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The recently launched GreenBuildingAdvisor.com Web site seems likely to become a regular stop for both homeowners and building professionals in search of information on energy-efficient and green building. The key is its two-tiered structure, which combines an abundance of free content with a subscription-only area for industry pros. Among the free content available on the site is a frequently updated mix of blog entries from a stable of knowledgeable contributors. Other free-of-charge areas on the site include a question-and-answer section and a "green homes" feature that contains articles on specific green home projects. According to company residential services director Peter Yost, the key feature of GBA Pro is that it not only enables users to find information, but to easily share it with clients, subs, inspectors, and other team members.

The recently launched GreenBuildingAdvisor.com Web site seems likely to become a regular stop for both homeowners and building professionals in search of information on energy-efficient and green build- ing (Figure 13). While that description may prompt skepticism on the part of some readers - we've all seen our share of books touted on the jacket as "indis- pensable to beginner and expert alike" that turn out to be dispensable to both - this site does seem to have something for everyone. The key is its two-tiered structure, which combines an abundance of free con- tent with a subscription-only area for industry pros. As a collaboration between Brattleboro, Vermontbased BuildingGreen - the publisher of Environmental Building News and the GreenSpec Directory - and The Taunton Press, which publishes Fine Homebuilding magazine, the site will have instant credibility with most EDLT readers, and rightly so.

Blogs, Case Studies, and Q & A

Among the free content available on the site is a frequently updated mix of blog entries from a stable of knowledgeable contributors (among whom, longtime readers of this publication will be happy to learn, is the incisive and thoughtful former EDLT editor Martin Ho Had ay.) On one recent day in late February, visitors to the blog section of the site could read a concise summary of the contents of the recently passed federal stimulus bill; an article about a New Hampshire company that manufactures prefab near-zero-energy homes; a piece about residential wind incentives offered by a New York state utility; and much more.

Other free-of-charge areas on the site include a question-and-answer section (some answers come from other site visitors, and others from GBA's 15 on-staff advisors) and a "green homes" feature that contains articles on specific green home projects. The latter section is divided both geographically and by project type, allowing readers to focus on projects in the south or midwest, for example, or browse through green remodels or net-zero-energy projects.

A Project Management Tool

There's no shortage of free information about green building on the Web, of course, although the material on the GBA site is distinguished by its unusually high quality and a conspicuous absence of advertising. But, in the long run, the site will probably succeed or fail on the basis of its subscribers-only area, known as GBA Pro. Site visitors with a paid subscription gain access to a well-organized library of more than 1,000 construction drawings, including details for foundations, windows, flashing, air sealing, and more. All drawings are available in pdf form or as DWG files, allowing users to download them as-is, or have the option of modifying them with their own CAD software. (A disclaimer reminds those who choose the second option that any changes they may make are their own responsibility.)

According to company residential services director Peter Yost, the key feature of GBA Pro is that it not only enables users to find information, but to easily share it with clients, subs, inspectors, and other team members. A "My GBA" feature lets subscribers save information from the design library in individually named project folders, which can be E-mailed to as many people as desired, whether or not those recipients subscribe to the site themselves. For a busy builder trying to get a diverse and geographically scattered group of project participants to agree on a dozen or more pesky construction details, that subscription could quickly pay for itself in saved time and aggravation.

It's Built. Will They Come?

"Busy," of course, is what a great many of today's residential builders are not. It remains to be seen whether enough of them feel comfortable with the $150 annual subscription fee to put the enterprise on a paying basis. (Those interested in giving the site a trial run on the cheap can purchase a one-month subscription for about $15.) But the idea is sound and innovative, the site itself is rich in information, and the developers clearly know their subject matter. It's well worth exploring.

www.greenbuildingadvisor.com; customer service available from The Taunton Press Customer Support, Green Building Advisor, 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506. Tel: (866) 325-2558; E-mail: custome r se rvice@gr eenbuildingadvisor.com.