You knew I would chime in.
curious as to other products besides finishes a lone, since that seems to be the main focus on these forums.

For ADA compliance, I assume you are doing 3' doors, ample turning radius in the bathrooms (5'), lever faucets, 34" high vanities, etc? I would include blocking in the walls around the shower and toilet as well for future grab bars (42" beside the toilet, 36" behind, and 18" vert). Also for a possible fold down shower seat.

attic insulation you are planning on use? r60 range cellulose?
Attic air sealing methods?
Sheathing types and roof coverings using? (LEED points here too)
Exterior siding options (I think I read vinyl...not really your LEED product here)
window brand and material? Are you designing for any SHG or going strictly by u ratings?
heating system? ground source HP I am assuming?
desuperheater?
Paving types (pervious?)
I can continue the list if needed :)

You are exactly correct...most cases "green" products do cost more and also many times they will give you no payback. The flip side you know you are trying to do your part for the world.

There are a lot of very beautiful homes being built on this forum, it is really too bad 90% of them are bare code minimum for efficiency and the budget it spent on high end tile and finishes. Maybe threads like this can start to spark some interest in building more efficiently.

Glad you did!

I admit, I was a little slower to the green bandwagon than my DH, but really, you're going to pay the extra cost one way or another, either in higher build cost or higher energy costs. Granted, the former has to be paid over the life of the mortgage (which is why we are budgeting to overpay our note every month), but you're also buying quality so the house will hold up better over time and that will definitely increase costs over time.

To your questions, yes to all your ADA bathroom questions, including the blocking, except the pull-down bench. The layout hasn't been finalized, but we're looking at a wheel-in shower with a permanent bench (the latter I prefer, and since we don't NEED a wheelchair-accessible shower, I'll enjoy it while I can!)

DH can answer the structural questions. (He reads all my posts anyway, so maybe I'll have him answer separately). I do know he's looking into a mineral foam for the attic. I'll link to the post he wrote about it below. Have you heard of it?

Here is a link that might be useful: Mineral Foam

It amazes me to see "green builders" hauling their construction waste to the landfills instead of sorting it out and recycling it. They dont want to pay their employees the time it takes to sort it out. An average 75% of building waste is recyclable dependent on the build. In fairness, not all areas are set up for recyclable material drop offs with sorting stations, but most areas do and it's popularity is growing. There's no reason not to take the time out for recycling when your area has the facilities. The definition of building green has many variables not limited to efficiency and payback. Recycling is just a very small part of the equation, but bottom line, there is no truly "building green" homes built in our country if you take into account the many variables such as trucking/shipping materials as an example.

Anything you do concerning"going green" is a step in the right direction.

Sierra East, you're right. The construction industry has a lot of opportunity for improvement when it comes to recycling. And there are so many variable to consider when trying to build a "green" home on a budget. In general, we're trying to follow the LEED recommendations (including the 500 mile "local" definition) as much as our budget allows.

Sierra-
as you point out, it is something that has to be done if going for LEED points. Thing is, it is really not overly time consuming either. The contractor makes junk piles anyway. Jobs I run I work with the contractor to set up designated bins for recycled stuff. Many times suppliers will come and collect their waste/left over products at no charge.
However branching off of that, designing and laying out the building to meet ideal dimensions is also a big part at reducing and even eliminating waste. Keeping framing on 2' intervals reduces sheathing wastes and most materials are sold as multiples of 2 anyway. Window size selection and layouts...if using stud framing, think about selecting window sizes that fit between 16" oc 2' oc spacing so you do not have to add additional framing members and your waste in your sheathing materials are typically reduced as well.
The green and conservation mindset has to be there from the very beginning of the design phase. From my experience, ALL parties need to agree to achieve this goal. You can not have a "green" designer and then expect your typical builder to entertain the concepts.

