Sara Gutterman
- Founder and CEO, Green Builder Magazine
- Host, The Valuation Metric Podcast, The Green Builder Media Network
Colorado
Cofounder & CEO of #GreenBuilderMedia , Sara is a visionary thought leader & passionate advocate for #sustainability |🏡Read Latest Green Builder Article👇
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Articles by Sara Gutterman
Home Improvement Spending Increases
Oct 15, 2026, 3:24:55 PM Impact SeriesCOGNITIONUpcoming Webinars Sara Gutterman 3 min read Affordability pressure is inducing consumers to invest in their current homes, primarily to increase affordability, efficiency, health, and resiliency. With mortgage rates above 7% and existing-home sales near a 30-year low, the house most people own today is the one they will likely be living in for the foreseeable future.
Lived Experience Is Turning Resiliency into a Core Housing Demand
Oct 1, 2026, 4:40:03 PM Resilient HousingCOGNITION Sara Gutterman 7 min read COGNITION Smart Data shows that homeowners who have lived through climate events are rewriting their priorities, and they are willing to invest to protect their homes. For most of the last two decades, resiliency was treated as a regional specialty: hurricane straps in Florida, defensible space in California, a sump pump in the basement for the unlucky.
New Math For Housing Affordability
Sep 24, 2026, 12:22:07 PM Today's HomeownerValue per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 6 min read New COGNITION Smart Data offers proof that the race to the bottom in the housing market isn’t working, and that full cost changes everything. I’ve been thinking about affordability for a long time, and increasingly I’ve come to believe that we’ve been trying to solve the right problem with the wrong equation. For decades, housing has been organized around first cost. What does the land cost?
COGNITION: Smarter than Ever
Sep 17, 2026, 12:52:34 PM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 4 min read Two decades of housing expertise. Ten years of proprietary data. One redesigned intelligence platform that delivers insights to inspire better decision making. I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the newly revamped COGNITION Smart Data™ subscriber portal. I can honestly say this is one of the most exciting things we’ve developed at Green Builder® Media in a long time, perhaps ever.
Grace
Sep 10, 2026, 10:39:25 AM Value per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 5 min read As the saying goes, if you can’t see the light, be the light. Years ago, I had the good fortune of attending an Italian wedding in Tuscany. It was the stuff movies are made of: a magnificent private estate surrounded by rolling vineyards and stately cypress trees, tables overflowing with food, music, laughter, and a kind of joyful chaos that seemed to pull everyone in. What struck me most wasn’t the setting.
Solar Crosses the Rubicon
Sep 3, 2026, 2:27:43 PM COGNITIONToday's HomeownerValue per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 6 min read Now cheaper than fossil fuels on a global scale, the economics of solar is propelling clean energy in a way that politics or climate claims never could. For decades, the solar sector has been fighting the same valuation battle that is plaguing the housing sector: first cost was regularly considered over full cost.
The Upgrade That Saves Billions of Dollars
Aug 27, 2026, 2:41:25 PM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 5 min read COGNITION Smart Data and a new analysis from RMI reveal a huge affordability opportunity. Everyone knows that affordability is the defining challenge of this housing market. I talk about it constantly with my builder colleagues in the context of land, labor, materials, interest rates, insurance, and permitting timelines. All of those things matter.
Resilience Tops the List
Aug 21, 2026, 8:57:41 AM Resilient Housing Sara Gutterman 4 min read A recent COGNITION survey indicated that resilience is now one of the primary lenses through which people evaluate a home. For decades, product selections for homes have been largely determined by builder choices, homebuyer preferences, and codes. Now, there is a new, powerful stakeholder at the table determining product specifications: insurance companies.
Where the Smart Money is Going
Aug 20, 2026, 11:01:52 AM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 4 min read Venture capital just delivered its clearest verdict yet on where housing value is headed. According to PitchBook's newly released Q2 2026 Climate Tech Report, investors poured $14.9 billion into Climate Tech companies last quarter across 479 deals, the largest single quarter since Q3 2023.
Consumers Stopped Buying Square Footage
Aug 13, 2026, 12:13:42 PM COGNITIONValue per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 5 min read Buyers are shopping for what a home does, not how big it is. Homebuyers aren't buying square footage anymore. They're looking for homes that work for them, homes that cost less to run, keep their families safe when the storm rolls in, generate their own power when the grid goes down, protect their physical and mental health, and deliver a better lived experience day after day.
