When it comes to environmentally friendly commercial buildings, St. Louis is one of the 10 greenest in the country. This demand for "green" has certainly caused residential housing developers to tap into the potential eco-friendly realm. Sure, a handful of "green" houses have been built in the suburbs, but one builder, in St. Louis, is putting the finishing touches on the first certified "green" house in the city. The $420,000 home, in Dogtown, is up for sale by Creve Coeur-based Sage Homebuilders LLC.

The mayor of St. Louis, Francis Slay, notes that he wants the city of St. Louis to "stand as an excellent example of such efficiency and sustainable practices."  This goal is catching on nationwide and has been big in commercial construction. Now the trend is to move toward "greener" homes to reduce energy, save water, and reuse materials.

Sage Homebuilders notes that their goal to minimize waste for the home in Dogtown was the use of materials from the house that formerly occupied the property. They used those materials for walls, roof shingles, and support beams for the new house. The house is 2,400 square feet, with 4 bedrooms and and three baths. They used insulated windows, an energy-efficient furnace, a tankless water heater, low-flow shower heads, dual-flush toilets, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. The whole house has an air filter system for healthier living.

Do you think it will be hard to find a buyer for this place? Maybe. But the market is certainly going in that direction and if Sage is a bit ahead of the game, but that also gives them an edge toward this new trend. Proponents say "green" houses cost a bit more than a usual house, about 3-5 percent more, the savings (usually 35-60 percent) in energy use offsets the cost.

The Home Builders Association considers several factors when determining whether or not a house is certified "green".  Lot preparation, design and development, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and maintenance are all taken into consideration. The home in Dogtown received the "silver" level of certification for "green" building.

"The local "green" house efforts could be the start of a "paradigm shift". A recent report by McGraw-Hill Construction predicts that this year will be the "tipping point" for green residential construction. Could "green" building be to this decade what the Internet was to the last? Food for thought.