A view of downtown Philadelphia at sunset from a bridge above the Schuylkill river

Did you know that ‘Sylvania’ is Latin for ‘wooded place?’ For someone who respects the environment, it’s the perfect place for a new home. Add that it is near New York, New Jersey, and Ontario (Canada), your family can have a cross-border vacation without going over budget.

For those environmentally-minded homeowners looking to relocate to or within Pennslyvania, we’ve formulated a list of the best green, sustainable home builders in the state.

These builders are highly experienced and will help build your dream green home without compromising comfort.

Keep reading!

The Best Sustainable Green Builders in Pennsylvania 

There are several sustainable green home builders in Pennsylvania that stand apart from the rest that you should consider, including:

  1. Fine Line Home Consultants
  2. Segal & Morel
  3. DeLuca Homes
  4. McNaughton Homes
  5. Hess Home Builders
  6. EcoCraft Homes
  7. Alter Eco
  8. Liberation Tiny Homes
  9. Greenwood Tiny Homes 
  10. Bridlewood Builders
  11. Clark Contractors
  12. Envinity
  13. F&N Homes

So, without further ado, let’s get into the specifics of what each of these builders has to offer.

Fine Line Home Consultants

Exterior front view of a green home by Fine Line Home Consultants
Courtesy of Fine Line Home Consultants

Fine Line Home Consultants builds sustainable homes across most of central Pennsylvania, southern New York, and parts of North Carolina.

The expert home consultants are known for their hands-on approach. Each client is involved in the project’s plan, design, and construction phase.

Interior kitchen view of a green home by Fine Line Home Consultants
Courtesy of Fine Line Home Consultants

As per customer testimonials, the company is always available to answer any queries or address clients’ concerns.

In addition, the website is constantly updated with new designs and plans that interested users can peruse at their leisure. 

Segal & Morel

Segal & Morel takes the cake when it comes to building green and sustainable homes.

The contractor specializes in building energy-efficient homes in Riverview Estates West, and every house is certified by the Energy Star program.

In addition, each one is produced with high-quality, sustainable materials that are renewable as well.

Exterior view for a green home by Segal & Morel
Courtesy of Segal & Morel

Each structure built by the contractor has several energy-saving features to reduce overall costs. These include stainless steel dishwashers, low-flow showerheads, rainwater collection systems, and vaulted ceilings, to name a few. 

DeLuca Homes

Celebrating more than half a century of quality homebuilding, DeLuca Homes offers highly efficient and creative solutions for eco-conscious clients.

This includes a HERS rating completed by a third party, and the contractors also participate in the PECO rebate program. Therefore, the company can prove that its homes are 20% more energy-efficient than model code homes!

Interior view of a DeLuca Homes green home
Courtesy of DeLuca Homes

Each space and house is designed strategically, from open-concept living spaces to luxurious master suites and finished basements.

The company offers a range of options. Clients can choose from several floor plans and then customize them according to their taste. 

McNaughton Homes

Interior view of a McNaughton Homes green home
Courtesy of McNaughton Homes

McNaughton Homes made energy-efficient homes before it was in vogue.

Since 1997, the contractor has built hundreds of eco-friendly units in Pennsylvania and has won three national energy housing rewards for its work. 

Exterior view of a McNaughton Homes green home
Courtesy of McNaughton Homes

Some of the best energy-efficient features of a McNaughton home include PEX plumbing with fixture shutoff valves, insulated ducts, family-sized water heaters, R-11 foundation wall insulation, R-49 attic insulation, fire caulking, and dedicated HVAC returns in each room. 

Hess Home Builders, Inc.

Since 1964, Hess Home Builders has built sturdy, top-quality homes for Lancaster and York County.

This builder is known for the strict attention to detail for each project and the genuine desire to ensure each family gets their dream home. The basic standard features offered for each home can be upgraded with customizations. 

