At Tabor Design Build, we believe that green home remodeling is not only good for the environment, it’s also good for your wallet. To us, remodeling green means making your home more efficient, healthy and comfortable for your family. We’ve been dedicated to green building and sustainable home design since our company began, long before it was popular to be green.

John Tabor has completed the green remodeling course sponsored by the Green Building Council and is certified as a Green Advantage Professional.

Tabor Design Build has won numerous local and national awards for its green home remodeling projects, including the National Association of the Remodeling Industry Contractor of the Year Award. To see an awards list, click here.

We can help you receive all the available energy tax credits for your project.

Whether you believe in global warming or not, the green remodeling methods we employ make sense for many good reasons.

Energy Efficiency

By using Energy-Star rated appliances, highly efficient heating and air conditioning systems, direct vent and tankless water heaters, your utility bills are reduced. We use low E Energy-Star doors and windows with insulation that exceeds building code requirements. This increases your comfort and reduces your need for heating and air conditioning.

By increasing your home’s efficiency when we design and build your project, we can usually lower your utility bills while adding more space to your home for an overall sustainable home design.

Although high efficiency appliances and materials can initially be more expensive, they can lower your energy consumption by 30-50 percent, resulting in long-term savings for your family.  The extra expense can be easily recouped when you sell your house.

Water Conservation

Low-flow faucets and shower heads help to decrease your water usage dramatically. Dual-flush toilets eliminate wasted water, and the latest tankless water heaters heat only what is needed, reducing your water heating bills.

Indoor Air Quality

Sustainable home design involves a clean atmosphere. To preserve your indoor air quality, Tabor Design Build uses low to no-VOC paints, sealants and wood products on all projects. During construction, we reduce dust with plastic dust curtains and frequent cleaning. We even launder the canvas drop cloths we cover your floor with.  Before construction, we inspect for lead, asbestos, mold and other dangerous substances. If we find any of these materials, we hire specialists to correctly remove them from your home. An ecological home is a happy home.

Forest Preservation

More lumber, flooring and cabinet makers are using wood that is harvested under the guidelines of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This program certifies that the wood is harvested responsibly and that new trees are planted to replace those cut down.  We use FSC-certified wood whenever possible. Today more building materials are made from recycled concrete, glass and reclaimed wood.

Recycle Materials

Whenever feasible we donate existing cabinets, fixtures and appliances to organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Community Forklift, where they are resold with proceeds going to charity. This way, fewer materials go to landfills, and more funding is available to build homes for those in need.

We’re Your Guinea Pigs

How do you know the products and practices you use really work for your clients in providing a sustainable green home? You become the client.  Our mission at Tabor Design Build is to transform our client’s home with a stress-free remodeling experience that is environmentally friendly. Every so often, John and his family become Tabor guinea pigs.

New and improved green building products are always coming out. Many of them boast fantastic performance claims by the manufacturers. To read some of the advertising copy, you might think these projects assemble and install themselves and then cut your utility bills in half. To find out how difficult and expensive these products are to build with and how well they perform, John uses his home as the guinea pig. That way if something goes wrong and the product doesn’t work as advertised, the worst thing that will happen is we will have to do something over again.  Since we have already thoroughly tested the products, you can rest assured that they will work. Check out our variety of design build services, including many remodeling and green building projects in Washington D.C and surrounding areas today.