In Weak Housing Market, Some Homeowners Investing More in Green Features

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In a trend that at first seems counterintuitive given the weak, and still declining, U.S. housing market, the San Francisco Chronicle has discovered that many homeowners are spending considerable amounts of money on their places. Much of the new investment is in green building features, such as energy efficiency upgrades and non-toxic products.

"The design market is thriving, and I think that has to do with the shift in the economy," Kelly Keiser, who runs Splendid Interiors in San Francisco, told the Chronicle. "People are staying in homes longer, rather than flipping houses. And I feel my clients are now investing in their houses and buying bigger-ticket items."

This sentiment was echoed among 11 Bay Area design professionals questioned by the newspaper. Some designers even said they now have more work then they can even handle.

Fortunately for green, many of those new bigger-ticket items boast impressive eco-friendly advantages, such as ultra-efficient appliances from Miele and others (at one extreme are refrigerators that use as much juice as a single light bulb - although note that such high engineering will set you back $8,000).

One designer says her clients tell her "Give us more green, give us more green." She points out that higher prices can often be an inhibitor to going all out green, however. That's why the Chronicle's report is so encouraging; as more wealthy homeowners invest in green building, prices will keep coming down, and trends will percolate down to the middle classes -- and eventually to low-income residences as well, where the money and health benefits are really most needed. It's the good kind of trickle down!

Some of the hot green design trends in San Francisco include original antiques (which is a time-tested way of recycling!), organic, non-toxic paints, wallpaper and upholstery, energy efficient appliances and countertops made of poured concrete or "lavastone," instead of mining and energy-intensive granite.

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