The Age of Fire, Revisited
Aug 6, 2026, 8:31:21 AM Sara Gutterman 8 min read Six years ago, I wrote that we had ten years to change course before the Pyrocene era, the Age of Fire, arrived. Here is what has gone wrong, and what, remarkably, is going right. In 2015, Arizona State University professor Stephen Pyne coined the term, Pyrocene, describing a new Fire Age, the opposite of an Ice Age, resulting from our fossil-fuel based combustion economy.
Scarcity and Slack
Jul 23, 2026 4:39:55 PM Sara Gutterman 7 min read The housing crisis is a mismatch of price, product, and place—and consumers already know it. For a decade, the American housing debate has run on a single word: more. Build more, and prices fall. Build more, and the crisis eases. It is a satisfying story, because it names a shortage, and shortages have obvious remedies.
The New Energy Equation
Jul 2, 2026 4:39:42 PM solaralternative energy Sara Gutterman 4 min read Why solar + storage demand is accelerating even without individual federal incentives. For years, critics of solar energy made the same argument: renewable energy adoption only works if the government subsidizes it. That narrative is quickly unraveling. Even as some federal solar incentives and rebates sunset, demand for solar + storage continues to accelerate across the United States.
Housing for a World that Demands More
Jun 25, 2026 10:41:38 AM VISION House Asheville Sara Gutterman 4 min read In an era defined by economic uncertainty and climate volatility, the most affordable home isn’t always the one with the lowest price tag—it’s usually the one that costs the least to own.
From Optics to Outcomes
Jun 18, 2026 11:54:46 AM Sara Gutterman 8 min read Sustainability is evolving from a corporate aspiration into a market imperative, reshaping how risk is priced, capital is allocated, and homes are valued. For the better part of two decades, sustainability ran on goodwill. Companies volunteered to decarbonize, pledged to disclose, and aligned themselves, at least rhetorically, with a 1.5°C future. ESG funds multiplied, net-zero coalitions formed, and glossy commitments proliferated.
The Bill Is Here. So Is the Blueprint.
Jun 11, 2026 5:34:12 PM 2026 Sustainability Symposium Sara Gutterman 7 min read What two days at the Sustainability Symposium 2026 taught us about honest accounting, and the people already building what comes next. For ten years, Green Builder Media’s annual Sustainability Symposium has explored the frontiers of economic, technological, housing and climate innovation. This year, for our tenth anniversary, we did something a little more uncomfortable.
The Affordability Trap
Jun 4, 2026 8:56:23 AM Value per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 4 min read Why America can’t build its way out of the crisis with cheaper homes. For years, the housing industry has been chasing the same elusive goal: affordability. Build faster. Build smaller. Cut costs. Streamline approvals. Reduce regulations. Increase supply. Lower prices. Yet despite decades of effort, affordability continues to move further out of reach for millions of Americans.
Solutions for When the Old Math Breaks
May 28, 2026 12:55:08 PM 2026 Sustainability Symposium Sara Gutterman 3 min read Day 2 of the Sustainability Symposium 2026 will tackle reimagining risk, resilience, and capital allocation. We are entering a period where the old math no longer works. The assumptions that once underpinned housing, insurance, finance, and development were built for a world with stable climate patterns, predictable energy costs, abundant resources, and relatively linear economic risk. That world no longer exists.
Reimagining Systems for Tomorrow
May 21, 2026 1:10:42 PM 2026 Sustainability Symposium Sara Gutterman 4 min read Day 1 of the Sustainability Symposium 2026 will focus on the recalibration of housing, energy, and financial frameworks. The systems that once defined how we build wealth, deliver energy, manage risk, and create stability are no longer aligned with how people actually live.
Reclaiming Affordability Road Show
Apr 30, 2026 9:36:12 AM Value per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 3 min read The concept of Value Per Square Foot is gaining traction so quickly that we’re taking it on the road. Last year, Green Builder Media introduced the concept of Value Per Square Foot as a new housing valuation metric. The premise is simple: Price Per Square Foot is no longer enough.
