About Us

Montgomery County's Expert Sustainable Design Build Firm

Sustainable Design Group has been designing and building state-of-the-art, custom green homes since 1973. We specialize in healthy, non-toxic, organic, zero-energy / net-zero homes that give families the security and comfort of grid-independence. We are passionate about building the greenest homes on the planet and our award-winning designers and master builders are committed to executing the vision of your home with a commitment to detail, craftsmanship, and environmental protection. We design for the health of both the inhabitants in our buildings and the sites which our buildings inhabit. The resulting homes are able to maximize comfort, security, and health while minimizing operating cost and environmental footprint. John Spears, founder of Sustainable Design Group and former Senior Architect for the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, is recognized internationally as one of the leading authorities on sustainable design, innovative energy technology, and environmental engineering. John has been a pioneer, innovator, and leader in high-performance solar homes and grid-independence for decades.

Services Provided

Architectural Design, Building Design, Energy-Efficient Homes, Green Building, Home Additions, New Home Construction, Sustainable Design, Universal Design, Custom Homes

Areas Served

Ashton, Ashton-Sandy Spring, Bethesda, Boyds, Brinklow, Brookeville, Chevy Chase, Clarksburg, Cloverly, Cooksville, Damascus, Darnestown, Dayton, Derwood, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Glenelg, Glenwood, Green Valley, Highland, Ijamsville, Kensington, Layhill, Laytonsville, Leisure World, Lisbon, Monrovia, Montgomery Village, Mount Airy, North Potomac, Olney, Potomac, Rockville, Rossmoor, Sandy Spring, Silver Spring, Spencerville, Suburb Maryland Fac, Sykesville, Washington Grove, West Friendship, Woodbine

Awards

Environmental Professional of the Year, NAHB Builder of the Year, Energy Value in Housing 2012, Clean Tech Open National Sustainability Award 2012 USGBC-LEED AP, WELL AP, Certified Energy Manager, Certified Passive House Consultants, Association of Energy Engineers, AIA, Allied.

17 Projects

Frederick, MD

Credentials

1 Ideabook

27 Comments

Commented: Island vs peninsula?An island creates more flow in a workspace than a peninsula, which will close off foot traffic more. This can sometimes be a good thing (if children or pets are constantly underfoot and need less acce...

June 9, 2017 in Design Dilemma

Commented: Kitchen preferencesWithout knowing about you and your family's lifestyle and cooking habits (do you need a 36" cooking surface area or will 30" be enough?), the second design will let a tremendous amount of na...

May 24, 2017 in Design Dilemma

Commented: Quartzite bad seam install?This is a difficult situation, and tricky to clearly assess without more information and situational context. However, at the end of the day, the seam should not have been done like that - this is not...

May 24, 2017 in Design Dilemma

Commented: What is the make of that fireplace? Propane?Hello, Lynn! Thank you for your comment and question. We love the sleek integration of this two-sided fireplace into the natural stone surround. To be able to enjoy it from both the soaking tub as wel...

April 26, 2017

Commented: Real wood or engineered floor over concrete slab?If you are installing hardwood on top of concrete, typically you should use engineered, pre-finished hardwood. The engineered wood, compared to solid hardwood, feels about the same temperature - but y...

April 17, 2017 in Design Dilemma

Commented: 2 Islands should both have pendant lighting??It looks like you have a countertop overhang for seating at both the island and the peninsula. Typically in this kind of plan, the island is the focus (of the two), with the peninsula acting as periph...

April 17, 2017 in Design Dilemma

Sustainable Design Group