Certified Green Building Professional
We are proud to announce that Pete Testorff has recently been Certified as a Green Builder. To learn more about green building and this certification check out our friends at www.BuildItGreen.org
What is Green Building ?
When people think of the term Green Building they may envision salvaged lumber or other recycled items. While this may be encompassed in the term, Green Building covers a very broad spectrum of products, materials, and practices. In fact, many things that wouldn't appear outwardly "Green" may still fall under the heading because they require less resources to produce and conserve energy after implemented. At Testorff Construction we apply Green Building practices to many of our homes and remodels. We have implemented everything from the utilization of recycled wood, installation of solar energy systems, to hydronic radiant heated flooring.
Green Building is a design and construction practice that promotes the health and well being of your family, the community, and the environment for years to come. A smart step toward personal economic rewards, Green Building also has positive social and environmental ramifications that assert your commitment to the future and the way we will live for years to come.
Some of the key benefits of Green Building are:
Lower electric and water utilities costs
Higher quality construction material that is also environmentally effective
More comfortable
Healthier environment
Improved indoor air quality and interior lighting
Greater durability
Less maintenance
Better safety
Superior long-term economic returns
Improved resale value
Reduced levels of construction and demolition waste
Reduced environmental impact
With most of us spending more than 80% of our time indoors, Green Building is the healthy, common sense choice for a better life. As it stands now in traditional construction, the quality of our indoor environment is often far more polluted than outdoors due to various building materials, inadequate lighting, and a variety of other variables. According to EPA reports, the air in new homes can be up to ten times more polluted than outside air due to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals used in product manufacturing. Contrarily, homes that follow green building guidelines use healthier paints and building materials, and adhere to stricter gas emission and ventilation requirements improving the quality of a home's indoor environment.
Green building can also indicate that fewer natural resources are required during construction. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 40% of the world's total energy, 25% of its wood harvest and 16% of its water. Compared to traditional construction, a green built home takes some of this pressure off the environment.
Green Building Examples
Solar Energy Systems(Photovoltaic Panels)
Photovoltaic panels capture freely available, dependable energy that would otherwise just go to waste. The initial installation of solar energy systems have consistently come down in price as the the price of other utility based energy sources continues to rise.
Over the long term solar systems are much more affordable and will drastically reduce the pollution created by fossil fuel based energy sources to provide a much cleaner and more efficient source for household energy.
Testorff Construction partners with Independent Energy Systems to provide top quality solar installations.
Hydronic Radiant Heated Floors
Hydronic radiant heating is the most comfortable and efficient way to heat your home or building with numerous construction benefits and unsurpassed flexibility in zoning. On average it will cost approximately 30% less to heat a building with a radiant floor heating system. Ultimately you will be more comfortable while spending less on your heating bill.
In Hydronic radian heating systems, hot water is piped through the floor, warming the room from below. This improves air quality by eliminating ducts and fans that accumulate and distribute dust and other allergens. It provides excellent comfort, and keeps concrete or tiled floors comfortably warm to the touch.
Environmentally Preferable Insulation Options
BioBased Insulation is a soybean-oil-based polyurethane foam insulation that quickly expands to 100 times its original size, allowing it to conform to any shape, filling the tiniest crevice. Creating a tight building envelope helps eliminate moisture problems and prevents the growth of household mold and mildew, which are responsible for more and more health issues, ranging from allergies to illness, and also reduces outside noises and protects your home from unwanted pests.
Forming a true thermal seal, BioBased Insulation can reduce utility bills by 30-50% over standard construction techniques. With BioBased Insulation you start saving right away, and continue to do so for the entire life of your home. Recently voted Outstanding Green Product of the Year, BioBased Insulation utilizes U.S.-grown soybeans, an annually renewable resource. Plus, it doesn't contain harmful agents such as CFCs, HCFCs, VOCs, or formaldehyde. BioBased Insulation is a great choice for you and your children's futures.
Engineered Lumber
Engineered lumber consists of oriented strips of wood pressed together with a binding agent. The strength and durability of engineered lumber allows it to displace the use of large, mature timber. Using engineered lumber instead of large dimension rafters, joists, trusses and posts can save money and reduce total wood use in construction project by as much as 35%.
Engineered lumber is typically longer, stronger, straighter, more durable, and lighter than comparable solid lumber. Piece can be spaced wider, increasing the insulated portions of roofs and walls and reducing heat loss through the building frame.
Recycled Plastic Lumber
Polyethylene grocery bags, soda bottles and pallet wrap are remanufactured into dimensional "lumber" products. These may be pure plastic, or incorproate wood fibers to form a composite. Both are widely available alternatives to wood for outdoor projects such as decks.
Recycled plastic is very durable, immune to insects and rot, and UV resistant. It requires virtually no maintenance, eliminating the repeated use of solvent-based sealants commonly appliet to wood.
Metal Roofing
Metal roofing is typically extremely durable, and many materials may be refurbished on-site when needed, drastically reducing waste of roofing over the life of a building. Products with greater than 80% recycled content (largely post-consumer) are available.
Metal roofing is lightweight, has excellent fire resistance, and low-maintenance. Some metal roofs installed in the 1800's are still in use today.
Fly-Ash Concrete
Strong, inexpensive, durable and adaptable, concrete is the most widely-used construction material in the U.S.
Fly ash, a waste product diverted from coal power plants, performs as well as or better than standard concrete, often at no additional material cost.