Exterior front view of a home by Hess Home Builders
Courtesy of Hess Home Builders, Inc

Some of these include solid concrete basement walls poured on-site, subflooring that exceeds industry standards, super seal packaging, roof trusses that Hess Home Builders makes itself, and exteriors that require little to no maintenance. 

EcoCraft Homes

EcoCraft Homes has been building energy and resource-efficient homes in Pittsburgh since 2012.

The family-owned company has followed a unique building philosophy to build bespoke luxury homes in less than 90 days.

Interior view of an EcoCraft Homes house
Courtesy of EcoCraft Homes

EcoCraft aims to develop greener and more innovative homes by improving its service while ensuring clients are always well cared for. 

An EcoCraft home is 100% Energy Star compliant, which means that each structure achieves industry-leading energy scores and runs up half the cost of a traditionally built home after a family moves in.

The company can also build homes with net-zero energy consumption for heating, cooling, and electricity usage.

The buildings that meet these energy standards use 80% less energy than traditional homes and boast superior air quality and durability. 

Alter Eco

Alter Eco tackles two main concerns homeowners have when making its houses: style and cost.

The building firm solves both issues with top-quality construction management and architectural and sustainable consulting services. 

Exterior front view of a Alter Eco green home
Courtesy of Alter Eco

The company uses state-of-the-art software and building solutions to design a home virtually and iron out the details with clients before construction starts. This process allows Alter Eco to ensure that style preferences are met and simultaneously reduce project costs.

Alter Eco also strives to create ‘net zero’ homes with on-site renewable energy systems to reduce bills and generate clean energy on property that its clients can consume.

In addition, its unique building system allows it to minimize construction waste, improve energy and water efficiency, and improve indoor air quality. 

Zook Cabins

A small home is not only easier to manage and maintain, but it also produces minimal waste. So it is little wonder why more and more people in Pennsylvania and across the nation are beginning to invest in tiny green homes rather than larger, energy-guzzling houses. 

The team at Zook Cabins (formerly Liberation Tiny Homes) is dedicated to creating handcrafted, eco-friendly, tiny homes on wheels that its eco-enthusiastic clients can fall in love with. 

Interior view of a tiny home by Liberation Tiny Homes
Courtesy of Zook Cabins

Zook Cabins is located in the heart of Lancaster County and specializes in building compact houses that can be transported across the nation.

What makes the company stand out is its dedication to its county. All of the materials Zook Cabins uses are sourced from local suppliers and professional businesses.

The company also goes out of its way to reach out to like-minded entrepreneurs who can help them meet client needs. 

Greenwood Tiny Homes

Even though Greenwood Tiny Homes specializes in making small houses, their quality is on par with more extensive and expensive homes.

With over two decades of building experience, the team does everything it takes to ensure its clients have a sustainable house that can help them reduce their carbon footprint without compromising their comfort.

Interior view of a Greenwood Tiny Homes green home
Courtesy of Greenwood Tiny Homes

The company excels in making green homes that function on renewable energy, reused rainwater, and are made entirely of wood.

In addition, the small size of the home reduces heating and cooling bills significantly, which means more money in your pocket.

For example, pipes run behind the trim and cabinets in some plans rather than the exterior walls.

This design ensures water remains at room temperature and the pipes don’t freeze in winter.

In this case, it is better to be safe than sorry, especially when winter rolls around and your HVAC system has to work overtime to keep you and your family toasty.

Bridlewood Builders

As a certified green builder by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Bridlewood Builders is one of the best companies in Pennsylvania. It’s a SIPs custom home builder based in Harrisburg.

With over 25 years of experience in green construction, this company has what it takes to build some of the best sustainable homes.

It was the first builder to receive the SIPS Registered Master Builder award from the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA). Its core values include energy efficiency, quality craftsmanship, and green building.

We featured this builder on this list because it prioritizes its clients’ needs in every step of the process. It achieves this by working with customers throughout the design and construction phases for the best results. 

