he following are questions we've been asked over the years. Send in your own questions and you may see them appear here!

• Q: Your homes are a bit more expensive than standard homes and we're on a budget. How can we make this work for us?

• A: Deciding where to put your money in a new home project is an individual matter and depends on your priorities. You should consider the finished size of your home, the quality of the components and your budget. If any one of these is fixed, the others should be flexible in order for your project to work.

The single biggest factor in determining the ultimate cost of a home is the size. If you are on a budget, reducing the size is a good place to start. We've had customers build a smaller home to start, then add on later when their resources allowed.

With this approach, we've found that it's best to design the whole home from the beginning. When this is carefully done, the first phase structure will look and function as a complete home. Utility stub-ins can be economically installed with the original plumbing and electrical work. This will make the future addition easier and will save money later.

It's best to consider overall design continuity and solar orientation from the beginning so your home is energy efficient and doesn't end up looking like it had a "garage conversion" after the addition. The best way we've found to do this is to design the whole home at once.

• Q: How do you design for our budget?

• A: Having a current, working knowledge of building methods, materials and costs is a big factor in our being able to accurately design for your budget. Construction knowledge also allows us to design homes that are more straightforward to build. We also have a cost estimating worksheet that addresses the details necessary to price a home more accurately. See more on designing for budget in the Cost Estimate Worksheet pages of the PRICE section.

• Q: Are there any other ways we can trim costs on our new home?

• A: It is our opinion that the places NOT to trim costs are in the design and the structural shell of your home, because these are the items that are costly, if not impossible, to change later. Many of your finishes can be upgraded or added to in the future when your finances allow; such as flooring, lighting and even appliances and cabinetry.

• Q: Why do small homes cost more per square foot?

• A: Small homes can't take advantage of the economies of scale that are possible with larger homes. We have a complete explanation of this in the SMALL HOMES page in the GREEN section.

• Q: Can we finance our Sunlight home with a conventional mortgage?

• A: Yes. Our homes are financed just like any other custom home. Some lending institutions want to understand more about our homes. Refer them to our web site or have them give us a call and we'll provide the information they need.

This way to visit the GREEN section and learn about sustainable home design and construction.