How green does the client want to go?  For example, some people may use all florescent lighting, but don't recycle their household waste...

Building Green

I am often asked if North Conway Builders offers ‘green building' services. The answer is of course yes, because the question is how much green? How committed to building green does the client want to be? The biggest misconception about green building is either you build green or you don’t, but green building isn’t like being pregnant…it’s not an absolute. There are degrees of building green, and being completely green is subjective and largely unobtainable. How green you choose to be in your building process depends largely on how green your wallet is, as green building is often more expensive than conventional practices.

There are many ways to build green or live green at home. For North Conway Builders, building a new green home starts with the site work, and consists of minimal tree and planting removal at the home lot. It consists of taking care to not disrupt the natural flow of water runoff,  as this also affects the native vegetation.

Situating the home to take advantage of the sun’s rays in the winter for heating purposes is helpful. The original salt-box style homes were oriented on the lot in such a way that the cold winter wind blew onto the long section of the back roof and the front of the building with the most windows faced south – sound advice for home placement today.

Modern green insulating practices consist of soy-based spray foam insulation. This type of insulation has many advantages over fiberglass. Because it expands to many times its applied size, it seals even the smallest cracks in the building envelope. While it cost many times more than fiberglass, its performance is far superior and saves energy.

Conventional plywood contains urea-formaldehyde, which off-gasses into the air, but eco-friendly formaldehyde-free plywood eliminates these toxic gases.

The Green Building Resource Guide defines green building materials and products as having at least one of the following characteristics: nontoxic; recycled content; resource efficient; long life cycle; or, environmentally conscious. Some materials and products have more of these characteristics than others and are, therefore, considered "greener".

More green building products include:

• ·         Bamboo  -  Used for flooring mainly.

• ·         Florescent or LED lighting - They cut energy use by 50%. Whenever possible use natural light to brighten up your kitchen and bring down your electrical bill

• ·         Cork - This renewable resource is made from the bark off a tree. It's also sound-absorbing, hypoallergenic and resistant to mold and mildew, making it an excellent choice for kitchen

• ·         Recycled stone - chipped composite countertops -  These countertops resemble granite and are just as durable

• ·         Top and bottom freezer/refrigerator units -  These are more energy-efficient than side-by-side models because not as much cold air escapes.

• ·         Energy Star® appliances - Energy Star® products meet a higher level of energy efficiency, resulting in long-term energy savings and reducing the operating costs.

• ·         Programmable thermostats - These automatically lowers the temperature when no one is home or at night, saving energy and money.

If you are committed to going even greener, consider using an alternate heating system to oil or gas. Geo-thermal heating/cooling systems use the sun's warmth absorbed by the earth to heat your home.  While the installation cost is greater, the payback is tremendous in terms of annual heating/cooling bills and reducing your carbon footprint.

Wireless solar lighting is a great way to illuminate a walkway or drive without spending a cent on electricity. These LED lights are bright and need no external wiring.

Solar powered attic fans that mount on your roof keep the heat out in the summer making your home easier to cool and consequently save electricity. They use the sun to run, so once installed they cost nothing to operate.

It’s easy being green…even being some green is better than no green! Feel free to contact North Conway Builders about more green ideas for your next project.

Post Office Box 957 - North Conway, NH -  TEL/FAX 603-356-7777