ICFGreen DH here... responding to some of the more technical questions:
- Attic insulation, what you are planning on using? R-60 range cellulose? > Our builder uses cellulose as a standard and we did spec the R-50+ upgrade but are looking into a cementious foam like Air-Krete or Mineral Foam. The advantage over regular closed foam is no off gassing and higher thermal mass which will be helping to supress temperature swings.
- Attic air sealing methods? > See above, the closed cell foam effectively seals it.
- Sheathing types and roof coverings using? (LEED points here too) > Using a Cool roof shingle (hey, who knew sparkling stuff could actually be useful...) but for the rest it will be a fairly standard issue. Really do need to do a little more research here.
- Exterior siding options (I think I read vinyl...not really your LEED product here) > Was looking at insulated vinyl but found that the insulation detaches quite quickly so not so green after all. Other items are cost-prohibitive for us and with the ICF walls we really don't need additional insulation so we'll go with something that can stay on for many, many years. Not having to renew a maybe not-so-green product is still greener than renewing your renewable siding...
- Window brand and material? Are you designing for any SHG or going strictly by u ratings? > Our builder is using the Jeld-wen Low-E vinyl windows. Pretty decent R, U and SHG values for a reasonable price. Yes, the triple-pane with Low-E 366 and both argon and krypton performs better but not worth $450 PER WINDOW extra...
- Heating system? Ground source HP I am assuming? > Wish we had a budget for Geo, but a 96% hybrid with 18 SEER heat pump for $10k less will do us just fine. HERS modeling (expected to be around 40) indicates only $300/yr in gas so I'll have a look in 15 to 20yrs for Geo.
- Desuperheater? > See above.
- Paving types (pervious?) > Standard concrete, but with fly ash.
I can continue the list if needed :) > So could I, but other than the need to use an HRV to give us quality indoor air due to the building tightness I think this and the previous posts got the basics covered.

DW again. See why I let him answer the techy questions!? :-)

sounds real good "DH".
My one suggestion is to get away from the vinyl window products, especially up there. Look at the fiberglass stuff. Canada has some great fiberglass window companies that will be a better performing and stronger product then the JW vinyls by far for similar pricing. Triple panes are also typically a $100-150 add too. Check out Inline windows or Fibertec.

I would air seal with the high dollar foams (1") but still plan on using the low dollar green cellulose over fill to cut costs, boost r vlaues and increase the sound baffling/densities.
great research!

"It amazes me to see "green builders" hauling their construction waste to the landfills instead of sorting it out and recycling it. They dont want to pay their employees the time it takes to sort it out. "

Are YOU willing to pay the costs?

The builder is trying to make money.
If landfill costs are less than labor to separate and recycle, guess what will happen.

If you want to pay the extra costs it might get done.

Our subs do their own recycling and clean up after themselves. If I had employees, I would gladly pay the extra time for sorting. Bottom line is that costs are going to be passed on to the client one way or the other in most cases. I feel recycling is the right thing to do so we all do it without thinking twice about it. It's a matter of where your principles are and how they are baesd. At our landfills out here you can be fined for dumping recyclables in the waste areas but that doesn't seem to stop some builders out here who label thereselves as "green builders" from dumping recyclable materials in the waste drop off areas.

We started out wanting to do a green build and even talked to an eco-builder. We researched it a bit and decided that you pay too much for oversight and paperwork. Plus there were things that we wanted to do that you didn't get "credit" for and things that got high marks that I wouldn't do. For example, our lot was heavily forested. We had the large trees sawn into lumber and the small trees and branches chipped into mulch for erosion control. The white oaks have been turned into flooring and will be delivered next week. Nobody gives points for using your own trees! And I think recycled glass countertops are nasty. Who knows what chemicals were released processing the glass and what might still be in the glass. Yuck. I guess every nasty surprise I ever found collecting Coke bottles for pocket money has scarred me for life.

