LEED Certified Projects

• Park Place Outreach
• Cottage Living Holiday House
• ILA Pension and Welfare
• Custom Residential Project at The Ford Plantation
• Richmond Hill City Center

LEED Registered Projects:

• Mixed Used Downtown Facility
• Effingham County Courthouse
• Tift Hall Renovation, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

LEED Accredited Professionals:

• Josh Brooks
• Mark Fitzpatrick
• Carl Lewis
• Todd Mayo
• Tom Oliver
• Matthew Schivera
• Josh Simpson
• Robert Welsh
• Matt West

An Estimator's LEED Perspective

by Matthew Schivera

The biggest question asked of an estimator is how much more will a LEED project cost in comparison to a project not attempting to achieve LEED certification. If you are still reading in hopes that there is a magic percentage, you will be extremely disappointed with the following statement: there is no magic percentage to add for a LEED project. As long as you are still reading, let me explain why there is no set premium for achieving LEED certification and a little bit about what goes into creating a budget for a LEED project.

All LEED projects are different and that presents the most significant reason as to why there is no set premium for LEED. The main reason behind these differences is the client. Different clients are going to have different goals in achieving LEED certification. On one hand, you can have the sustainably savvy client that realizes the value of spending more money up front and realizing the savings that products like geo-thermal systems, solar water heating systems, and green roof systems can provide. Alternatively there is the client that sees some value in building a sustainable project, but does not want to incorporate all of the bells, whistles, and upfront costs that would help you achieve the higher LEED certifications. It is important to remember that with most projects, a certifying level of LEED can be achieved quite easily and with a typically small premium.

There are studies that show that to achieve moderate levels of sustainable design; you will experience premiums of 2% - 6%. The important point to emphasize to clients considering LEED is that the majority of all these premiums are offset by the future operational costs of the building. For example, installing a geo-thermal air conditioning system will cost about three times the cost of a conventional system. However, this system will pay for itself within three to five years due to the decreased energy costs associated with operating this system.

As an estimator who sees a variety of projects on a daily basis, I can testify that adapting green principles to your project is an eventual cost saving technique that promotes sustainability and a better product.