Many homeowners and builders want to green their construction and decorating projects, but high costs for some materials scare them away.

At the Environmental Home Center, we strive to offer not only top-of-the-line products but many that are competitively priced, as well. The chart on the back of this page gives some specifics. We have many others.

We also provide information so homeowners and builders can see that there is more to the value equation than simply the initial cost of materials. What good does a "green" material do for a homeowner?

• First floor: 1,800 square feet, with 250 square feet in kitchen & laundry.
• Second floor: 1,000 square feet.
• Two bathrooms plus a powder room, total 250 square feet.

Building green doesn't have to cost a lot more.

This chart is based on a hypothetical 2,800-square-foot house:

• It buys them a healthier home, with better indoor air quality..
• It buys them lower utility costs, month after month.
• It buys them a more durable house, since most environmentally preferable materials are designed to stay in use for decades.
• It buys them a better future- for their kids and the offspring of all the other creatures that share our planet.

	EHC green material	Price	Conventional material	Price
Interior paint: Estimated at 10,000 sq.ft. Interior paint (2 Coats- Requires 57.14 gals., price calculated at 60 gals.)	American Pride eggshell. Retail price per 5 gallons: $127.49 Covers 350 sq. ft./gal.	$1,530	Sherwin-Williams. Superpaint. Retail price per 5 gallons: $171.45. Covers 350 sq. ft./gal.	$2,057
Resilient flooring: Kitchen, laundry room & bathrooms, 500 sq.ft. (56 sq.yds.)	Forbo true linoleum. Standard, 2½-mil Forbo, priced at $29.99 per sq.yd.	$1,679*	Armstrong Solarian. $32.97 per sq. yd. at Home Depot. High-end, through-color vinyl. ($33-$48/sq. yd. per Reliable Flooring).	$1,846
Carpet: Upstairs bedrooms, 800 sq.ft. (89 sq.yds.)	100% recycled-fiber. PET recycled synthetic carpet. Range $11.79/sq. yd.- $26.29/sq. yd. (Use average $19.04/sq. yd)	$1,695	100% nylon carpet. $10.71/sq. yd.- $40.50/sq. yd. at Great Floors. (Use average $25.60/sq. yd)	$2,279
Wood flooring: Main floor, 1,500 sq.ft.	Vida Grandis"TM 3 1/2 inch, 1-3 foot lengths, unfinished, sustainably harvested (FSC-certified). $4.29/sq. ft.	$6,435**	Lyptus 3 inch, unfinished, random lengths up to 6 feet, non-FSC certified. $6.91/sq. ft. at Dunn Lumber.	$10,365
Toilets: Total of three.	Dual-flush. Caroma Tasman 270. Allows .8-gallon half-flush. $374.29 includes seat.	$1,123	Toto. Drake Maxiflush 1.6-gallon flush. $228 plus $25 for seat at Larry's Plumbing.	$759
Decking: 120 sq.ft. (240 lineal feet of 6 in. stock)	FSC-certified Tigerwood Thick boards (5/4 x 6 in. ), $2.29/lineal foot. Solid, tropical certified decking.	$595	Trex Brasilia 5/4 x 6 in. , $2.44/lineal foot at Dunn Lumber, Seattle. (Wood plastic composite in faux tropical wood grain).	$634
Total		$13,057		$17,940

Updated. October 2005.
^* Installation may be higher than with vinyl.
^** Note: longer lengths with Lyptus potentially justifying a slight price premium.