Sustainability Symposium 2026: Systems Reckoning
Apr 23, 2026 10:26:30 AM 2026 Sustainability Symposium Sara Gutterman 2 min read Sustainability Symposium 2026: Systems Reckoning 4:16 Green Builder Media is proud to announce our 10th annual Sustainability Symposium: Systems Reckoning, a free, virtual event scheduled for June 3–4, from 12:00pm–3:00pm ET each day.
A New VISION with VALUE
Apr 13, 2026 2:17:39 PM VISION HouseValue per Square FootVISION House Shawood Sara Gutterman 3 min read A New VISION with VALUE 7:41 A new standard is rising in Southern California: precision-crafted, climate-resilient homes that fuse Japanese design ethos with advanced performance and honor the life lived within them. I’m excited to announce the VISION House SHAWOOD, a multi-faceted demonstration project that changes the conversation for both homebuilders and buyers.
Eco Leaders 2026: From First Cost to Full Value
Apr 9, 2026 11:17:29 AM Value per Square Foot2026 Eco-Leaders Sara Gutterman 2 min read Eco Leaders 2026: From First Cost to Full Value 3:19 The reckoning is here. Are you leading the transformation? Submissions are now open for Green Builder Media’s 2026 Eco Leaders program, and this year, we’re raising the bar. We’re inviting builders, developers, manufacturers, and industry partners to step forward and demonstrate how they are delivering real, measurable value beyond first cost.
The Origin Story Behind One of Housing’s Most Influential Programs
Apr 7, 2026 12:50:50 PM Impact Seriesenergy efficiencyUpcoming Webinars Sara Gutterman 2 min read The Origin Story Behind One of Housing’s Most Influential Programs 3:59 A look back at ENERGY STAR for Homes and why its origin story matters more than ever today. There are very few programs in the history of the building industry that have fundamentally reshaped the way we think about performance, efficiency, and value. ENERGY STAR is one of them.
A Crisis of Conscience
Mar 26, 2026 12:40:19 PM Today's HomeownerValue per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 8 min read A Crisis of Conscience 12:54 What if the affordability crisis is not just a market failure, but a reflection of deeper internal and cultural misalignment? Across our economy, our culture, and our housing market, we are measuring the wrong things. We are rewarding extraction over regeneration, accumulation over stewardship, and discord over peace.
Why Hasn’t Offsite Construction Fixed Housing Affordability?
Mar 18, 2026 9:55:53 AM Impact SeriesBuilding ScienceHousing 2.0Upcoming Webinars Sara Gutterman 1 min read Why Hasn’t Offsite Construction Fixed Housing Affordability? 2:10 For decades, offsite construction has been one of the housing industry’s most persistent promises. Factory-built homes were expected to reduce labor needs, improve quality control, shorten construction timelines, and lower costs.
The Importance of Value in a Flat Market
Mar 17, 2026 11:59:09 AM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 6 min read The Importance of Value in a Flat Market 7:37 In times like this, the market shows that it’s more important to add value than cut costs. For years, sustainability in housing lived in a strange limbo: widely discussed, selectively adopted, and too often framed as a nice-to-have rather than a business essential. That era is over. Today, sustainability is no longer about virtue signaling or chasing the latest certification.
Mission Possible
Mar 2, 2026 2:02:45 PM Sustainability Awards Sara Gutterman 6 min read Mission Possible 6:28 Beazer CEO Allan Merrill demonstrates why high-performance homes and high-performance businesses have the same mandate. In an industry often defined by inertia, quarterly pressures, and an unforgiving race to the bottom, Allan Merrill stands out for running toward something different entirely: a future where performance, resilience, and responsibility are not marketing messages, but operating principles.
Reclaiming Affordability
Feb 26, 2026 2:53:27 PM Value per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 4 min read Reclaiming Affordability 7:50 Housing affordability is broken, and the old model of “cheap upfront, expensive forever” is the reason why. Here’s how to solve the quandary. Housing affordability didn’t break overnight. It eroded quietly under the weight of a metric that was never designed to measure what modern homes actually do.
Distributed Power: The New Baseline for Housing
Feb 26, 2026 12:20:53 PM VISION Housesolaralternative energyVISION House Shawood Sara Gutterman 3 min read Distributed Power: The New Baseline for Housing 5:03 The grid’s breaking point is here. So is the opportunity. A new national survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners conducted by solar company Sunrun found that: 80% worry that AI data centers will drive up their electricity costs. 68% doubt utilities can keep up with rising demand. 81% experienced at least one power outage in the past year.
