Built to a Higher Standard
High-Performance Green Homes in St Louis
High-performance, or green home building, is so much more than sustainable materials and environmentally-friendly practices. The same materials and practices that make a home eco-friendly also make it more comfortable, healthier to live in, more energy-efficient, and more durable.
Since 2004, Hibbs Luxury Homes has built every home to meet or exceed the Hibbs Healthy Homes Standard, rooted in the building processes, practices, and materials of high-performance building. Every home we build is above code and exceeds the highest standards of craftsmanship, performance, and comfort.
Find our why our commitment to better build homes has made us one of the most recognized green builders in the region.
Quieter + Comfortable Living
Durable + Low Maintenance
ENERGY + WATER EFFICIENT
Explore Our "Good Bones" Approach to Home Building
Every home we build is as unique as the family who builds it. One thing that remains the same is the comfort, efficiency, and durability built into the bones of our home.
Explore the components and practices that make up our Hibbs Homes Standard for building high-performance custom homes. Click on each circle to learn more.
Advanced Framing: Raised Heel Trusses
The location where your roof meets the wall assembly has an extra lift, or heel, that allows us to add insulation. In conventionally built homes, this location is not insulated and can allow a lot of air to pass through.
Advanced Framing: California Corners
This framing technique, also called an open-stud corner, creates a cavity at the corner of the exterior wall plates. That open cavity is filled with insulation to prevent thermal bridging, better insulating your home.
Advanced Framing: 2x6 Studs
A 2x6 framed wall is considerably stronger than a conventionally framed 2x4 wall, and is ideal for ceilings that are 9' and above. A 2x6 framed home allows for more insulation coverage, betters sound proofing, and increases the weather resistance of your home.
Advanced Framing: Engineered Flooring System
Known as an "i-joist," an engineered floor joist system is used for longer floor spans and is a stronger than conventional floor joists. The use of i-joist beams provides more strength, allows for larger open floor space, and is more cost effective than traditional floor joist systems. Using engineered floor joists gives you more flexibility in your home's footprint without squeaks.
Advanced Framing: Thorough Caulk & Seal
Using a combination of no-VOC adhesives, foam, and blown-in fiberglass insulation, the exterior of your home is tightly sealed to prevent air, microorganisms, and other elements from entering your home.
Advanced Framing: Recessed Headers
Allows for insulation and air sealing above exterior windows and doors, giving you a more tightly sealed and energy efficient home.
Advanced Framing: Spray Foam at Plate Connections
The connections that hold the wall assembly together can be a source of air and energy exchange - allowing in pests, allergens, and more. By adding spray foam at these locations, your home is more energy-efficient and has healthier indoor air quality.
Premium Insulation: Grade 1 Insulation Install
When your insulation is installed, the work of the insulation is independently inspected and rated for quality and technique. Grade 1 is the best installation score and every home we build is categorized as Grade 1.
Premium Insulation: Above Code Insulation
The insulation used in your home's attic exceeds municipal and International Energy Conservation Code requirements to keep your home well insulated and prevent issues such as ice dams.
Energy Efficiency: Low-E Windows and Doors
The use of energy-efficient windows and doors throughout your home is essential to keeping your home cooler in the summer by stopping radiant heat and keeping the warmed air inside during the winter. It also prevents UV rays from fading furniture and finishes inside your home.
Energy Efficiency: Water Efficient Plumbing
Contrary to popular belief, low flow doesn't mean low water pressure. Our team works with you to select fixtures that reduce water waste without impacting your comfort.
Energy Efficiency: High-Efficiency HVAC
A properly sized and zoned heating and cooling unit makes your home more comfortable while conserving energy. By distributing heated and cooled air throughout your home - and being able to customize temperature in certain rooms - your home is optimized for room to room and floor to floor comfort. You system also lasts longer, reducing repair and maintenance costs.
