Building Green

PERFORMANCE # 1 ENERGY EFFICIENCY

There are four factors to consider when building an energy-efficient home:

The first step is to site the house so it receives as much solar gain as possible. The next step is to calculate the proper glazing area and appropriate shading based on a host of variables. Making these decisions first is both common sense and good science.
For insulating, we look for the “sweet spot” between cost and performance. Typically we use R-35 insulation in the walls and R-38 to R-48 in the ceiling, depending on the climate and style of house. Plus we use double or triple-glazed, low-emission windows and our own insulated doors.
We use wood as our structural material, which is far better than steel or concrete at minimizing thermal bridging. The I-joist framing member not only has the ability to carry heavier loads with less lumber, but the web of the i-joist further reduces thermal bridging.
Air tightness is an important focus because it’s one of the most important keys to energy efficiency and is essentially “free,” since it has more to do with good workmanship than more “stuff.”

#2 GREEN MATERIALS

Building a green home involves the materials we use, the standards we strive for, and the processes we use to get there.

We start by using wood. Not only is it the most renewable building resource available, it has a very low carbon footprint compared to steel, concrete, and other building materials. For insulation, whenever possible, we use cellulose made from recycled newspaper stock that we pack tightly into our walls and roof systems. Using wood products in a way that supports responsible forest management along with materials from post-consumer recycled sources are used whenever possible.

Many of the the things that make our homes so green however, have to do with how efficiently we work.

Why Use Cellulose?

We use dense-packed cellulose insulation because it delivers a greater R-value per inch than fiberglass batting and performs more reliably than foam.

Cellulose insulation is also one of the greenest building products available. If you take all the energy required to transport the raw material and then manufacture and distribute the finished product, fiberglass uses up to 10 times more and foam products as much as 64 times more of this embodied energy than cellulose.

#3 HEALTHY HOME

A BETTER WAY TO BUILD

-HEALTH BEGINS AT HOME.

We spend about 2/3rds of our lives in our homes. So if we’re serious about our health, we have to make our homes as seriously healthy as possible. That includes designing and building them to be well lit, quiet, draft free, moisture controlled, and free of toxins.

Natural light: By adjusting the angle of roofs and size of windows we can maximize incoming daylight.
Sound: Our intense focus on super-insulation and controlling drafts has the added benefit of making our homes surprisingly peaceful and quiet…something we could all use a little more of these days.
Pests: No offense to bugs and rodents, but they belong outside, not in—another advantage of making a home with extremely tight joints.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): The idea of being “allergic” to a home would have seemed laughable a few decades ago. Not now. The use of paints, finishes, and other products with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have become a major health hazard. This is an important topic that we’ve researched. We believe your home should be the safest, healthiest indoor environment you can find.

What is VOC?

A Volatile Organic Compound is a chemical that evaporates at room temperature, emitting potentially dangerous substances. Some VOCs are known carcinogens. Others can provoke allergic reactions, emotional problems, headaches, and respiratory illnesses.

Financial Health.

Homes should be the place we go for comfort…not to worry and fret about finances. By minimizing waste, maximizing space, and, most importantly, minimizing energy costs, we’re making progress. We will also help guide you through the permitting and construction loan processes.)