Achieving Affordability Through Sustainability
Feb 25, 2026 10:30:06 AM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 4 min read Achieving Affordability Through Sustainability 7:37 Why builders can’t afford to sit this one out. For years, sustainability in housing lived in a strange limbo: widely discussed, selectively adopted, and too often framed as a nice-to-have rather than a business essential. That era is over. Today, sustainability is no longer about virtue signaling or chasing the latest certification. It’s about margins. It’s about risk.
Something New Is Here!
Feb 12, 2026 2:50:46 PM Sara Gutterman 2 min read Something New Is Here! 3:19 We promised a fresh conversation—one that pushes the boundaries of how homes are built, how they perform, and how they are valued. It’s time for the reveal. At Green Builder Media, we are relentless in our pursuit of thought-provoking, leading-edge content that drives continuous improvement and market transformation.
Mortgage Rates Dip Below 6 Percent
Jan 29, 2026 11:03:49 AM Housing 2.0Value per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 5 min read Mortgage Rates Dip Below 6 Percent 8:27 How builders can turn a short-term signal into long-term value creation. For the first time in years, mortgage rates briefly dipped below 6%. Following a directive to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities, the average 30-year fixed rate fell to 5.99%—a small numerical move with outsized psychological impact in a market that has been frozen by payment shock.
The Problem With Appraisals
Jan 22, 2026 9:50:16 AM Today's HomeownerValue per Square Foot Sara Gutterman 6 min read The Problem With Appraisals 9:37 There is a mismatch between the current appraisal system and assessing the true value of high-performance, resilient, healthy, sustainable homes. But change is afoot. Appraisals were never meant to be inspirational.
2026 Generational Marketing
Jan 8, 2026 12:08:21 PM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 2 min read 2026 Generational Marketing 3:26 Future-leaning, myth-busting, revenue-boosting insights for a housing market in flux. What happens when five generations collide in a housing market transformed by climate anxiety, AI-powered everything, affordability gridlock, and a cultural shift toward meaning over materialism? You get a landscape where yesterday’s assumptions don’t just fail—they actively mislead you.
Virtual Power Plants: The Future of Community-Powered Energy
Jan 7, 2026 9:11:36 AM Impact Seriesenergy solutionsUpcoming Webinars Sara Gutterman 2 min read Virtual Power Plants: The Future of Community-Powered Energy 3:15 Join us for this free webinar on January 14, 2026 to learn about the exploding world of Distributed Energy Resources and Shared Power Solutions.
New Energy Architecture: Security, Independence, and Trust
Dec 30, 2025 2:01:20 PM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 4 min read New Energy Architecture: Security, Independence, and Trust 7:01 Consumers are rewriting demand. Builders are rethinking value. And the energy transition has quietly become a market correction. 2025 marked a turning point—subtle at first, then impossible to ignore. Energy didn’t simply “advance.” It transformed. Mutated. Electrification matured from a climate talking point into a core expectation.
Smarter Water Systems with Advanced Pumps
Dec 29, 2025 10:03:18 AM VISION House Transcend Sara Gutterman 1 min read Advanced plumbing solutions are a resilient home necessity. Behind the walls of the VISION House Transcend, Grundfos pumps keep water moving efficiently and reliably. Known for their advanced pumping solutions, Grundfos products reduce energy use while delivering consistent water pressure. In remote, high-altitude homes like this one, dependable water systems are essential—not just for comfort, but also for resilience.
State of the Industry 2026: Point of Convergence
Dec 18, 2025 3:17:19 PM COGNITION Sara Gutterman 13 min read State of the Industry 2026: Point of Convergence 24:25 Federal rollbacks are threatening decades of progress with housing affordability, sustainability and climate resilience, but the demand for high-performance, healthy, net zero-ready homes is accelerating. The year 2025 has been tough for the housing sector.
Healthy and Sustainable Drywall
Dec 16, 2025 3:06:48 PM VISION House Transcend Sara Gutterman 1 min read Healthy and Sustainable Drywall 1:09 Does high-quality drywall contribute to durability, comfort, and performance? The VISION House Transcend boasts USG Corporation’s Sheetrock Brand® EcoSmart Gypsum Panels for the walls and ceilings.
