For beginners and owner-builders, green building is a sustainable construction method that has a low impact on the environment. Green buildings usually incorporate LEED standard construction requirements in order to become certified; however, a homeowner can be an "owner builder" and construct their own home without the need of hiring a General Contractor in many cases. The energy efficiency of a home, when designed well, can be as much as 90% efficient, cutting utility bills to an extreme. A tiny house or small "core house" (with all the living essentials--kitchen, bath, living/sleeping area) can be designed into the floorplan wall system so the owner-builder can add on extra bedrooms later on. Energy efficient homes that are truly sustainable incorporate superinsulation and thermal mass along with passive solar home design, and this book explains how to do that. This book offers a passive solar home companion e-book (v1) that can be downloaded free from the author's website. TABLE OF CONTENTS (chapters, some sections, page numbers): INTRODUCTION 2 Designing Our Homes for the Earth: Why Pay Attention to Climate Change No Waste and Permaculture Green Energy Net Zero/Net Positive The Purpose of This Book Passive House / Passivehaus Best Passive Solar Homes GREEN BUILDING BASICS 35 What is Green Building? Life Cycle Assessment Cost Site Design Environmental impact Water Efficiency Energy efficiency Core-House Construction Maintenance Operation Renovations Deconstruction Habitat for Humanity Deconstruction Services Deconstruction vs Demolition How Green Home Deconstruction is Essential GREEN BUILDING CODES 94 Why LEED? LEED Certification To Certify or Not to Certify? Design for the Future ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS ALTERNATIVE CONSTRUCTION GREEN MATERIALS 152 PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSE DESIGN 190 Passive solar vs conventional home Solar Design Passive House Passive House vs. Conventional Home Storing Energy vs Reducing Loss The 90% Efficient Passive Solar House PASSIVE SOLAR STRAW BALE HOUSE DESIGN 208 The Beginning Build Inexpensively, Not Cheap Straw Bale Home Design OWNER-BUILT STARTER HOME 224 Greening a Used Home PLAN TO BUILD 238 Land Practical and Legal Site Assessment Financing Utilities / Services Sewage Electricity Water Cable / Internet Phone Gas Professional Help Learning Tips from Professionals Floor Plan & Features Floor Plan Considerations Design Features Second Book in this Set Free Companion e-book GREEN LIVING TIPS 262