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Ec0-Impact: How We Build
Building GREEN has become quite a buzz word in the construction industry and a growing number of people and regulatory bodies are interested in the concept and developing regulation around it. At Keeth Building Contractors we have been building using technology and methodologies that fall under the concept of "green" building for some time now; long before it was cool or politically correct. That is why we use the term Eco-Impact. We have been building with concerns and consideration of how building effects the environment and don't want to just say we build "green" to gain acceptance in current industry trends.
At Keeth Building Contractors, we understand and acknowledge that we are living in an ever changing world. Ec-Impact building practices are more important now than ever. Natural resource depletion, rising energy costs, pollution and its impacts on health, and overall reduced quality of life cause us to consider our own Eco-Impact. What are the things we can do to effect our immediate sphere of influence? With Keeth Building Contractors, we deploy the latest building methodologies, using the latest technology products and materials available to build your efficient, low Eco-Impact home. We are proud to say that we recently received an award for one of our homes that achieved a GreenPoint Rating.
What is Green Building?
With Keeth Building Contractors, our Eco-Impact approach to building incorporates green building products and practices in our homebuilding and remodeling projects. The result is quality homes and financial savings for you. While particular benefits will vary on the specific choices made by the builder and homeowner, even the smallest effort can make a big difference. some of the general benefits of our approach are:
Financial savings
Eco-Impact building construction practices and products make homes more energy efficient. We do this by deploying proper, adequate insulation and air sealing. Using efficient windows, installing energy efficient appliances, lighting and other household equipment also help add to the savings, keeping your monthly utility bills as low as they can be. Water bills are also reduced through low-flow equipment and thoughtful land use. Major monthly cost savings can be obtained. Studies show that in some cases cost savings can be greater than 50%. With energy prices rising and non-renewable fuels being depleted, an energy efficient home is asset we can all appreciate for years to come.
Homes built following green building standards may also qualify for special "green" financing. Called an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM), they can offer you more purchasing power.
More comfort
Starting with good energy design, Eco-Impact building helps to ensure that your home is inherently more comfortable. Comfort means consideration of year-round sun exposure. If you're building new, proper orientation of your home can take advantage of the sun's radiant energy to provide free natural heat in the cooler months, while avoiding too much sun in the warmer ones, to save on energy costs. Tight construction also helps keep energy costs and drafts down. For everyone, better insulation and energy efficient windows, appliances, and lighting contribute to a comfortable environment while using less energy.
Healthier living
Eco-Impact building encourages use of products and materials that reduce or eliminate sources of indoor pollution. Did you know that chemicals emitted from building materials can be a potential source of health problems if they are not properly addressed? Cabinets, counter tops, and furniture are often made from pressed wood products such as particleboard or medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which are typically manufactured with formaldehyde-based adhesives. This formaldehyde can emit into your home over the course of many years. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen according to the World Health Organization. Watery eyes, headaches, fatigue, and nausea are some of the known side effects of these chemicals. Paint and floor finishes can also contain formaldehyde and other chemicals that can be harmful to your family, especially small children. Making use of a wide range of products such as low-VOC paint, solvent-free adhesives, and water-based wood finishes that not only eliminate many of the suspected and known carcinogens, but often perform better than traditional products.
Finally, ventilation is key to keeping and maintaining indoor air quality for healthier living. Green building practices encourage well-sealed duct systems, sealed combustion gas appliances, bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans, and a balanced or slightly positive pressure ventilation system, which work together to improve indoor air quality and keep you comfortable and healthy.
Adequate ventilation is especially important in green building as it can reduce the potential for mold growth and buildup of allergens and other particulates. With tighter construction of the exterior envelope, ventilation is essential to allow excess moisture to escape so it doesn't get trapped in your home's living space and building cavities, causing health problems for your family and moisture damage to the building components.
Less maintenance and higher durability
Today's building codes set the standards for home construction to ensure your safety in your home. Our Ec-Impact building approach goes beyond those minimum standards, allowing use to well exceed them. We build using premium materials that are more durable and construction practices that often exceed building code requirements. The combination of industry standards and our Eco-Impact approach enhances your home's performance and reduce maintenance and replacement costs, thereby raising its overall value.
Examples of such long-lasting materials and their applications include decking made from recycled plastic and wood fibers, durable tile or linoleum for floors, 50-year roofing materials, and fiber-cement siding. These can outperform their traditional counterparts by reducing maintenance and replacement costs.
Knowing you're being good to the environment
Eco-Impact building products and practices offer you the assurance that you are following environmentally friendly guidelines that help preserve our natural resources. A socially responsible step worthy of recognition, building green makes a strong statement about your dedication to the community and the environment.
Impacting more than your home itself, green building promotes the use of local products and materials that help stimulate local businesses and a diverse economy. This keeps your dollars working in your neighborhood and reduces energy consumption because there are less transportation costs. Materials like engineered wood products are encouraged because they efficiently make use of waste wood pieces, reducing environmental impacts of the wood industry. Recycled-content products productively use materials that would otherwise need to be hauled to landfills, and also reduce costs and impacts of producing products from virgin materials.
