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Shaina Sullivan, a green building specialist, could dole out sustainability advice all day. But she didn’t know how to do the work herself.

That is no longer the case, however.

The 27-year-old staffer at the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland is one of a growing number of Portland residents who this year set out to put some of their own muscle into building greener homes.

鈥淚 had the knowledge but wanted the application,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淎nd I have a lot of friends who are not in the industry, but are looking for houses. I wanted to be an example that you can buy a house, do green upgrades yourself, and it will be affordable 鈥� you learn more, and it’s not that hard.鈥�

As part of this year’s 鈥溾�� home tour, sponsored by the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Sullivan and 21 other local homeowners on Sept. 24 will have the opportunity to showcase their homes and explain the lessons learned throughout the building process.

The 10th annual, self-guided tour features both new construction and remodels. More projects completed by homeowners 鈥� a total of seven 鈥� will be featured this year than in years past.

Sullivan installed low-flow plumbing fixtures, windows and flooring into her home in the Southwest hills. She also is customizing and installing cabinets that she found at the . For weatherization, Sullivan received capital from , and contracted the work to .

鈥�(Green Hammer) set me up for success,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted to finish doing some spray-foam insulation, so they told me about the process and then I could do my own labor. Obviously you pay for the intellectual property and the time it took to teach me, but now I know how to do it. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much money I saved overall.鈥�

Not only penny-pinching, however, is driving homeowners to do their own work.

Tricia Stone and her partner, Lissa Adams, moved from San Diego to Portland in order to live more sustainably. They first bought a home in Northeast Portland. Green Hammer was the general contractor for their green retrofit and age-in-place addition, but Stone said up front that she wanted to be involved in every phase of construction.

鈥淚 saw it as a way to learn about my house and contribute to the actual progress and change we envisioned instead of just standing by and watching someone else do the work,鈥� said Stone, who over the past couple of years has completed segments of deconstruction, carpentry, insulation and siding.

Some Portland-area contractors, especially those who specialize in green building, encourage their clients to take on active roles in residential projects.

鈥淲e definitely embrace it when clients want to do part of the work themselves 鈥� it’s central to how we do a project,鈥� said Zack Semke, director of business development for , which was the general contractor for three projects highlighted on this year’s tour.

While do-it-yourself projects may be on the rise because more people have strained budgets, Semke contends that people interested in sustainability have always been more involved in the construction process.

鈥淎nybody who has the sensibility to think of a building as both a potential environmental liability and an environmental asset already has a deeper relationship with buildings than the average person,鈥� Semke said. 鈥淎 lot of people are interested in green building, and then once they start doing it, they quickly get engaged and excited by some of the approaches.鈥�

Ultimately, the Build It Green! tour aims to push homeowners past the point of passive interest and into the realm of actual work 鈥� whether they complete it themselves, split the project or hire a contractor.

Mary Wilson is one tour-goer who has come full circle. After attending the first Build It Green! tour 10 years ago, Wilson and her husband, Philip, were inspired to build their own green home. Philip Wilson, who owns a contracting company, built the couple’s new home in Southeast Portland; it earned a place on this year’s tour.