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Pulte Homes First Production Home Builder In the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership

The Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership and Pulte Homes on Monday jointly announced that Pulte Homes has signed as the first production home builder to participate in the partnership's program, which was established to help builders design and construct more environmentally sensitive, or "green" new homes in metropolitan Las Vegas.

The Green Building Partnership, a program of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association and the Green Building Initiative of Portland, Ore., will provide Pulte Homes, and other home building companies that sign up for the program, the technical expertise to use the program's 10-page green building guidelines developed specifically for conditions in Southern Nevada. The partnership will administer an impartial, third-party inspection and verification that the program guidelines have been met in the design and construction of the home; and will issue certification that the home has been constructed to the program's green building requirements.

Pulte plans to launch its participation in the Green Building Partnership with the design and construction of its Villa Trieste at West Park community in the Summerlin Centre village between Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard. Pre-sales are under way from a temporary sales office on the site and model homes will be available to buyers by late fall. Villa Trieste will have three-story home designs from about 2,400 square feet to more than 2,800 square feet. The Southern Nevada Water Authority has also designed Villa Trieste as a "Water Smart Home Community" because of its outstanding water conservation and water efficiency features. The community, with 185 home sites, will feature walker-friendly streetscapes. All homes have at least three bedrooms and two full bathrooms and two half bathrooms. Prices start in the $400,000s.

"Pulte prides itself on having set the standard for environmentally-sensitive and technologically-advanced home building in Las Vegas for many years. It is exciting to continue in this tradition by being the first production builder to join the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership, and in doing so, add additional validation to our claim of being Southern Nevada's greenest national homebuilder," said Nat Hodgson, vice president of construction for Pulte Homes' Las Vegas Division.

Pulte Homes, including its Del Webb brand, ranks as the largest home builder in terms of sales in metropolitan Las Vegas. The company built and sold 4,519 new homes in 2006, according to Home Builders Research of Las Vegas.

Pulte Homes Inc., based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is a FORTUNE 200 company with operations in 51 markets and 26 states. In 2006, it delivered 41,487 homes and generated consolidated revenues of $14.3 billion. During its 57-year history, the company has constructed nearly 500,000 homes. In 2006, Pulte Homes received the most awards in the J.D. Power and Associates New Home-Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, marking the seventh-straight year Pulte achieved this distinction. Under its Del Webb brand, Pulte is the nation's largest builder of active adult communities for people age 55 and better. Pulte Mortgage LLC is a nationwide lender offering Pulte customers a wide variety of loan products and superior service.

Green building goes beyond energy conservation. The Green Building Partnership's goal is to direct the efficient use of resources, materials, energy and water; maximize the indoor environmental quality in new housing; and educate homeowners about the operation and maintenance of a green home.

Homeowners who buy a green home will benefit in several ways; lower operating costs because of the reduced use of water, electricity and gas; and a higher level of indoor air quality because of the guideline requirements for environmentally sensitive building materials and ventilation systems.

"The participation of Pulte Homes as one of the most successful and prominent home building companies in the nation, in the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership, raises the bar for this program," said Irene Porter, executive director of the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association. "Pulte's involvement will certainly establish a protocol for designing and building green production homes in our community. Pulte's customers, who purchase green homes, will be assured that their new home was built to verifiable and certified green standards."

SNHBA, the largest and oldest trade association representing the Southern Nevada residential construction industry, and the GBI of Portland, Ore., formed the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership in mid-2005; together, they developed the program guidelines to serve the needs of production home building in Southern Nevada. Pulte Homes/Del Webb was a member of the SNHBA/GBI committee that developed the program and requirements.

The guidelines are based on the National Association of Home Builders' Model Green Home Building Guidelines, but were customized to meet the special conditions of the Southern Nevada environment. SNHBA is an affiliate of NAHB. The NAHB guidelines were developed in 2004 by a stakeholder group of nearly 60 builders, environmentalists, government agencies and product manufacturers, and provide a baseline for practical green building approaches for the residential construction industry.

"The Green Building Initiative commends the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership and Pulte Homes for their dedication to accelerate the adoption of green home building," said Kelly O'Brien, GBI's director of residential programs. "As the largest production home builder in Las Vegas, Pulte Homes involvement will help drive the program to further success."

GBI's mission is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in more energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green approaches. GBI partnered with the National Association of Home Builders, and local home builder association chapters, such as SNHBA, to develop green building programs based on the NAHB Model Green Building Guidelines and customized to specific geographic locations.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE GREEN BUILDING PARTNERSHIP GUIDELINES

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to green building, the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership program requirements are based on fundamental green building principles, including, but not limited to the following:

Resource Efficiency:

• Reduce the quantity of materials and waste by creating a detailed framing plan and detailed material takeoffs. Provide on onsite cut list for all framing and sheathing materials.
• Enhance durability and reduce maintenance by providing a covered primary entrance (awnings, covered porch); install drip edge at eave and gable roof ends; install gutter and downspout system to divert water a minimum of two feet away from foundation.
• Use recycled content materials, such as oriented strand board, and renewable materials, such as soy-based insulation, bamboo and other wood-based products.
• Develop and implement a construction and demolition waste management plan that is posted at the jobsite.

Energy Efficiency:

• The home must be equivalent to, or greater than, 15 percent above the current International Energy Conservation Code or local energy code, whichever is more stringent.

Water Efficiency:

• Front yard must have water-smart landscaping; no turf.
• Homes must include high-efficiency indoor plumbing fixtures; there are maximum flow requirements for the faucets and fixtures.
• All air conditioning systems must be non-evaporative systems with zero net consumptive water use.

Indoor Environmental Quality:

• Minimize potential sources of pollutants by installing direct-vent, sealed-combustion gas fireplace, sealed wood fireplace or sealed woodstove, or, don't install fireplaces or woodstoves.
• Ensure particleboard, medium-density fiberboard and hardwood plywood substrates are certified to low formaldehyde emission standards; composite wood/agrifiber panel products must either contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins or must be third-party certified for low formaldehyde emissions.
• Install carpet and padding that hold "Green Label" certification from Carpet and Rug Institute's indoor air quality testing program or meet equivalent thresholds verified by a third party; use house paints with no- to low-volatile organic compounds.
• Manage potential pollutants generated in the home by providing mechanical exhaust fan to the outside from the kitchen range, bath and laundry; there are also mechanical ventilation requirements for the bedrooms.

For more information about the Southern Nevada Green Building Partnership and the benefits of green building, visit www.thegbi.org/southernnevada, or contact Connie Suckling at (702) 794-0117 or connie@snhba.