House Plans Cedar Rapids

A Bit About this Award-Winning Home Builder

At Martin Built Homes, we are a green home builder that has experienced over 20 years of green home building and stands out in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Marion communities as a leading home contractor. We have built and expanded into surrounding Iowa areas, such as:

  • Iowa City
  • North Liberty
  • Coralville
  • Hiawatha
  • Center Point
  • Solon
  • Mount Vernon

We are a hard-working, seasoned home builder from Iowa who believes in going green in their newly built homes. Access our website for a look at the quality-built homes that we offer. Take a long look at the eight different house plans available. Every home builder needs to provide you with an array of detailed floor plans to help you in your search for the right design inside and outside your future green home. Look through the exciting and beautiful pictures of green homes we build and notice the clean-cut, sharp appearance and attention to the smallest of details of each of these beautiful energy-efficient dream homes. Our team of professionals are at your service from the beginning to the completion of your new home build. We give you direct access to our partners and builders so that you can communicate with them about your desires. Visit us on-site as often as you wish to watch the progress as your new green home grows closer to completion every day. Our goal is to build each house correctly because perfection helps us avoid recalls and unhappy homeowners. We assist you with every aspect of the details, no matter how small. Every feature is vital to us, because if you are not thrilled with your newly built home, we are not happy, and we want to get it right the first time. Give us about 120 days for completion and be ready to move into your new green home. We are also sensitive to your budget needs and desire to give you all the amenities you want while trying to stay within your strict budget guidelines. It does you no good to buy a green home and not be able to afford your monthly mortgage payment. We work with budgets and are sensitive to your particular financial needs. We encourage you and are more than happy to invite you to the building site of your new green home to watch the house plans progress as it gets nearer to completion every day. Bring your camera and take pictures of your home build in progress and speak to one or all of the professionals working on your house. You are happy and content watching your home in the building process because you see first-hand how much our professional team pays attention to detail while watching your house plans come together. Our company has grown by leaps and bounds from the start and has continued to grow at a tremendous rate, expanding and spreading out to other communities around Marion and Cedar Rapids. We cannot stress enough that Cedar Rapids is a host to one the very best professional, green home builders in the industry and across the United States. No matter if you want to buy a pre-built home or start from the beginning, you receive our guarantee of a job well done on one of the most amazing and quality-built green homes in today’s marketplace.

What Does Energy Efficiency Mean?

Energy efficiency takes into account so many issues and means so many things. According to the United States Department of Energy, the home energy score was calculated to bring to light a workable national rating system. You, as a responsible homeowner, must consider your home’s structure and various systems within the home, such as the heating and cooling system, water heater, and more to help save money and energy. A focus on energy efficiency means you and your family experience increased comfort and realize the durability of those systems. If it is an older home you live in, you may not be able to convert the house to green, but you can undoubtedly put house plans in place to make your older home more energy efficient.

What Does This Home Builder Do to Make Homes Energy Efficient?

We have a basic set of rules that go into our green house plans. We focus on the exterior walls, attic, doors, and windows by insulating and making sure these areas are airtight. As your builder, we are the best and most adequate source to make sure insulation in the form of fiberglass, foam, or cellulose is installed correctly. Most often, we will use a particular camera to make sure there are no voids left in attics and walls that allow for cold air loss or an escape of warm air as these voids increase energy consumption, thus increasing monthly utility costs. We use recyclable building materials, install HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning systems) with a high energy rating. Kitchen appliances, such as stoves, ovens, refrigerators, freezers, garbage disposals, microwave ovens, washers, dryers, and water heaters are all Energy Star and of the highest quality grade. We then turn to solar or geothermal systems to significantly increase energy efficiency. Another energy-efficient method we will focus on is the exterior of the home. Shade trees and bushy shrubs planted around the house act as an insulation barrier from cold winter winds or scorching hot sun. There are many other options to add that can increase the energy efficiency of the new green home.

Tips About Ways to Decrease Energy Consumption

We would have to agree that there are a multitude of things you can do to cut your energy costs and make your home more energy efficient. You can put your own energy-saving house plans into action by installing low-flow fixtures in sinks, tubs, and showers. You can reduce energy costs by dialing down the temperature on your water heater. You may want to consider replacing your current water heater and installing an “on-demand” tankless water heater. Replace regular light bulbs with incandescent light bulbs that use less energy and have a longer life span. You, like millions of other homeowners, may leave electrical appliances plugged into an electrical outlet. Even though the device sits unused, it continues to draw electrical current, which is a big waste of your money and drives your utility costs skyward. If your refrigerator does not have a top freezer, it will use more energy. Replace that refrigerator with a top-loading freezer and forgo the ice maker.