Loans

Green Building Systems

Although we did not get a traditional building loan, we were able to obtain a completion loan from a local bank, The Brattleboro Savings and Loan. We were able to obtain such a loan by using 3 strategies:

1. presenting the bank with a thorough information packet about straw bale building, addressing every possible concern the bank might have
2. demonstrating that the value of the land plus what we had already built on it was worth more than we were asking to borrow
3. securing homeowner’s insurance for the building site prior to obtaining the loan

We hope that our efforts to obtain insurance and a completion loan have set a precedent. However, anyone wishing to obtain such a loan should present the bank with a very thorough information packet about the home they are building, and be prepared to address every possible concern.