Building Green

WHY GREEN?

Do you want a healthier home? Lower utility bills? To reduce maintenance? A cleaner planet? A green home remodel or build is approached with the mindset of improving your home’s appearance and function with both you and the environment in consideration. With so many elements to evaluate, how do you know what is right for you? With careful planning, together we can create a home that combines beauty, efficiency, comfort and convenience with wellbeing and preservation. These are just a few reason why green is right for you.

Cost Savings

With features such as high R-value insulation, efficient water heaters, ENERGY STAR® appliances, modern lighting and the use of natural day lighting techniques helps lower your monthly energy costs. Efficient and durable features last longer and cost less to maintain. Construction costs up front may be slightly higher but these improvements will provide significant long and short term savings.

Added Value

Recent statistics show 96% of home buyers are looking for homes with green features. Unfortunately 80% of homebuyer’s state new homes don’t meet their environmental expectations. Remodeling or building your home with the environment and efficiency in mind will give you a step ahead of the competition. CNN reported in certain markets homes with green certification sell for 8.5% more per square foot then comparable non-green homes. These homes sell 22% quicker as well.

Health

Your home may be your sanctuary but it could also be harmful to your health. Dirty air, mold spores and chemicals can contribute to an unhealthy home environment. The EPA lists poor indoor air quality in their top five most urgent public health risks. Using low-toxic materials such as low-VOC paint and improved ventilation techniques can help prevent mold, allergens and low air quality, which surprisingly can be 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels.

Beauty & Comfort

Inviting and attractive rooms reinforce the comforts of home. Natural materials, high quality lighting, and good design details make for pleasing spaces. Your home can be a refuge from the hectic, and sometimes polluted, world outside.

Ecological Benefit

With your green design, remodel or custom home project, you can be more resource efficient, minimize waste, and recycle what is left over to reduce the amount of materials ending up in landfills. By choosing environmentally responsible products, you can protect forests, wildlife, and air and water quality. Preserving natural resources means leaving more for future generations to enjoy.

During construction of a house, the topsoil that is removed for grading can be stockpiled and, later, reapplied to the site for healthier soils. Soil amendments can be added, such as compost, to further promote a good soil for plantings that will have a better establishment. Water conservation can be achieved by installing drought tolerant plants and less lawn in landscaped areas. Porous paving can be used in driveways and walkways to allow rainwater to seep into the ground instead of running off.

Reduce Construction Waste

During green building and remodeling we incorporate a jobsite recycling plan and recycle as much as possible of scrap building materials such as lumber, wall board, concrete, cardboard and packaging. We can also incorporate many materials that contain recycled content or have been salvaged. This helps reduce the amount of material going to our already overburdened landfills. .