Test Your Builder's Qualifications

Here are three easy questions to find out if your builder is telling you the truth about its “green” building qualifications.


1) Have you ever built a “green” home certified by either LEED for Homes or MN GreenStar? If yes, these homes will be listed on the appropriate registration/certification web sites. You could also ask to speak with these specific customers instead of the reference list the builder offers.

2) What personal “green” credentials do you have? Are you a LEED accredited professional or MN GreenStar certified? What other education does the builder have relating to "green" building? Ask to see them.

Just like with “green” attributes, certification requirements vary between programs. For example, a LEED accredited professional has to pass a rigorous exam and must complete a certain amount of continuing education (CE) hours to maintain certification. MN GreenStar certification is a one day seminar. A “green” builder serious about "green" building probably has several credentials to demonstrate their capabilities.

Also, since “green” building is still fairly new, projects get local news coverage fairly easily. Ask about copies of newspaper articles.

3) Ask for the contact information of the third party rater they have used to certify their homes. Contact the third party rater to ask questions. A rater sees a lot of construction activities and knows what quality construction looks like. Some houses are getting certified but the builders are not really committed to the process. A third party rater should be willing to share what they observed.