At any rate, we decided to spend like drunken sailors on some things that made sense to us: geothermal, really good aluminum clad windows and good insulation. We also did hardie plank so that we don't have to paint very often; the less you paint the more eco friendly in my mind. I also rejected the architect's recommendation of a black roof and went with a more energy friendly light roof. It doesn't have anybody's stamp of approval, but I guarantee you that it is 10-12 degrees cooler than the black one would have been. That's the kind of eco friendly that makes sense to me.

I was able to recycle and save money by getting most of my vanities off of Craigslist or from the Habitat Restore. Laundry room cabinets all came from Craigslist. The fence to go atop one of the retaining walls is another "recycled" item from Craigslist. Seems like this sort of thing makes sense but is overlooked in most green building programs.

I went to a presentation a few years back where a prominent home designer was sharing some green ideas. Two things stuck with me. One was that the number one component in land fills is asphalt roof shingles. I don't know if that is true or not, but he made a strong case for metal or slate roofs being eco friendly and even went so far as to say that there should be a tax credit for them like there is for geothermal and other green building things. The other idea was to buy or rent a chipper for the duration of the build. All non treated lumber and gypsum scraps get chipped up into mulch and used for erosion control. I think he bragged that they only filled one dumpster during his last build.

This is a fun thread. I'm not the most technically knowledgeable about some of these ideas. For me it is about being a good steward.

It isn't just the products used- how much work is involved in prepping the site(the less prep the less fossil fuel used), the less trees you cut down the more shade will be there, consequently less fuel used to cool your home, are you bringing in dirt/fill to raise the site?- therefore using more fuel, building 'up' to contain sf costs? Minimizing sf- or building a 3,000-4,000 'dream home' that will cost more to heat/cool, use more material to build? There is sooo much more that the actual material! Afraid of recycled glass in your products- they are cleaned first- geez. Sorry, but that is the attitude that has caused us so much trouble already. For a so called 'advanced' country we are far behind other countries... in so many ways... my humble opinion
Anything I can learn about this is great- it is important to me. Thanks

"I would gladly pay the extra time for sorting."

Be sure to tell your GC, I'm sure he will be wiling to send you a bill.

Are you going to pay the bill for trying to use 'recycled material'?

I sometimes work on pre-1800s houses in a historic district.
When house are beyond rehabilitation things like windows and trim are routinely stripped and saved.
It costs more than purchasing a newly manufactured copy to re-use the old materials, but it does help preserve the character of the historic district.

Most of the owners are very aware of the possible costs, bu it still shocks a few when they are told it is going to cost $3,000 to $4,000 to replace a badly damaged window.

I had a recent replacement from a car accident that managed to damage the exterior under the window and destroyed the window.
The owner was aware what it might cost, but it still took a lot of fighting with the drivers insurance company, some by the city attorney.

"Be sure to tell your GC, I'm sure he will be wiling to send you a bill"

I am the G.C. Obviously you are missing the points brought up in this thread and I'm sorry to hear it. Yes business is business but it's doing a part towards incorporating the many avenues in the "building green" movement that make a difference and it's not always about the bottom line or payback.

We have many restoration contractors that recycle/reuse materials on historic /vintage projects in the area of our build. We have recycle materials salvage yards as well as milling that recreates materials to the original specs using reclaimed lumbers. Besides keeping it all original, it is one of those avenues that make recycling/reuse work.

I have found working with contractors its more of the mind set than anything. If they are on board and believe in it, they will really work toward it. You would be amazed about how those "extra fees" for really doing nothing more in terms of recycling seem to not exist, for example. They realize...it goes into a bin anyway...just throw it into this one instead of that one...

As a certified green builder, our company is always trying to use more green materials or at least offer them to our clients. As you all mentioned, it can be difficult for home owners to see the long term upside to the initially more expensive green materials. Honestly, we do tend to find that the homeowners that choose our green products are more satisfied once the home is built and they start seeing a reduction in their bills. Meanwhile, I've had homeowners who opted not to go green tell me they regretted not going green. Some have even spent more money to pull out windows, water heaters, toilets, etc later so they could go green! Good thread here, thanks for starting it.