In 2002, SouthFace launched the EarthCraft House Renovation program to address the needs of existing homes and expansions. Adapting EarthCraft specifications adds challenge to the renovation, but the rewards are many. For example, substantial square footage can be added to a home while reducing energy bills and improving indoor air quality. Smaller changes, such as improving the level of insulation and air tightness in a home, allows the homeowner to downsize air conditioning capacity which can reduce costs.

Before any work starts, an EarthCraft house inspector works with Oneida Builders to assess the home and write a report recommending features to include in the project. These recommendations include energy efficiency, indoor air quality, durability, water conservation and waste reduction. From that report, the homeowner and Oneida Builders decide which recommendations to implement. Test are taken prior to and after the renovation to determine if the work meets EarthCraft certification.

“...A decade ago most people associated environmentally-sound home building with unsightly solar panels and bad water pressure. That’s no longer a worry. Today, the majority of houses that meet the U.S. Green Building Council definition of a “green home – one that uses less energy, less natural resources and fewer toxic chemicals – are indistinguishable from their traditionally constructed neighbors...”