Beazer Homes Commits to Company-Wide Green Building Standards
As of April 17, all new-home starts by Atlanta-based Beazer Homes--one of the nation's top 10 production builders--will feature standards for improved air quality and water and energy conservation at no additional cost to the home buyer. With the nationwide launch of the eSMART Homes line, Beazer be...
Improved High-Efficiency Showerheads Make The Most of Lower Flows
Justin Wilson has been specifying ultra-low-flow showerheads for more than three years. But his biggest surprise when comparing water-efficient fixtures to typical builder-grade showerheads is that there is no surprise at all.
Hardwood Flooring's Green Message Grows on Pros and Consumers
As recently as a year ago, Epcon Communities was not specifying hardwood flooring in its home market of Columbus, Ohio.
Engineered Lumber's Green Attributes Provide Another Selling Point
When Trus Joist introduced the first engineered I-joist in 1969, it wasn't to save the planet. It was to help save a building industry that depended on huge, old-growth trees that were quickly becoming scarce and more protected by regulators.
-
Product Rating System Puts Green in Black-and-White
With green marketing raging, contractors and homeowners alike are being bombarded with messages about green products and features—many of which are far-fetched, contradictory, or misleading.
-
EPA Issues New Lead Paint Rules
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new work practice standards for remodelers of older homes in an effort to reduce lead paint exposure, particularly among children. Set to take effect in April 2010, the new standards will extend to builders, painters, plumbers, and electricia...
-
Housing industry companies praised for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency.
A Charge in the Air
When South Texas fishing guide Walt Kittelberger founded the Lower Laguna Madre Foundation in the 1990s, it was to fight would-be developers on South Padre Island. Then he and his group took on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over dredging.
-
Laminated Strand Lumber
SolidStart Laminated Strand Lumber is available in lengths up to 64 feet. Made from thin, longer-length wood strands that are oriented parallel to the product’s length, the lumber can be used for headers and beams, wall studs, roof beams and rafters, truss chords, rim board, and stair stringers, say...
-
Permeable Clay Pavers
RainPave permeable clay pavers allow water to filter down into the soil and dissipate rather than run off into storm drains. The pavers reduce the property’s impervious surface footprint and allow for a larger house footprint, the firm says. The rumbled pavers offer the look of traditional antique c...
-
EcoTop Surface Materials
EcoTop, a biocomposite surface material for countertops, tabletops, floors, and walls, is chic, durable, and environmentally friendly, the company says. It’s made of an FSC-certified 50/50 blend of bamboo fiber and recycled wood fiber salvaged from demolition sites, bound together by a water-based r...
Sustainable in Seattle
A narrow lot, a bay view, and a full range of green features shape this Martha Rose construction home.
Green on Parade
When builder Mike Scarlett signed on to participate in the HBA of Greater Dallas Green Built Parade of Homes, which debuted in September, he had never so much as built an Energy Star house. But he rose to the challenge, hiring a consultant to help him decode such eco-measures as spray-foam insulatio...
Green R&D: Hunter Douglas Warm Light Wall
Installed on the MIT competition house during October’s Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., Hunter Douglas’ Warm Light Wall System was as eye-catching as it was functional. Based on a Trombe wall, Warm Light passive solar heating technology is made up of acrylic building blocks with aerogel insulat...
Water Conservation in Santa Fe
In the dry climate of New Mexico, water conservation takes center stage in any discussion of green building. Bill Roth, president of Clear Creek Management Corp., is showing that efficient practices needn’t require special training or special orders.
-
New + Notable
Kohler. The industry’s first one-piece, 1.0-gpf, high-efficiency toilet with pressure assist technology, the San Raphael Pressure Lite uses compressed air to propel water for strong flushing power. According to the firm, the toilet, which carries the EPA WaterSense label, can save a household of fou...
Peak Performance
Heating and cooling systems account for nearly 50% of a home’s energy consumption, so your choice of equipment and the way it is installed are keys to success for any green builder. And as the focus on energy efficiency has led to improved building shell performance (including high-performance insul...
The GreenT line of hardwood plywood panels from Springfield, Ore.-based Timber Products Co. (www.greentproducts.com) is now available with resins containing no added urea formaldehyde, thus reducing emissions that can degrade indoor air quality. The proprietary process also helps the panel line meet...
-
Tech Trends: The Green Blues
Andrew Pace, owner of Safe Building Solutions in Waukesha, Wis., is no stranger to supplying environmentally friendly building materials. In 1993, long before today's green blitz started, Pace began looking for materials that would be healthier to work and live with. Today, one-unit SBS supplies AFM...
Green Kitchen Options
The latest in Green products for kitchens.