Green Building

First, just what IS a "Green" house. Since we are a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and a LEED-H (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes) home builder, we'll let them do some of the talking.

And we quote:

"A green home is a high performance home that is built to exceed the minimum requirements of the building code, especially in the areas of indoor environmental quality and resource efficiency (including energy, water, materials and land)."

And that's just where we start. All PowerHouse™ homes are equipped witrh renewable energy systems : these can be solar electric, solar hot water, geothermal, bio mass or any combination of these ñ our first few projects cover the spectrum. See the section on Modular to learn more about how good THAT is for the environment. But even before the "what's of materials" and the "how's of building", it comes to design. Green design is about the site, the clients needs and the environmental performance of the house. This is ALWAYS were we start.

Green buildings are made of green materials:

Sustainably Harvested Building Materials:

• Bamboo flooring is one well-known example
• Agri-fiber and straw board for cabinetry
• Cork or Linoleum or Marmoleum flooring
• FSC certified lumber and finish woods
• Materials sourced and/or manufactured nearby the building site
  
  Recycled Content Building Materials: There are many instances of recycled building materials being comparably priced to traditional building materials. In many instances, recycled content is a standard component of the the materials – not something that is "special order".

Examples include:

• Carpeting, paving materials, and plastic lumber
• Recycled glass or metal tiles
• Wall board,insulation and even structural components have recycled content

Used Building Materials

The rule of thumb for the retail pricing of used building materials is 50% of the price for a comparable new material. With this kind of pricing, consumers have the choice of getting unique materials at the same cost OR saving half of their material outlay. Our clients can be slowing the depletion of the Earth's natural resources while saving money. Where appropriate, PowerHouse is happy to employ this strategy and incorporate these materials in your Project.

Typical examples include:

• Flooring & tiles or stone
• Timber or metal framing
• Sinks, plumbing & lighting fixtures etc
• Doors & windows
• Finishes like fireplace mantels, stairs, shelving etc