For additional information on Green Building and/or GreenPoint Rated, follow these links below:
Green Building Guidelines, Manuals & Checklists - Click HERE
GreenPoint Rated New Home Owner Brochure - Click HERE
Green Product Directory - Click HERE
Building GREEN has become quite a buzz word in the construction industry and a growing number of people and regulatory bodies are interested in the concept and developing regulation around it. At Keeth Building Contractors we have been building using technology and methodologies that fall under the concept of "green" building for some time now; long before it was cool or politically correct. That is why we use the term Eco-Impact. We have been building with concerns and consideration of how building effects the environment and don't want to just say we build "green" to gain acceptance in current industry trends.
At Keeth Building Contractors, we understand and acknowledge that we are living in an ever changing world. Ec-Impact building practices are more important now than ever. Natural resource depletion, rising energy costs, pollution and its impacts on health, and overall reduced quality of life cause us to consider our own Eco-Impact. What are the things we can do to effect our immediate sphere of influence? With Keeth Building Contractors, we deploy the latest building methodologies, using the latest technology products and materials available to build your efficient, low Eco-Impact home. We are proud to say that we recently received an award for one of our homes that achieved a GreenPoint Rating.
What is Green Building?
With Keeth Building Contractors, our Eco-Impact approach to building incorporates green building products and practices in our homebuilding and remodeling projects. The result is quality homes and financial savings for you. While particular benefits will vary on the specific choices made by the builder and homeowner, even the smallest effort can make a big difference. some of the general benefits of our approach are:
Financial savings
Eco-Impact building construction practices and products make homes more energy efficient. We do this by deploying proper, adequate insulation and air sealing. Using efficient windows, installing energy efficient appliances, lighting and other household equipment also help add to the savings, keeping your monthly utility bills as low as they can be. Water bills are also reduced through low-flow equipment and thoughtful land use. Major monthly cost savings can be obtained. Studies show that in some cases cost savings can be greater than 50%. With energy prices rising and non-renewable fuels being depleted, an energy efficient home is asset we can all appreciate for years to come.
Homes built following green building standards may also qualify for special "green" financing. Called an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM), they can offer you more purchasing power.
More comfort
Starting with good energy design, Eco-Impact building helps to ensure that your home is inherently more comfortable. Comfort means consideration of year-round sun exposure. If you're building new, proper orientation of your home can take advantage of the sun's radiant energy to provide free natural heat in the cooler months, while avoiding too much sun in the warmer ones, to save on energy costs. Tight construction also helps keep energy costs and drafts down. For everyone, better insulation and energy efficient windows, appliances, and lighting contribute to a comfortable environment while using less energy.
Healthier living
Eco-Impact building encourages use of products and materials that reduce or eliminate sources of indoor pollution. Did you know that chemicals emitted from building materials can be a potential source of health problems if they are not properly addressed? Cabinets, counter tops, and furniture are often made from pressed wood products such as particleboard or medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which are typically manufactured with formaldehyde-based adhesives. This formaldehyde can emit into your home over the course of many years. Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen according to the World Health Organization. Watery eyes, headaches, fatigue, and nausea are some of the known side effects of these chemicals. Paint and floor finishes can also contain formaldehyde and other chemicals that can be harmful to your family, especially small children. Making use of a wide range of products such as low-VOC paint, solvent-free adhesives, and water-based wood finishes that not only eliminate many of the suspected and known carcinogens, but often perform better than traditional products.
Finally, ventilation is key to keeping and maintaining indoor air quality for healthier living. Green building practices encourage well-sealed duct systems, sealed combustion gas appliances, bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans, and a balanced or slightly positive pressure ventilation system, which work together to improve indoor air quality and keep you comfortable and healthy.
Adequate ventilation is especially important in green building as it can reduce the potential for mold growth and buildup of allergens and other particulates. With tighter construction of the exterior envelope, ventilation is essential to allow excess moisture to escape so it doesn't get trapped in your home's living space and building cavities, causing health problems for your family and moisture damage to the building components.
Less maintenance and higher durability
Today's building codes set the standards for home construction to ensure your safety in your home. Our Ec-Impact building approach goes beyond those minimum standards, allowing use to well exceed them. We build using premium materials that are more durable and construction practices that often exceed building code requirements. The combination of industry standards and our Eco-Impact approach enhances your home's performance and reduce maintenance and replacement costs, thereby raising its overall value.
Examples of such long-lasting materials and their applications include decking made from recycled plastic and wood fibers, durable tile or linoleum for floors, 50-year roofing materials, and fiber-cement siding. These can outperform their traditional counterparts by reducing maintenance and replacement costs.
Knowing you're being good to the environment
Eco-Impact building products and practices offer you the assurance that you are following environmentally friendly guidelines that help preserve our natural resources. A socially responsible step worthy of recognition, building green makes a strong statement about your dedication to the community and the environment.
Impacting more than your home itself, green building promotes the use of local products and materials that help stimulate local businesses and a diverse economy. This keeps your dollars working in your neighborhood and reduces energy consumption because there are less transportation costs. Materials like engineered wood products are encouraged because they efficiently make use of waste wood pieces, reducing environmental impacts of the wood industry. Recycled-content products productively use materials that would otherwise need to be hauled to landfills, and also reduce costs and impacts of producing products from virgin materials.
For additional information on Green Building and/or GreenPoint Rated, follow these links below:
Green Building Guidelines, Manuals & Checklists - Click HERE
GreenPoint Rated New Home Owner Brochure - Click HERE
Green Product Directory - Click HERE