Why we chose LEED Canada for Homes.
While there are a number of green building standards out there, we felt LEED Canada for Homes provided a well-rounded framework for building to a higher standard than traditionally built homes. We appreciated that the program is third-party certified and tested, as well as being North America wide, for its greater rigourousness and relevance. We employed the rating system as a set of guiding principles and conscience for our design decisions, our building techniques and our material choices. At times we followed the recommendations in the program, at times we far exceeded them and at times we used the recommendations as a starting point to head in our own direction.
We also wanted to build a LEED home as a educational experience, a challenge to ourselves and as a way to test the assumption that building green is an extremely expensive endeavour. While the project certainly was a great experience and a challenge that we thrived upon, with proper planning, thought and decision making it did not turn out to be more expensive than a typical custom home build.