Greensboro, N.C --Now that the
Greenspiration Home showcase events in Greensboro, NC have concluded, creator Trish Holder is on the lookout for the next Greenspiration home builder, and she's specifically looking in the Triangle and Charlotte, NC areas.
Holder created the Greenspiration Home concept while building and promoting her own home -- a LEED registered home completed in January, 2009. Using her professional public relations savvy and marketing expertise, Ms. Holder promoted the home as an educational tool for homeowners who want to build or renovate green. In the last year, her Greenspiration Home, which garnered nearly 60 sponsors, cultivated a host of media exposure, including television, newspaper, magazines, and internet. Ms. Holder also hosted several trade events and a 4-weekend series of open house tours called Nature Nurture Days, all of which benefited local charities.
All of this established the framework for what is now, Greenspiration Home, LLC, a company which works with builders to facilitate and promote homeowner driven green showcase homes.
"What makes Greenspiration different from other green showcase homes is that everything is from the homeowner's perspective. So in documenting and showcasing the project, we create an informal yet informative dialog between the Greenspiration homeowner and others with an interest in building green. This generates more qualified leads for sponsors."
The next Greenspiration homeowner will be calling the shots on the home construction - but Ms. Holder will be advising along the way, drawing from well over two years of product research and personal experience, not to mention 15+ years as a writer and marketing consultant for the HVAC (Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning) industry. Greenspiration Home, LLC will negotiate sponsorships with chosen suppliers and coordinate all of the promotion, including press, open houses, and other events.
What Makes a Greenspiration Home Builder
It takes a special builder to build a Greenspiration Home, according to Ms. Holder. He or she has to be flexible enough to roll with the challenges that come with using new technologies and materials.
"It's not like building a spec home where you are calling all the shots and working with the same subcontractors you've worked with for years. In some cases, we may have to look elsewhere for subs with more experience in these technologies."
Don and Megan Cohan, of Signature Homes, in Greensboro were the first Greenspiration Home builders, and Ms. Holder credits their flexibility and willingness to learn to much of the success of the project. The Cohans have been building homes in the Greensboro area for 20 years - but until they met the Holder-Raines family in 2006, they had never built a green home.
"We had no idea that this would turn into such a big deal,‖ said Mr. Cohan, who, as the first Greenspiration Home builder, has been interviewed on television, in the newspaper, and has even been featured as part of a webcast on Reed Publishing's Housing Zone. -Trish did an amazing job - not only promoting the project, getting the sponsors, and organizing the events, but also troubleshooting. She helped facilitate solutions by bringing a lot of different parties together and making us communicate. That's not easy."
According to Ms. Holder, the ideal builder needn't have green building experience but should be interested in positioning themselves as a leader in sustainable home building. Most important, the builder needs to have an open, honest approach to his or her clients and be willing to learn.
The main criterion for the homeowner is, simply, to want to build green--whether on a $300,000.00 budget or $1 million budget. The homeowner must also be willing to journal about their experience on the
www.greenspirationhome.com website and be willing to showcase the house-preferably after the home is furnished and staged, but before move-in.
There are -perks to being the next Greenspiration Home owner, not the least of which is having an experienced homeowner partnering with you throughout the green building process. Other potential benefits, depending on acquired sponsorships, include professional interior design, some home furnishings, and the chance for local and national exposure of the home. The homeowner also gets to choose which charity the Nature Nurture Day open houses will benefit.
Greenspiration Home, LLC is currently interviewing builders and homeowners for the next Greenspiration Home. Interested parties should contact Trish Holder at
trish@greenspirationhome.com or by phone at 336-456-9318.
