Advisory Services
Great products are only part of what makes a great green project. Knowledge and smart process are also key to getting a smooth project that meets all of your goals.
Small Project Residential Design
Have a kitchen or bath needing a rehab? Renewing a room? Or looking to make better use of your space? We can help you design a great space that's healthy; saves energy, water, and money; and is environmentally sustainable.
When we’re done, you will have a concise, clear package of all major elements for your project. You'll be able to use this plan to have contractors bid and work from. The advantages of our approach include:
- Clarity
- An integrated plan nicely mixing style and building science
- Less opportunity for confusion, extra costs, delays, or headaches
- A smoother project
- Save money—plus energy and carbon
- Confidence: no greenwashing or second guessing
We can also provide project guidiance and verification: guiding you throughout the construction process and inspecting for potential problems when they can still be fixed.
To discuss your project and how we may be able to help, please email with a basic description of your existing space (size, location, age, etc), requirements and "wish list", anticipated total budget and other thoughts or questions you have about the project.
Large Project Residential Design & Support
For major remodeling, additions, and new construction, we can provide:
- Design: light architectural rendering, CAD, and planning your finish materials (cabinets, counters, floor/carpet, lighting, tile, wall colors, and other details)
- Building science: wall and roof systems, insulation, mechanical/comfort systems, plumbing, and other major elements to ensure maximum energy efficiency, health, comfort, and durability
- Landscape design: integrating outside elements to beautify the yard and garden; save water; foster wildlife; protect groundwater, soils, and anchor trees; safely manage pests; and avoid invasive species
- An integrated combination of design and science for the greatest results
- Construction guidance: we can guide you through the construction process--answering questions that may come up at any time
- Inspection: looking for potential problems during the construction process when they can still be fixed
- Verification: audit the end-project to verify it is tight, efficient, and delivers what was expected.
With our integrated design services, when we're done you will have a concise, clear package of all major elements for your project--from caulks to cabinets--reflecting the best choices for health; saving energy, water, and money; and the most environmental sustainability. You'll be able to use this plan to have contractors bid and work from. The advantages of our approach include:
- Clarity
- An integrated plan nicely mixing style and building science
- Less opportunity for confusion, extra costs, delays, or headaches
- A smoother project
- Save money—plus energy and carbon
- Confidence: no greenwashing or second guessing
Forensics
Our forensics service helps builders find and fix problems relating to mechanical systems, envelope, and other building systems that are leading to energy weaknesses, discomfort, excessive bills, and other occupant concerns.
For more information or to discuss a project need, please email with a basic description of the project, questions, problems and other details that you may have.
Energy Audits & Performance Reviews
Our advanced energy audits help us identify the most cost-effective choices for reducing your energy demand, including insulation, heating, ventilation, cooling, and appliances. We are also able to estimate the cost-effectiveness and financial return for each option and suites of options. Also critical, we are able to evaluate new energy technologies, including solar hot water and photovoltaic (PV) systems, in order to identify a set of solutions suited to your project.
For more details and to schedule an audit, please please email us.
Developer Assistance
Sustainable (“green”) building is driven by diverse motives from diverse stakeholders: short-term and long-term; strategic and tactical; logistical; political and ethical. But the financial and fiduciary goals and responsibilities of owners, lenders, tenants, insurers and rating agencies are at the forefront of the green building movement. As green building matures and mainstreams, more expectations will be borne of the building industry. Green building presents sweeping opportunities for the building industry and those that fund it.
We take a comprehensive approach that incorporates "green" concerns—including building performance, energy use, indoor air quality, occupant health and performance, waste, and emissions—and review them against the central issues faced by industry professionals—risk management, market trends, budget and time constraints, carrying costs, labor management, marketability and return-on-investment. Reflecting the benefits of strategic integration, implementation, and teamwork, we aim to support all project members, not to replace or sidestep them. Typical deliverables and services that we provide include:
- Cost-benefit, return-on-investment, risk and opportunity analyses
- Market development assistance
- Materials recommendations and sourcing
- Specifications guidance
- Training support
- Energy modeling
- Research reports on specific areas of interest
To discuss a project, please email with a basic description of the project, your role, project timeline, requirements and goals, sustainability interests, market audience, other details that may be available, and a good time to discuss in more detail.
Coaching, Training, and Engagement
We can train your staff, subs, and other team members to help practitioners implement sustainable and high performance practices and systems, and to minimize any “learning curve”, delays and inefficiencies.
Landscape Audits
A Landscape Audit is a site assessment that includes a detailed inventory and analysis of the landscape surrounding a structure, providing guidance on the sustainability of a site. A landscape audit will be useful to you if you are:
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Planning construction
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Planning landscape renovations
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Considering applying for Arlington Green Home Choice, Rainscapes Rewards, or River Smart Homes grants
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Converting your landscape to sustainability
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Practicing integrated design
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An architect or landscape designer working clients who are interested in sustainability
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Ready to go green inside or out
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Soils Audit: Analyzes the chemical and structural makeup of your soils, with the help of soil tests, highlighting any problem areas and guiding planting decisions.
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Vegetation Audit: Inventories the vegetation on your site, noting any native plant communities, critical root zones of significant trees, biomass density indexing, tree canopy and tree benefits. Also identifies invasive plants and provides guidance on removal.
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Hydrology Audit: Pinpoints the watershed address of your property, notes drainage patterns as well as any drainage issues, analyzes pervious and impervious surfaces with runoff calculations in gallons, suggests stormwater management strategies.
Comprehensive Audit: Combines all of the Targeted Audits for a comprehensive analysis.
To discuss your landscaping project, please email with any project information (location, size, existing conditions, project goals and "wish list", and other information you may have).
Any other questions, projects, or ideas we missed? Please email us at acs@amicusgreen.com or call on 301-571-8590.