“We’re very interested in building sustainable houses,” said Bill Lawrence, one of three brothers who, as Lawrence Bros. LLC, build urban in-fill homes in the Nashville area, mostly in Germantown.

Bill lived for a while in San Francisco; brother Skip moved here from New Jersey; and brother Fred has been in Nashville for about 20 years. Originally from upstate New York, they had all spent some time in the construction business and, two and a half years ago, founded Lawrence Bros.

Research and products for building better houses have been evolving for at least the past 15 to 20 years, Bill Lawrence said.

“It’s our desire to put a good product out there and be conscientious about the environment,” he said. “And now the products are catching up with the research that will enable us to do that.”

Using low-maintenance and long-lasting products, for example, minimizes the need to replace those products, Lawrence said.

“That has positive results all along the production and waste stream, and we think this approach to construction is going to be the trend of the future,” he said.

And the future is arriving soon, as Lawrence Bros. completes the first two houses in Nashville to meet the standards of a new earth-friendly certification program.

The two houses, located at 1320 and 1322 Seventh Ave. N., recently received approval from Energy Star, a government-backed program that helps businesses and individuals protect the environment through advanced energy efficiency.

The approval is part of the larger certification for an EarthCraft house. EarthCraft is a voluntary “green” construction program started by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association that serves as a blueprint for healthy, comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment, according to the organization’s material.

The program is monitored by the Atlanta-based Southface Institute, which promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance.

“Now we have a certification process for measuring the environmental efficiency and impact of a house,” Lawrence said, referring to the EarthCraft criteria.

“Just to achieve that level doesn’t cost us that much,” he said.

In rough numbers, Lawrence said a 2,000-square-foot house that achieves EarthCraft certification might cost 2-3 percent more than a house without it.

Since Lawrence and his brothers actually put in more time, effort and material than is required under the EarthCraft program, the premium on their houses usually runs higher than the 2-3 percent example.

Even so, Lawrence feels confident that, in the long run, homeowners will want the type of houses Lawrence Bros. is constructing.

In fact they are so confident, the brothers are now expanding to build their first large multi-family dwelling. They plan to market Morgan Park Place, a New Urbanism project in Germantown, with the EarthCraft seal of approval.

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