Energy Efficiency: Power Vent Water Heater
Whether it is a tankless or EnergySTAR rated water heater, we help you assess your hot water needs so you can select the appropriate type, size, and installation for your home.
Energy Efficiency: Sealed Ducts
Sealing the connections between runs of duct work prevents air from escaping as it moves to different floors and rooms. This conserves energy and makes your home more comfortable.
Energy-Efficiency: EV Charging
Your home's garage is supplied with the power and capabilities for charging options for your electric vehicle.
Energy Efficiency: Smart Home Technology
In addition to programmable thermostats, your home is designed for integrated smart lighting options, zoned/multi-source audio, fire and water protections, security, and TV/phone/data access.
Healthier Living: Passive Radon Mitigation System
Radon mitigation systems are installed in all of our homes to vent this naturally occurring gas and prevent it from impacting the indoor air quality inside your home.
Healthy Living: PestShield Tubing
How We Built Different
Built to Meet or Exceed
Since earning certification for one of the region's first gold-level, green verified homes, Hibbs Homes has built hundreds of high-performing homes throughout greater St Louis and St Charles counties.
We continue to partner with educational programs, lawmakers, and building organizations to advance green building standards and improve the landscape for builders and homeowners alike.
We have built homes that meet or exceed the following certifications:
ENERGY STAR
LEED Residential
National Green Building Standard
EPA WaterSense
EPA Indoor airPLUS
DOE Zero Net Energy Ready
St Louis' Award-Winning High-Performance Builder
3x Missouri's Best Energy Efficient Home Builder
BUILD Magazine
2x Most Advanced Home of the Year
St Louis Home Builders Association
First Gold-Level Green Verified Home
St Louis Home Builders Association
Independent Verification
Every Hibbs Home is Rated & Verified
Hibbs Luxury Homes is a designated RESNET builder in St Louis, MO. Every home we. build is independently inspected, tested, and rated for energy efficiency and quality of construction materials and methods. You receive third-party proof of your home's energy performance at closing.
FEATURED GREEN HOME PROJECT: ACTIVE HOUSE USA
In 2012, Hibbs Luxury Homes partnered with the Active House Alliance, an international high performance building organization, to build the first Active House in North America.
Active House USA was built in the heart of Webster Groves, MO and serves as a prototype for the Active House building standard. The home met or exceeded a number of rigorous building certifications, including: The National Green Building Standard, Energy STAR, EPA Indoor airPLUS, and the Building America Builder's Challenge.
FEATURED PROJECT: PROUD GREEN HOME ST LOUIS
With a job relocation on the horizon and one of their children prone to severe allergy and asthma complications, the Keuntz family's move to St Louis prompted them to explore green home building.
The Keuntzes chose Hibbs Homes to build them a home with cleaner indoor air quality. Partnering with ProudGreenHome.com, we were able to provide educational opportunities for the industry future home builders to advance high-performance home building strategies in the region. This showcase home exceed a number of green building standards, including DOE Zero Net Ready.
Frequently Asked Questions About High-Performance or Green Home Building
What is a high-performance home?
Once known as a green home, a high-performance custom home is designed and constructed to provide energy efficiency, comfort, indoor air quality, durability, and long-term performance than a conventionally built new home.
Hibbs Luxury Homes is one of the only St Louis home builders that incorporates high-performance materials and construction practices into every home we build. Our homes are built using high-performance techniques such as:
- 2x6 Exterior Walls for more insulation depth
- California Corners to allow for insulation where the wall assemblies meet
- Raised Heel Trusses to allow insulation where the roof and wall assemblies meet
- Sustainable Construction Practices which improve durability and keep materials out of land fills
These homes are designed to perform above minimum building-code standards and provide measurable benefits to the homeowners who live in them.
How is a Hibbs Luxury Home different than a conventionally built home?
A Hibbs Luxury Home is designed and constructed to perform above minimum building code requirements. We use high-performance materials, building science principles, quality control practices, and independent performance testing to create a home that is more energy-efficient, comfortable, healthy, quiet, and durable than conventional residential construction.
