AuraLast Wood – building GREEN
Are green home buyers happy home buyers?
A new survey shows that they are.
It’s National Designation Month, when the National Association of Home Builders shine the spotlight on those industry professionals who go the extra mile by seeking the education and training they need to attain professional designations that signify their specialized knowledge.
It’s especially important with green ─ high-performance ─ building. More and more consumers are looking for homes designed to save energy and water and that incorporate locally sourced materials. Choosing a builder or remodeler who holds the NAHB Certified Green Professional (CGP) or Master Certified Green Professional designations is one way to find someone with the latest knowledge of these high-performance practices.
These industry professionals have studied the interplay between energy efficiency and indoor air quality, understand the principles of environmentally sensitive lot design and are trained to help their buyers make decisions to result in a home that is green as they want it to be.
Many of these professionals also turn to certification programs such as the ENERGY STAR and whole-house certification programs such as those based on the ICC National Green Building Standard (NGBS), a nationally accredited rating system that forms the foundation of their training.
The result: Measurable customer satisfaction.
Energy Efficiency Testimonial
“The energy efficiency of the house has made it very comfortable through some very extreme weather and our energy bills have been remarkably low. I cannot believe how well we did on energy costs every month. The energy star rating of the home has really paid off. Truly, I haven’t had energy costs this low in 20 years.” Gary Holstein
Every home we build is Energy Star Certified. Why?
With ENERGY STAR, you know you are making the right decision—for your wallet, for your family, and for the environment—bringing these important benefits:
Lower Utility Bills
By using less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating, ENERGY STAR certified homes deliver approximately 20% savings on annual utility bills. Over the 7 to 8 years that a typical family lives in a home, you can save thousands of dollars in maintenance cost.
Enhanced Performance
Managing Moisture in Your Home
Managing moisture in and around your home is one of the most important things you can do to ensure its longevity, make it comfortable to live in, and prevent damage to its contents.
The National Association of Home Builders’ MyHome Press has published a handbook for home owners, “Home Maintenance Made Easy,” and the excerpt below contains helpful advice on how to control your home’s moisture.
High Performance Home Benefits
New high performance homes incorporate the latest building science principles to control temperature and humidity, maintain indoor air quality and increase energy efficiency. Although your home may not include all of the latest air-sealing, ventilation, and moisture-management technology, you will be more comfortable in your home and it will last longer it you do everything possible to manage moisture. This includes replacing filters, controlling humidity, and—when outside air is cool and dry—allowing fresh air into your home.
Living Stone Builds Green
And, we’re proud to be among the few builders who are certified to construct:
Easy Ways To Green Your Home
Green building, where new homes are built using materials that conserve energy and environmental resources, is one of the fastest-growing segments of the home building industry today. But for the owners of the millions of existing homes in the United States, remodeling is the only way to incorporate green.
NAHB Remodelers offers the following suggestions to home owners who want to increase their home’s efficiency, decrease costs, and take advantage of the other benefits that green offers:
1. Install maximum insulation.
Forty percent of the energy consumed in a typical house goes to heating and cooling. Adding insulation is an easy way to increase efficiency. Insulation is rated by its ability to resist heat flow, known as “R-value.” The higher the R-value, the more effectively the insulation resists heat flow. Adding insulation will help save energy costs, increase comfort by better controlling temperature, and improve indoor air quality by eliminating gaps through which dirt, dust, and other impurities can enter.
2. Install high-efficiency windows.
Save MONEY building GREEN with Living Stone
Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency with Technology
Today’s home owners and buyers are looking for ways to incorporate home technologies that increase the long-term value of their house but also provide convenience, safety and comfort. Energy management is a highly-desired feature in both newly-built and existing homes, along with multi-zone heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and lighting controls. Not only are these features easy-to-use, but they also provide energy-efficiency.
By incorporating the following technologies, home owners can save money on their utility bills:
- Automated HVAC systems can maintain a more energy-efficient temperature while the home owners are away at work, but switch to a more comfortable temperature prior to their arrival home. Zones can also be created to heat or cool only the areas most used by the occupants, keeping other areas, such as guest bedrooms, shut down until they are needed. They also can combat the problem of heat rising, keeping upper floors cooler in the summer without freezing the lower floors in a home. According to Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats can save consumers about $180 per year in energy costs.
