Garabedian Properties offers a variety of green building options as listed below. Please visit our links/resources page for information on our Green Building Memberships as well as links to resources on energy efficiency, rebates and othe green resources.

Professional Green Designations

We are charter members of Green Built North Texas.

We are active participants in the Energy Star Program.

We have just completed our national certification known as the CGP (Certified Green Professional) from the National Association Of Home Builders. Details may be found at Green Building For Building Professionals.

Our other professional designations include; Certified Master Builder, Graduate Master Builder and Texas Star Builder.

Insulation

We have various insulation packages from the traditional to hybrids to a full foam package including walls, attic floor and encapsulating the attic.

We wrap all of our homes with premium house wrap products to help provide a barrier to water, offer additional sealant to the elements and allow the house structure to breath.

Radiant barriers for your roofing and house wrap can repell the heat from the sun while helping retain the heat of your home during the winter.

We offer multiple choices in premium windows & doors and we have always double weatherstripped all our exterior doors.

Heating & Cooling

Garabedian Properties has been a leader in providing high efficiency climate controls. We were installing 12 seer ACs as a standard in 1998. We made 14 seer air conditiioning our standard years before many builders upgrade to 12 seer and before 13 seer was made a code required minimum.

We are one of the few builders that install 90% efficiency gas furnances on all our Luxury & Estate Homes.

We utilize thermostatically controlled electronic dampners to send air to where it is needed so you can save by not heating/cooling rooms that are not being used.

Our climate control systems include ratings up to 21 seer for air conditioning and 98% for gas heaters.

We offer our familes variable speed compressors which allows the systems to operate at lower levels of speed when possible to save on energy.

Utilization of programmable thermostats and whole house system controls can allow you to control the climate systems in your home from anywhere in the home or even when you are away from home.

Geothermal heating and cooling options are also available.

Water Systems

Recirculating hot water systems allow for hot water on demand saving the need to wait for it to make it to your faucet.

Tankless hot water heaters can be installed with a recirculation system allowing for lower water heating costs as well as hot water on demand.

High efficiency traditional hot water heaters are available as well.

Low flow water fixtures & dual flush toliets help reduce water useage.

Utilizing designated water meters for irrigation and/or fire sprinklers can help save on city water/sewer fees.

Although not common in our region, there are procedures on how to reclaim some household water for secondary uses. Septic systems are the most commonly used means of doing this when permitted.

Rain barrels or tanks can be a great way to irrigate your flower beds.

We can incorporate solar heating elements into the hot water systems.

Lighting

Utilization of whole house controls can cut energy use in lighting by up to 50%

When selecting your lighting, please request energy star rated fixtures.

Replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs can save big on energy costs. Our family utilizes these for our exterior floods and security lighting and are realizing noticable savings. Details from Energy Star.

Appliances

Energy star appliances can save on water and electric costs.

Air Quality

We offer a variety of air cleaning systems that allow the air inside your home to be cleaned up to 99% of impurities.

Ventilation systems that help clear the air from areas not commonly considered in need of ventilation are offered. These areas include garages, the master closet and the utility room.

Foam insulation in the walls and attic can minimize dust infiltration into your home.

Proper sizing of the climate control systems contributes to air quality by filtering the air through the system and helping control humidity.

We offer low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) or zero VOC buiding materials such as carpet, insulation and paint.

Humidifiers, ultra violet lights and electrostatic filters are also available.

Exterior Elements & Landscaping

Our homes come with rain and freeze sensors on the irrigation systems to minimize watering on days that have weather conflicts.

We offer enhanced computerized systems that can control your irrigation by accounting for wind, humidity, temperature, rain and other related climate elements. On our personal house we cut our water bill by over 50% after installing one of these devices without damage to our lawn or flower beds.

Irrigation audits can program your sprinklers based upon topography, adjoining property run off, obstructions and other such variables. This combined with enhanced computer systems can offer significant savings.

We have trained "tree doctors" who can assist in treating native trees to help enhance their ability to fight off the shocks that come with construction and the elements.

Rain water, wells and pond water can be utilized for irrigation and help preserve city water for indoor use and save on your water bills.

Drought resistant and/or climate appropriate plants are available to help conserve water. Our landscaper can assist with these selections as part of your master landscape plan.

Our grass specifications are based upon the properties orientation and configuration.

Our landscape designers can utilize trees and plants to help protect your home and air conditioning compressors from the elements.

Solar & Wind

When considering solar or wind power, please note that every property has unique features and orientations that may make it more or less feasible.

Please check with the architectural restrictions, local regulations and with your Home Owners Association before proceeding with any improvements to your property.

Currently the economics of solar and wind are not very attractive for our region, however we are watching it closely. We welcome the opportunity to visit with families about these options and as with other technological improvements, when the time is right we will be happy to incorporate these as options in our homes.

If you are of a pioneering spirit and wish to incorporate these features at this time, we are more than happy to assit you with these elements.

Roofing, Material & Colors

Roofing, brick and paint colors can also offer benefits on how comfortable your home can be. Lighter colors reflect heat and may minimize exterior lighting.

There are roofing materials that can offer other green benefits such as standing seam metal roofing.

We have always utilized engineered lumber and actively supervise our crews to minimize waste and use avaiable material.

Our hail resistant roofing offers the benefit of not having to change out your roof after many hail storms. This can safe you tens of thousands of dollars and keep tons of waste out of the landfills.

Other Cost Of Ownership Savings

Over the years we have developed options which can save you thousands of dollars a year on your homeowner insurance as well as protect your home against nature and your family against fires.

Quality Control

Offering and installing green options is more than just a check list, it is the supervision of the trades to insure they use best practices during the installation.

Our staff inspects our homes on a regular basis to find items that need attention and are available to answer questions from the installers as needed.

Continuing education and certifications keep us abreast of the latest in industry developments and offer our families an educated resource when building their homes.

Green can mean different things to different people. We can help your family understand how Green can offer your family a lower cost of ownership of your new Luxury Home while not hampering your quality of life or enjoyment of your new home.