(This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Read Part 2, "Green credits would help recycling efforts.")

"Green buildings use durable materials that are salvaged, have recycled content or came from rapidly renewable resources. These materials significantly reduce the environmental destruction associated with the extraction, processing and transportation of virgin materials."

While buying a home may be the most expensive purchase you will ever make, a manufactured home can offer an affordable, quality option.

Manufactured homes are built in a factory with the finest quality materials available, then transported to the site. With the wide variety of available floor plans that include spacious living rooms, dining rooms, fully equipped kitchens, bedrooms, family rooms and utility areas, the first step in finding the right manufactured home for you can start online.

Sue Davis is as active as any teenager. In fact, you would never know she is actually a baby boomer.

"Yesterday I took the Palm Springs tram up to the top of Mount San Jacinto and hiked ten miles to Idyllwild," Davis said. "Today I got up and played three sets of tennis, and now I'm preparing for a dinner party."

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Salvaged fixtures often conflict with city codes.")

Last time we looked at a number of modern building-code requirements that make it either economically impractical or else flat-out illegal for green builders to use recycled building materials, even though the cities enforcing these codes officially encourage such reuse.

Dear Barry,

We're about to buy a six-year-old home that originally had a mold problem. Fortunately, the builder removed all of the affected materials from the building. If we buy this home, are we required to disclose the initial mold issue to our home inspector, or should we wait to see if he notices any evidence of mold? --Jack

Protecting the environment in our daily lives - also known as "going green" - has become something that's on everybody's radar these days, even when it comes to constructing a house. If you're considering building a log home, two of the major factors to consider are the effects your home will have on your wallet and the environment.