The difference begins with the building envelope - the walls, roof, windows, insulation, air sealing, and moisture control systems that protect the conditioned interior of the home. These components are carefully designed to work together, helping reduce air leakage, drafts, temperature fluctuations, humidity, and outdoor pollutants.
In a Hibbs Luxury Home, high performance is not an upgrade or an optional package. It is part of how ever home is built.
Are Hibbs Luxury Homes more energy-efficient than other homes?
The average new home built by Hibbs Luxury Homes is approximately three times more energy-efficient than a typical new construction home in St Louis and approximately four times more energy-efficient than the average existing home.
Actual energy performance varies based on the home's size, architecture, systems, materials, solar orientation, and homeowner usage.
How does Hibbs Luxury Homes measure a home's energy performance and durability?
Every high-performance home we build is tested using the Home Energy Rating System, commonly called the HERS Index, to test and evaluate the home's energy performance.
The HERS Index is an industry standard rating system used to compare a home's the quality of construction and energy-efficiency to other homes of similar size. A lower HERS Score indicate a more energy-efficient, higher performing home.
Testing allows homeowners to better understand how their home performs rather than relying solely on material specifications or construction claims.
What is a HERS rating?
A HERS rating is a standardized measurement of a home's energy efficiency. HERS standards for Home Energy Rating System, and the resulting HERS Index score allows homeowners to compare the project energy performance of one home with another.
A certified home energy rater evaluates the home's construction, insulation, air sealing, windows, heating and cooling systems, ventilation, and other energy-related features. The home may also undergo performance testing, including a blower door test that measures air leakage.
One the HERS Index, a lower score indicates greater energy efficiency. A score of 100 represented the efficiency of a standard reference home, while a 0 represents a Net Zero energy home that produces as much energy as it consumes annually.
Hibbs Luxury Homes uses HERS testing to verify that a home performs as designed. Rather than simply claiming a home is energy efficient, the HERS rating provides a measurable score that documents its expected performance compared with conventionally built homes.
Are high-performance homes healthier to live in?
High-performance homes are designed to support healthier living through better air sealing, moisture management, ventilation, air filtration, and HVAC performance.
These systems can reduce drafts, control indoor humidity, improve indoor air quality, and limit the outdoor pollutants and allergens entering the home.
The specific strategies to improve indoor air quality in each Hibbs Luxury Homes is developed based on the home's location, mechanical systems, and the homeowner's priorities.
Are Hibbs Luxury Homes quieter than conventionally built new homes?
Hibbs Luxury Homes are designed to provide a quieter and more comfortable lifestyle.
A carefully constructed building envelope, quality windows, a carefully designed insulation package, upgraded air sealing, and properly designed mechanical systems can help reduce exterior noise, drafts, temperature fluctuations, and unwanted equipment noise.
Homeowners can opt for additional sound dampening by insulating interior walls around laundry rooms, bathrooms, and bedrooms to provide a quieter sleeping environment.
Can a new construction custom home be designed to reduce indoor allergens?
Yes. The choice to build a high-performance home means the design and choices can help reduce the amount of pollen, dust, mold spores, pet dander, and other airborne particles circulating in the home.
A high-performance home is allergy-friendly when it includes:
- High-efficiency HVAC filtration selected for the home's mechanical system
- Balanced ventilation that introduces filtered outdoor air
- Careful air sealing to limit outdoor air and pollen from entering the home
- Humidity and moisture control to discourage mold growth
- Properly sized heating and cooling equipment
- Hard surface flooring and low-VOC materials
- Entry areas designed to contain dirt, pollen, shoes, and outdoor equipment
Hibbs Luxury Homes incorporates indoor air quality, moisture management, ventilation, and filtration into the planning of every home we build. These strategies create a cleaners, healthier, and more comfortable home, particularly for families who are sensitive to seasonal allergies and airborne irritants.
