builder create a building envelope and incorporate energy efficient mechanical systems, appliances, and lighting into a home that will yield long-term utility bill cost savings and increased comfort for the homeowner. It contains the only requirements to participate in this voluntary program: compliance with the 2003 International Energy Conservation Code, use of ACCA manuals to size HVAC equipment, and 3rd party plan review to verify compliance with the section.

Water Efficiency/Conservation Although, the relative importance of water availability and usage varies from region to region, the concern with adequate supply of water is becoming more widespread geographically. Experience also shows that employing the line items from this section of the guidelines for indoor and outdoor water use can decrease a homeowners need for water and thus reduce utility bills, regardless of location.

Occupancy Comfort and Indoor Environmental Quality Details in this part of the guidelines will indicate how to effectively manage moisture, ventilation, and other issues in order to create a comfortable indoor living environment.

Homeowner Education - Given the level of effort a homebuilder goes through to create a well thought out home system, it would be a shame not to give the homeowner some guidance on how to optimally operate and maintain the house. Line items from this section show a builder how best to educate homeowners on a variety of homeownership matters.

Each section contains a set of provisions that explain how a builder can incorporate green building concepts into a project. In addition, local builders and green building program developers may apply points to the provisions to further define green building through a scoring methodology currently being developed. Local homebuilder associations will be given a user guide that will provide additional information and guidance on ways to customize the guidelines to accommodate local conditions.The draft presented at Fall Board in Columbus, OH was a piloting version for dissemination amongst HBAs and builders for accuracy and practicality. A number of HBAs and High Production Builders have expressed an interest in helping NAHB to pilot test the document. The deadline for pilot testing was December 1st and the final version will be rolled out during the 2005 IBS in January in Orlando, FL. Currently, NAHB staff from the Energy and Green Building Dept. are traveling throughout the country presenting the guidelines to builders and HBAs who have expressed an interest in implementing green building in their respective businesses/communities. To date over 20 HBAs have voiced their interest and support, with many more to follow in the new year.

In summary, the voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are for the mainstream home builders, many of whom are already incorporating some green building methods and materials into their construction practices. These voluntary guidelines will help systematize the green design and construction process and assist the builder toward incorporating more green building features into homes. As NAHB Research Center data indicates that there is a growing number of green homes built annually, it is expected that these voluntary guidelines will help builders meet the needs of this growing market.

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There are many retirement communities available everywhere in the country. There are retirement communities who may offer the world to you, and those who would provide you with the best comfort you need.

But how do you choose which retirement community you want to spend your the rest of your life in? What is the basis in finding the suitable communities in your neighborhood?

In considering retirement communities settlement, make sure you know this useful information:

1) The Basics of retirement communities.

* Retirement communities are occupied by active and healthy adults whom ages range from 50 and above. These communities offer your retirement the chance to pursue your dreams and interests while living comfortable.

* The advantages in living in retirement communities consist of the services each location provides and the conveniences it brings to your life. Most of these communities offer a variety of services like medical care, house maintenance, sports activities and leisure.

* Retirement communities originally were made as apartments. But today, it ranges from fully furnished houses to a hospital-like facility where you could mingle with other folks. The majority of these retirement houses have safety precautions on floors, walls, electricity and much more.

* The cost of purchasing a house in retirement communities may vary depending on the location of the neighborhood and its services.

2) Know your needs.

* Independent. If youre planning to live alone, think of your daily meals. The majority of these retirement communities provide meals to their residents. The retirement communities like these, provide an atmosphere and surrounding for retirees who can deal with living on their own.

* Congregation facilities. These are the types of retirement communities, which usually look like a condominium. In these homes, each unit is provided with a cord or a buzzer to have communication with the management if problems occur. The meals, transportation and house maintenance are provided for. They provide assistance to the senior, but give daily tasks for each to accomplish. This is the most common and most sought after retirement community in the market because of the wide range of activities and services it provides.

* Assisted living. The food they provide could be specially balanced depending on your diet. If you need assistance in eating, there are services that can provide you with complete medical and caring assistant. There are also services offered such as bathing and financial management. The needs of the retiree are taken care of, but their freedom is maintained.

3) Specifying needed facilities.

Knowing what you need in retirement communities would give you choices on what community to find. There are some who offers chore services and home maintenance, but on the other hand, there are some that dont. Choosing the most suitable retirement community you would buy, will depend on whether your needs are provided for or not.

4) Expressing your lifestyle.

* Are you adventurous? Or did you always wanted to try fishing? Have you had enough of adventure and just wanted to learn new things? Is bible study an option for you?

* Education. Because its your time to just sit and enjoy life, search for retirement communities that provide access to your favorite sport, hobby, and interests. Check to see if the location has spaces for golfing, billiards, aerobics, badminton, or fishing. Although many of the retirement communities strive to enhance their services in adding sports feature, you still need to inquire if they provide the sports you love.

* Sports. Many retirement communities offer learning facilities. Check if their activity schedule and find out if they could provide you with knitting, painting, computer courses and many more. See if the community has a group forum for education.

* Culture. Events are important because living in a retirement community is like camp. Learn if the retirement communities offer fieldtrips to museums, concerts, picnics, and many more.

5) Choosing your retirement community. With all of these selection listed, you will now be able to lessen your choices. Before choosing, decide on what state youre going to live in. Location is very important. Know if there are hospitals in the vicinity. Then, start on finding which community would be perfect for your need.

Live the life you've always dreamed of. Retirement communities provide any kind of service you need. Purchase your own and share it with your loved ones.

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