Lower Operating Costs Mean New-Home Buyers Can Afford More House
February is National Builder Designation Month
Black Mountain Builder Builds Green Utilizing Foam Insulation
Living Stone Construction understand the importance of using “spray foam” to insulate every home we build for many reasons, the most important being the energy efficiency Spray foam insulation offers numerous benefits that traditional cellulose or fiberglass insulation fail to provide. Here are a few of the reasons why this kind of insulation is an ideal, energy-efficient alternative to its counterparts.
- Spray foam insulation fills gaps
- Spray foam insulation expands up to 100 times its volume when it is applied to surfaces, filling gaps that might otherwise cause air leakage. Meanwhile, cellulose and fiberglass can be loosely packed, which can result in drafty spots or stuffy areas in a building.
- Spray foam insulation is healthier
- Spray foam insulation is eco-friendly and helps keep allergens and pollutants outside of homes and businesses.
Read More
Green Building Outlet Strong- Asheville Builder
The U.S. green building market continues to accelerate, according to McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2013 Dodge Construction Green Outlook report. The value of green building has seen growth from $10 billion in 2005 to $78 billion in 2011. In 2012, the total market — non-residential and residential — is expected to be worth $85 billion, and by 2013, overall new green building is projected to rise to between $98 billion and $106 billion. By 2016, this number is expected to reach $204 billion to $248 billion.
New Homes Are Less Expensive to Maintain
Home Energy Performance: The Top 10 Key Factors
Things that all people need to know whether you are building, buying, or renovating.
Listen to the podcast here!
(1) Enhanced insulation
(2) Air sealing (this keeps pests out too!)
Superior Walls: Instant Gratification
Superior walls are efficient because they are pre-manufactured and pre-engineered. Install time is a fraction of a typical foundation. Also, they are pre-studded on the inside so they are ready to be finished out whenever. They are energy efficient because they are insulated panels. This foundation was set in 3 hours, using Superior Walls.
Understanding HERS (Home Energy Rating System)
Why It Can Be More Expensive to Build In The Mountains
A question that is asked of builders in our area very often is why it costs more to build in the mountains than “back at home”. There are a number of reasons for the higher costs and since the foundation of our new home is finished and framing has begun I can illustrate many of them. Our dream home was built by Living Stone Construction.
What It Takes to Be a Green Home Builder
Today’s new homes reflect changing market preferences and integrate elaborate designs and consumer desires into the floor plans and construction of the homes. And successful home builders have the knowledge, organizational skills and drive to build them.
But what does it really take to build a house?
Like a CEO, a home builder relies on a number of workers to get the job done right. A home builder guides dozens of skilled artisans and professionals, including carpenters, architects, engineers, plumbers, electricians, painters and landscapers. The builder must understand all of the home’s complex systems and know enough about each contractor’s trade in order to coordinate this skilled team to build and sell a quality product.
Some home builders develop the land on which the homes are built. In this capacity, they act as the land surveyor. They look at a piece of land to determine whether it complies with zoning regulations, local planning laws and environmental restrictions, and whether it is suitable for development. The home builder studies the lot’s topography, searching for rock outcroppings, shallow depth bedrock, shallow groundwater, natural drainage sources and dense vegetation. Landscaping options and erosion control also have to be considered. Once a builder determines that a site is suitable for construction, they must navigate the permitting process.
Asheville Builder uses Superior Wall Foundation for moderate mountain lots
Superior Walls foundations feature patented, insulated, precast concrete wall panels that are formed in a factory-controlled setting and delivered to the new home job site, where the panels are lifted into position with a crane and carefully bolted together and sealed. The walls are custom-designed and built to virtually any architectural style, complete with window and door openings.
Superior Walls foundations are dry, using a special low water/cement ratio concrete that requires no additional dampproofing. They are warm, with full-length insulation built in to increase energy efficiency. Superior Walls high strength 5000+ psi concrete is reinforced with steel rebar and polypropylene fibers for added strength and performance. The wall panels also feature convenient features like built-in accesses for wiring and stud facings for easy drywall installation with screws. Another important feature for builders is the speed of installation. A typical home foundation can be installed in less than one day. For more information click here: