Vermont is a lovely place to call home and is an ideal place to reside if you’re comfortable living in a small town or a little city. If you love nature and want to live a slow-paced and healthy life, Vermont is undoubtedly one of the best places to live in the US.
The Green Mountain State has access to natural and pristine areas and parks, healthy and organic food, socially and environmentally aware residents, amiable locals, and a casual and relaxed lifestyle.
Due to the environmentally-friendly nature of its inhabitants, it’s no surprise that the state boasts several renowned sustainable, ‘green’ home builders.
So, for the eco-conscious homebuyers out there planning a relocation to or in Vermont searching for a new home, we’ve formulated this list of the state’s top green home construction companies.
The Best Green Home Builders in Vermont
Here is our selection of the top eight home builders in the Green Mountain State that stand out from the rest, including:
- Sterling Home
- Vermod
- Vermont Natural Homes
- Sisler Builders
- Snyder Homes
- Hudson & Sons Construction
- Guide Construction Solutions
- Reiss Building and Renovation
So, without furthur ado, let’s delve deeper into what each of these esteemed companies has to offer prospective home buyers.
Sterling Homes
Sterling Homes has been building homes for over four decades. Operating mainly in Chittenden County, it has constructed homes from Essex to Hinesburg; Williston to Shelburne.
Over the years, the company has created a process that makes home building exciting and fun. Its team guides you through each step, from preparing floor plans to customizing finishes to well-documented, step-by-step instructions on how your new home works.
Perhaps the best thing about this company is that it builds comfortable, efficient homes designed to last a lifetime. For Sterling Homes, sustainable building and home design are more than just a fad—they’re part of what the company is all about.
In fact, the company believes that sustainability and efficiency are crucial – it’s even installed solar panels in its own South Burlington office – and has been pioneers in green building for several years, even before it was termed ‘green.’
Sterling Homes builds all homes to the National Green Building Standard, which offers independent, third-party verification that a house is designed and constructed to attain high performance in six key areas.
These include lot design and development, water efficiency, resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, and building operation & maintenance.
Moreover, Sterling can even help you build a high-performance home that surpasses the criteria for Efficiency Vermont Certified ™ 2.0. Such homes are designed to offer the highest comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality possible.
Sterling Homes has also won multiple awards since 1988, making it one of the best green home builders in Vermont. Some of the most notable awards include the 2004 Better Homes Gold Award for Energy Efficiency and the 2016 Home Innovation NGBS Green Partner of Excellence.
Vermod
Founded in 2013, Vermod has built almost 100 zero-energy modular homes across New England, including New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Vermod homes are Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Homes (ZERH) and constructed according to Efficiency Vermont’s High Performance 2.0 Specifications.
Some features of its zero energy-ready homes include:
- Dense insulation – the walls and floors are packed with nearly 3,000 lbs of insulation.
- Solar panels – to generate all the energy a Vermod home requires.
- Sealed cracks and joints – each crack and joint is tightly sealed, resulting in airtight homes that keep warmth inside.
- All-electric HVAC systems – include efficient heat-pump technology for cooling, heating, and hot water, and all lighting and appliances are Energy Star rated.
All Vermod homes are built using high-quality materials and construction practices, from the roof to the foundation. With doors and windows that seal tightly and long-lasting fixtures, a Vermod home will provide you and your family with lasting value.
All in all, Vermod homes are designed to improve your family’s well-being and health.
Some features include:
- Low-VOC countertop
- Hardwood cabinets
- Sheetrock walls
- Hardwood flooring
- Low-VOC paint and finishes
- Formaldehyde-free products
Vermont Natural Homes
Vermont Natural Homes specializes in developing high-performance buildings using non-toxic and natural materials. Its buildings are designed for durability and efficiency and are constructed by prioritizing the use of locally-sourced materials.
The company applies its knowledge of building science and natural building methods to create homes that are sustainable, beautiful, and healthy for the environment and those who reside and work in them.
Some of its building specialities include:
- Natural building
- High-performance construction
- Timber framing
- Earthen floors
- Straw bale building
- Light straw clay
- Wood chip clay
- Cob
- Clay and lime plasters
- Natural paints
- Non-toxic finishes
Sisler Builders
Sisler Builders has been in the business of renovating and building homes in the Stowe area for more than thirty years. Recently, it expanded its expertise in custom woodworking to include furniture and other consumer products.
Sisler also leveraged its construction experience to become a regional leader in the emerging field of thermal efficiency.
The company is dedicated to ensuring that all of its projects will stand the test of time using a blend of energy efficiency, quality construction, and overall functionality.
Its goal is to add value to your project by maximizing its potential based on your specs and lifestyle. Moreover, its focus is to enhance or create a living space that will serve its inhabitants for many years.
Sisler Builders is dedicated to helping its clients live more comfortably and healthier while saving energy through superior building performance.
So whether you’re embarking on a major renovation or building project or just trying to make an existing building more energy-efficient, the company can help you make the right decisions according to your budget.
An interesting thing about this Vermont green home builder is that it has developed a sustainable building checklist of proven current best practices that address the vital aspects of new construction.