Affordable Green Duplexes Help Solve Housing Crisis
Dec 12, 2025 12:15:21 PM VISION HouseVISION House Hickory Grove Sara Gutterman 3 min read Affordable Green Duplexes Help Solve Housing Crisis 5:37 Our newest VISION House project showcases affordable, comfortable duplex living in North Carolina. In today’s housing market, buzzwords like net zero, prefab, workforce housing, multifamily, and build-to-rent dominate the conversation—and for good reason.
Sustainable Comfort with Stunning Furniture
Dec 12, 2025 11:11:55 AM VISION House Transcend Sara Gutterman Sustainable Comfort with Stunning Furniture 0:53 Beauty meets responsibility at VISION House Transcend, where Lee Industries furniture brings style, durability, and sustainability. Living sustainably doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or aesthetics—and Lee Industries proves it.
2025 in Review
Dec 11, 2025 10:28:48 AM 20th Anniversary Sara Gutterman 9 min read How affordability challenges, climate stress, AI demand, and changing consumer priorities impacted the housing sector in 2025, forcing a new definition of value in 2026. 2025 will go down, at least in my mind, as the year the cracks in our housing system stopped being theoretical. They showed up in blown transformers and rolling outages. In flooded neighborhoods and redlined insurance maps.
Efficient Hot Water with Heat Pump Technology
Dec 10, 2025 7:42:41 AM VISION House Transcend Sara Gutterman Efficient Hot Water with Heat Pump Technology 0:50 Rheem’s ProTerra heat pump water heater delivers performance and efficiency for all-electric living. At VISION House Transcend, every system is designed for peak performance, and hot water is no exception. Rheem’s ProTerra heat pump water heater offers exceptional efficiency, lowering energy use while meeting the home’s hot water demands with ease.
Matt Risinger On The Next Wave of HVAC Innovation
Dec 9, 2025 1:49:45 PM HVAC20th Anniversary Sara Gutterman 4 min read Matt Risinger On The Next Wave of HVAC Innovation 5:35 Want to know where high-performance housing is headed? Follow the HVAC nerds. I recently sat down with builder, educator, and Build Show Network host Matt Risinger to talk about one of the fastest-evolving areas in residential construction—advanced HVAC systems—and what they mean for comfort, health, and total cost of ownership.
High-Performance Air and Water Barrier for Extreme Climates
At VISION House Transcend, a special air and water barrier system protects the home from the elements while boosting efficiency and durability. A resilient, high-performance home starts with its envelope. Prosoco’s advanced air and water barrier system ensures that the VISION House Transcend is tightly sealed against moisture intrusion and uncontrolled airflow. This enhances durability while dramatically improving energy efficiency.
Beautiful Slip Resistant and Anti-Microbial Tile
Surfaces at VISION House Transcend deliver elegance, durability, and advanced performance that protect occupants and the environment. From bathrooms to kitchens, DalTile products provide not just style but also advanced functionality. Microban technology built into the tile inhibits mold and bacteria growth, while StepWise technology adds slip resistance—making floors safer, healthier, and easier to maintain.
Water Efficiency: One of the Fastest-Rising Features in Real Estate Listings
If you want a glimpse into where the housing market is headed, watch the water. According to Realtor.com’s new Hottest Home Trends 2025 report, real estate listings mentioning WaterSense® fixtures skyrocketed by 289.6% year-over-year—by far the fastest-growing home feature cited by sellers and agents.
Elegant, Scratch Resistant, Antimicrobial Countertops
Countertops can provide antimicrobial durability and timeless design. Caesarstone surfaces in Transcend serve as both functional workspaces and elegant design elements. Scratch- and stain-resistant, non-porous, and antimicrobial, these countertops are built to last—reducing maintenance needs and extending product life. But Caesarstone also tells a sustainability story.
Housing at a Crossroads: Market Forces Transforming 2026
This year’s 2025 State of the Industry report spotlights foundations, fault lines, and the future of housing. 2025 has delivered a rare convergence of pressures—economic uncertainty, climate volatility, escalating insurance risk, grid instability, and shifting consumer expectations—while at the same time revealing remarkable momentum in the areas that matter most: efficiency, resilience, healthy homes, and innovations that reduce the total cost of ownership.
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