A Mascord Efficient Living home plan set comes filled with notes, details, and accompanying information needed to help you build your home to leading third party certification standards, ranging from Energy Star to the USGBC's LEED for Homes program.

The notes and details pages that are part of your drawing package outline not only what you need to do to accomplish the basic needs of efficient construction, but also show you areas you can choose to 'upgrade performance' -and what affect that will have on the outcome of your project (in terms of LEED points). This makes it incredibly easy to communicate your goals to sub-contractors, as well as calculate your expected level of certification compliance.

Stock Home Plans usually come detailed to meet the minimum construction requirements set out by the International Residential Code- widely adopted by local and state building departments (if they come detailed to meet any code at all!). The IRC Code basically outlines the minimum requirements a builder needs to meet without violating state laws.

If that is your goal - to build a home just barely able to meet state minimum requirments - you should buy a standard drawing package, and go for it.

On the other hand, if your goal is to construct a quality, efficient, healthy home for you and your family; you should seriously consider an Efficient Living Home.

What your Efficient Living Home Plan Package includes:

Full Construction Documents

During the development of your home plan we calculate the required efficiency of certain elements (such as windows) - and detail these, along with many other elements - in the notes and detail pages that accompany the regular plan sheets used throughout construction. These pages include quality management tools to ensure the result you require is communicated to your team and describe, in detail, how to construct your home to meet your chosen certification goals.

Project Information File

This supplemental information package includes details about certification standards; instructions on using the Efficient Living plan set and achieving certification; forms to give vendors, sub-contractors, and officials; and additional important information for the final occupants of the home. In essence, the package contains everything you need to get your certified home built!

Consultation Time

Your initial package purchase price includes up to one hour phone conference or personal meeting time with a Mascord Efficient Living Support Team member to get you on track and to help answer any questions. If you feel you need additional support in the initial stages or throughout your construction project, custom consultation services are available for purchase.

A written guide to Efficient Construction

Alongside your drawing package, we include a copy of the Mascord Efficient Living hard back book and accompanying CD. With the foreword written by acclaimed author Sarah Susanka, this book provides an overview of the theories, philosophies and thoughts behind efficient construction practices, outlines things to consider when building an efficient home, and offers tips for living in one thereafter.

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