It incorporates only the green construction aspects that align with a client’s needs. Therefore, you get a green home suited to your lifestyle.

Bridlewood Builders’ sustainable construction techniques emphasize the following:

  • Energy efficiency
  • Reduced waste generation throughout the entire construction process
  • Comfortable and healthy homes with quality indoor environments
  • Use of eco-friendly resources and materials

Clark Contractors

Having been in operation for over three generations, Clark Contractors guarantees quality services tailored for your specific needs.

This family-owned company is located in Bedford, Pennsylvania and offers a comprehensive range of construction services. It brings on board the region’s most experienced safety coordinators, project managers, estimators, and job site supervisors.

By collaborating with these experienced professionals, this company orchestrates a smooth and stress-free project from the start to the end.

With deep roots in the central Pennsylvania area, it treats its customers with the dignity they deserve.

For successful construction management, Clark Contractors incorporates owner integration, quick documentation turn-around, coordination meetings, and relentless customer satisfaction.

This builder has been developing LEED-certified projects for over 10 years. Most of these have achieved LEED Silver certification status.

Envinity

Envinity is a small business established in Pennsylvania in 2005. It boasts itself as a leader in energy efficiency, innovative design, high-performance construction, and solar energy.

As a design and build firm, Envinity will handle every aspect of your green construction project from start to finish.

Its designs incorporate Passive House, passive solar, indoor air quality, energy modeling, and water conservation.

Envinity is among the builders who create resilient and robust envelopes and high-thermal windows and doors for efficiency.

The company uses low-VOC materials to guarantee a quality indoor environment for home occupants. Its air tightness tests will ensure your new home is highly energy-efficient.

This builder stands out for using Living Building standards in its projects. These are regenerative building techniques that connect a home’s occupants to food, air, light, nature, and community.

Envinity’s Living Building standards helps the company in building self-sufficient, sustainable homes within their site limits. 

Moreover, the company’s philosophy revolves around making the best choice for interior and exterior materials. It selects quality materials to build green homes that are sure to stand the test of time.

We also like Envinity because it pays close attention to moisture management for safety and longevity. 

All the ventilation, heating, and cooling systems are also choosen carefully for a high-performance home.

F&N Homes

Finally, F&N Homes is a custom builder of green modular homes in Pennsylvania. It makes all its homes green, both on the inside and outside.

With over 22 years of experience in modular home construction, F&N Homes is highly experienced and employs some of the best tactics in all its projects.

The company’s focus is to help customers build affordable custom green homes that are water and energy-efficient. These homes are also designed to promote the well-being of their occupants.

Its prefabrication process is highly sustainable because it limits environmental impact. The approach creates less disturbance on the construction site and generates far less waste.

Also, pre-built house components like pre-hung doors, windows, and trusses facilitate the efficient use of materials.

F&N Homes stands out for designing its homes to prevent the exposure of building materials to the elements. This reduces the likelihood of mold and mildew growth, leading to a quality indoor environment and a healthier family.

Since this company employs precision when manufacturing its homes, all components fit together perfectly, creating an air-tight seal that prevents energy loss.

Other energy-efficient techniques employed by F&N Homes include:

  • Efficient water heaters
  • Enhanced insulation
  • Efficient doors and windows
  • Energy Star appliances
  • Solar heating
  • Water-efficient showerheads, faucets, and toilets

Bottom Line 

Whether you are looking for a sustainable home builder who can meet your aesthetic needs or a company that follows your floor plans, the ones mentioned in this guide can help.

But don’t jump the gun just yet. Instead, do more research on each builder to ensure you get your money’s worth and a green home that you and your family can live in for years without issue.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry. After all, even eco-friendly homes don’t come cheap. A disappointing experience can set you back for years, if not decades. 

Also, be sure to check out our lists of modular and tiny home builders in Pennsylvania, as several of the companies featured build houses that can be classified as green and sustainable

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