Sustainable 9 Design + Build
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Sustainable 9 Design + Build is a Minneapolis design-build firm whose whole business is energy performance: it builds to the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home standard and the ENERGY STAR standard, certifies HERS scores, and holds MN Green Path Leadership status, with LEED, EPA Indoor airPLUS, and PHIUS Passive House among the programs it works in — though it notes that very few of its homes currently carry Passive House certification.
The U.S. Department of Energy gave the firm a Housing Innovation Award in 2020 for a custom home over 3,000 square feet, following an honorable mention in 2019. It is an NAHB 2024 Designated Builder and has shown in Housing First Minnesota tours in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2025.
A sixteen-person team including four partners builds in Highland Bridge in St. Paul, The Peninsula at Lake O'Dowd in Shakopee, and Linden Green in Minneapolis, with typical timelines of 10 to 14 months for a custom home and 6 to 10 months for a pre-designed one.
Specialties & Price Range
Price tier: Luxury
Service Areas
Awards & Recognition
- Reggie Award Housing First Minnesota · 2019
- Parade of Homes Dream Home Housing First Minnesota · 2019
- Parade of Homes Dream Home Housing First Minnesota · 2020
- Parade of Homes Dream Home Housing First Minnesota · 2021
- Housing Innovation Award — Custom Homes for Buyer (over 3,000 sq ft) U.S. Department of Energy · 2020
- Housing Innovation Award — Honorable Mention U.S. Department of Energy · 2019
- Parade of Homes participant Housing First Minnesota · 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2025
- Participating Parade of Homes builder Housing First Minnesota
- 2024 Designated Builder NAHB
- Builds to the ENERGY STAR standard (15% less energy than code) ENERGY STAR
- MN Green Path Leadership Minnesota Green Path
- Builds to the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home standard; corroborated as a DOE ZERH partner by Housing Innovation Award listings DOE Zero Energy Ready Home
- Listed among the certification programs the firm builds to EPA Indoor airPLUS
- Listed among the green building standards the firm builds to LEED
- Firm states very few of its homes currently hold PHIUS certification PHIUS (Passive House)
- HERS Score Certified HERS
License & Verification
Sustainable 9 Design + Build holds Minnesota residential building contractor license BC653457 (active), verified against the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry public license lookup (last checked 2026-07-05). Always confirm current status directly with MN DLI before contracting.
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