Eye Doctor and Sustainable Developer Dr. Lee Newton

The Green Building Matters Podcast with Charlie Cichetti

Dr. Lee Newton is an optometrist who has learned to build, develop, and invest in real estate profitably. He loves to help others learn to do the same.

Beginning his health care career as his own tenant and landlord, he quickly learned the benefits of real estate as a preferred asset class and began investing in both residential and commercial properties.

Having been able to assist many medical clients with design/build projects, Dr. Lee’s primary area of interest is new construction. He is particularly adept in the area of value engineering, the art of shaping the cost of the project to meet both functional and budgetary needs without sacrificing quality. His assistance is frequently sought in this realm. Other areas of expertise include building science, thermal design, and building performance.

With a proven track record of quality and transparency in both cost and timeline, Dr. Lee has been known to save clients as much as $1M on a single build. Given the effects of inflation in the post-pandemic era, his current area of passion is the design and construction of affordable residential housing.

Show Highlights

• Focus on net-zero construction and enhancing indoor air quality.

• Promoting all-electric designs and the use of advanced air purification systems.

• Value-engineered home designs focus on optimizing cost while maintaining quality and functionality.

• All construction activities have some negative impact on the environment, emphasizing that there is no absolute green building.

• Adaptation of sustainable practices to improve building performance and reduce harm to the planet.

• Integrating heat pump technology and solar readiness in building designs supports sustainability goals and reduces reliance on fossil fuels, contributing to lower carbon emissions.

• Recommends investing in well-positioned raw land for future development.

• Increasing MERV ratings on furnace filters and adding individual room air purifiers significantly enhance air cleanliness.

“I've come to the conclusion that there is no green building that occurs at an absolute level. Everything we do to the earth results in the earth being less green than when we started. There's only green buildings in a relative sense. And it just makes the most sense to try to leave the least impact on earth as we go about constructing and rehabbing.”

Get the episode transcript here!

Show Resource and Information

• LinkedIn

• Dr. Lee Newton

• A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?

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