The basics of green building

BY TONY SHEPLEY

Green building promotes the concept of an entire building system – not individual pieces. This is why green certification programs begin at the time of site design. The key is to have the least impact on the environment while creating a sustainable and energy-efficient home.

Here are some of the common, easy to achieve green points:

■ Minimize impact to environmentally sensitive areas when clearing the lot. You can help preserve land that might function as a corridor for wildlife, recreational open space or habitat sanctuary.
■ Utilize passive solar from orienting the home to southern exposure.
■ Reduce construction waste and recycle what is produced.
■ Minimize disruption to the water table. Design a stormwater management plan that minimizes concentrated flows and mimics natural hydrology.
■ Use native plantings to reduce/eliminate the need for irrigation.
■ Use rainwater capture and rain sensor irrigation systems.
■ Covered entryways to reduce water intrusion and subsequent rotting of joists, sills, finishes. This also helps keep outside elements from entering the home and affecting the indoor air quality.
■ Reduce wood usage with advanced framing techniques – 24 OC instead of 16 OC; single top plates (where code allows); engineered wood products; using standard dimensions in the design; detailed cut lists; prefabrication.
■ Divert water from all sides of the building by sloping the backfill away from the foundation and installing drip edge at the eve and gable roof ends.
■ Reduce air infiltration and increase R-value.
■ Energy Star rated products are recommended.
■ Manage indoor pollutants by using low VOC products.
■ Mask outlets and ducts during construction and vacuum out systems prior to initial use.
■ Low flow toilets and faucets are recommended.
■ Moisture management can be achieved with bathroom exhaust fans with a timer or humidistat, moisture resistant backerboard, vapor retarder under slab or on crawl space floor, installation of HVAC in unconditioned basement to avoid condensation. ■

WHAT MAKES A PRODUCT GREEN?
■ It improves the indoor air quality or reduces chemical exposure within a home, thereby improving the health of the people who live in it or work on it. (This includes all products that reduce mold.)
■ It lowers pressure on the environment through the use of materials that are renewable and sustainably harvested (i.e., harvested in a way that doesn’t permanently deplete the source of the material).
■ It reduces the use of water throughout a home, thereby lowering demands on freshwater sources and the energy-intensive infrastructure required to pipe, store and purify it.
■ It reduces pressure on the waste stream, by being made from recycled or recyclable materials. And it should reduce the exposure risks to people working on or living in the home.

Tony Shepley is owner and president of Shepley Wood Products. He can be reached at (508) 862-6200 or tshepley@shepleywood.com.


Published in Cape & Plymouth Business November 2009