The checklist includes:
- Building orientation and its impact on natural ventilation, lighting, cooling and heating throughout the year
- Conservation of and impact on the natural landscape surrounding the project during the construction process
- Building material sourcing and selection, focusing on environmentally friendly products that can either be salvaged or locally-sourced
- Door and window selection and glazing considerations
- Insulation type and installation methods
- Roofing design and materials
- Mechanical (ventilation, cooling, heating) and electrical considerations, including using sustainable energy sources when possible
Moreover, Sisler is a Certified Passive House Builder and works closely with the owner and the project architect to review this checklist thoroughly. Finally, the company will inform clients of any financial incentives available to reduce implementation costs.
Snyder Homes
Snyder Homes started in 1976 when Pat and Bob Snyder constructed their first neighborhood, Essex Green, understanding that individuals were searching for communities to improve their lives.
Snyder Homes is a family-owned and run business and, to date, has constructed 17 neighborhoods all over northwestern Vermont. The company was named America’s Best Builder in 1996 by Builder Magazine.
Snyder takes great pride in developing neighborhoods comprised of high-quality houses with eco-conscious land planning and are located in ideal locations, near the conveniences of dining, cultural, and shopping attractions.
The company’s objective of green building isn’t just beneficial for the environment; it helps the homeowner too. The houses it constructs are energy efficient—they conserve water and improve the overall indoor air quality thanks to effective HVAC equipment, low allergen materials, and formaldehyde-free finishes.
Moreover, its high-performance buildings are designed and built to include resource efficiency and environmental considerations in each stage of the land development and building process with the mission to reduce the house’s environmental impact.
Here are some features of Snyders Green Homes:
- R-60 ceiling insulation
- Whole-house ventilation with ERV
- Low-E argon glass windows
- Zip System wall insulation
- Energy Star-rated dishwasher and refrigerators
- 96% high-efficiency heating
- Energy-efficient lighting
Hudson & Sons Construction
Hudson & Sons Construction offers green home construction services throughout the White River Valley and Windsor County regions of central Vermont, including Pittsfield, Stockbridge, Bethel, Rochester, Randolph, Barnard, Woodstock, Killington, Sharon, Royalton, and more.
The company specializes in sustainable practices with the most innovative green building products, from rustic remodels and renovations to comprehensive architectural design and building services.
Hudson & Sons’ experienced and friendly crew has been assisting homeowners in minimizing and eliminating their electricity bills with turnkey residential solar panel installations.
It will work with you to develop a system that fits your requirements, whether that’s grid-tied with net metering or off-grid with batteries. You can opt for this and leverage the +20% federal tax credit.
Guide Construction Solutions
Guide Construction Solutions designs and builds on every level, from minor renovations to complete custom-built houses. Its intentional and thoughtful design approach results in high-quality and efficient construction solutions.
Moreover, Guide Construction also conducts energy auditing—it locates points where cold and hot air is leaking and assesses the temperature and effectiveness of the insulation inside your house.
Using these details, it creates an energy improvement plan to lower your carbon footprint, enabling you to save money in the long term.
Some features of its sustainable dwellings include:
- Cutting edge HVAC systems – the company has improved more than 200 houses and prevents over 4 million pounds of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions from escaping into the environment.
- Waste management and recycling – Guide Construction Solution recycles all the cardboard and uses all the untreated wood to heat fuel.
- Green materials and processes – the team feels strongly about introducing innovative and “cutting edge” approaches into your house. The company intentionally falls a little behind the eight ball of green technology to ensure the most reliable results for you.
Reiss Building and Renovation
Reiss Building and Renovation has been constructing custom houses focusing on craftsmanship, energy efficiency, and quality since the early 1980s. Since the company was founded, it has also been dedicated to educating its customers about sustainable building practices, low energy load houses, and green construction.
Reiss Building has been and continues to stay actively involved in developing the Vermont Builds Greener Program, a state-wide voluntary program that certifies houses have been built green.
The company is experienced in constructing net-zero, super-insulated, energy-efficient homes, including both active and passive solar homes.
Reiss Building has received multiple awards for its energy-efficient construction and is well-versed with air-to-air and geothermal heat pumps for heating its homes. Due to the airtightness and insulation levels they attain, they can use heat pumps and solar energy to generate all the energy needed.
In fact, the homes they are constructing now don’t have any utility bills. Some generate surplus energy that can be sold back to the utility.
Moreover, Reiss Building also focuses on indoor air quality for the houses they construct and is cautious about air sealing, which warrants that they provide fresh air to the home. All homes have mechanical ventilation, the majority equipped with an air-to-air heat exchanger that captures a percentage of the heat in the exhaust flow.
Wrapping Up
These are the eight most amazing sustainable and green home builders in Vermont that you can work with. The best part is that many of these companies offer customization and financing options, so you can easily bring your dream of owning and living in a green, eco-friendly home to life!
Also, be sure to check out our list of the best modular builders in Vermont, as several of the companies featured construct homes that are also considered ‘green’ and sustainable.
Happy hunting!
