Green Building and Remodeling
A true carpenter is not someone who calls himself a framer or a
roofer, trimmer or what have you. A true carpenter can walk into the forest
with an axe and a box full of tools and construct a home with his bare hands. A
true carpenter is one with nature and respects what it has to offer. Living in
the modern times that we do, there is no longer a need for someone to
physically cut down trees on their own, but the skill is still learned. As a
carpenter today we find all of the materials we want are just a phone call
away.
Being in the industry for 14 years now I have seen the waste that takes place in modern building techniques in common practice: generators running all day, the “tear out and throw in” method, and most of all the waste of materials. Many companies are simply not knowledgeable about the ecological impacts of their actions,. They just know that time is money and it takes more time to salvage something than it does to buy the same item new.
I have found that there are many ways to practice eco-friendly building. The first is to keep crews small at one or two people per project. When available, materials such as stone and lumber should be harvested from on-site. Stones are used to build fireplaces and walkways and trees get sent to lumber mills to get sawn down. They can be used later for cabinetry, flooring and other various projects. Imagine turning a tree from your yard into your new kitchen! When on-site materials are not available, local suppliers should be utilized. A methodical thought process must be used to choose the materials that go into each and every job.
Probably one of the most important aspects of green building is how materials are disposed. Much construction waste can be recycled such as plastic, asphalt, brick, stone, glass, metals, etc. This is why it is very important that the project is run carefully and all material separated at the time of removal. This not only helps the environment but it allows for a safer, cleaner, and more efficient jobsite.
The most important thing an eco-friendly builder can do is break a sweat and do physical labor without the help of heavy machinery. Instead of running a machine all day to bring shingles to the roof, they should be carried up over the shoulder. Rather than fire up a tractor to dig a footing, bring out the shovel and post-hole digger. Overall, the physical demands an eco-friendly builder faces are extreme and without being physical fit the demands would push an unfit person to body failure.
There are many facets in the gem of eco-friendly building. Putting together all the pieces allows for high quality results, and you can feel good about your choice of contractor, knowing that your home project has made a minimal environmental impact. We look forward to working with you to plan your home's newest improvement.
Being in the industry for 14 years now I have seen the waste that takes place in modern building techniques in common practice: generators running all day, the “tear out and throw in” method, and most of all the waste of materials. Many companies are simply not knowledgeable about the ecological impacts of their actions,. They just know that time is money and it takes more time to salvage something than it does to buy the same item new.
I have found that there are many ways to practice eco-friendly building. The first is to keep crews small at one or two people per project. When available, materials such as stone and lumber should be harvested from on-site. Stones are used to build fireplaces and walkways and trees get sent to lumber mills to get sawn down. They can be used later for cabinetry, flooring and other various projects. Imagine turning a tree from your yard into your new kitchen! When on-site materials are not available, local suppliers should be utilized. A methodical thought process must be used to choose the materials that go into each and every job.
Probably one of the most important aspects of green building is how materials are disposed. Much construction waste can be recycled such as plastic, asphalt, brick, stone, glass, metals, etc. This is why it is very important that the project is run carefully and all material separated at the time of removal. This not only helps the environment but it allows for a safer, cleaner, and more efficient jobsite.
The most important thing an eco-friendly builder can do is break a sweat and do physical labor without the help of heavy machinery. Instead of running a machine all day to bring shingles to the roof, they should be carried up over the shoulder. Rather than fire up a tractor to dig a footing, bring out the shovel and post-hole digger. Overall, the physical demands an eco-friendly builder faces are extreme and without being physical fit the demands would push an unfit person to body failure.
There are many facets in the gem of eco-friendly building. Putting together all the pieces allows for high quality results, and you can feel good about your choice of contractor, knowing that your home project has made a minimal environmental impact. We look forward to working with you to plan your home's newest improvement.