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The practice of 1) improving the efficiency with which buildings and
their sites use energy, water and materials, and 2) reducing building
impacts on human health and the environment through better sitting,
design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal-the complete
building lifecycle. 2. What is Sustainable Development? That which “meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.” 3. How do you define a green material? A green material has at least a few of these characteristics:
Back to top Many green products now cost the same as the conventional products they
are replacing. Spirit Builders will keep you informed as to all your
choices through the building process so that you can make the most
educated decisions at every juncture. Your home should cost the same as a
conventional home of the same quality. The addition of some systems such
as solar hot water, specialty fireplaces, certain insulations (but not
all) would increase the initial cost of the home but reduce the costs of
running the home for the long term. We at Spirit Builders feel that with careful planning from the very beginning stages a natural healthy home is as possible to build as a conventional home. One consideration to lower the cost is size. Many conventional homes are ill designed and much larger than they need to be. We have found that a good design allows for the addition of higher end finishes while keeping costs down. You also may want to consider helping with various aspects of the
building process. Strawbale construction lends itself well to this. 6. What Qualifies you as a Natural Sustainable Builder? Jon and his team have been educating themselves about Natural Healthy
Sustainable building through courses , seminars , conferences , and
memberships as well as active participation in local green building
groups. We have devoted hundreds of hours to research and are committed to
this on going process of education. We now have an extensive library that
supports our work. We use the Built Green Colorado check list as a way in
which to meet true green building standards. Our homes qualify for the
Built Green Certification. Jon has been building in the Natural Home
sector since 1990 and has now increased his expertise to add health and
sustainability to his building practices. He has been presenting locally
to other builders and interested professionals and lay persons interested
in how to create natural healthy sustainable structures. Jon has completed
Colorado State Universities Green Builders Certification Program as well
as the Solar Energy International’s Passive Solar Design Program. 7. How are your practices as a green builder different than those of a traditional builder? We consider the entire building lifecycle. We protect the site by
minimizing ground disturbances and using construction fencing for all
significant landscape features. During construction we implement erosion
control measures to protect natural habitat and we work to minimize the
release of emissions into the soil and air. We separate and recycle waste
materials in accordance with the Waste management Plan. The contracts with
our subcontractors specify any materials that we expect to be used on the
job that may not be standard operating procedure such as : including a
higher percentage of fly ash in concrete, low voc paints, the use of local
materials, and water-based adhesives to name only a few. We use the Leed
guidelines and the GreenSpec Directory to focus our building practices and
give us a defined structure which can be documented. We use signs in
English and Spanish to communicate our desires for a healthy construction
site . Because of our research efforts to locate green materials and our
continuing educational practices we are able to work with the
subcontractors in ways that do not increase costs necessarily. Our bid for
a project includes these building practices so that you are never
surprised by cost. Our projects are competitive with other traditional
builder costs. Please contact us with any questions: 970- 390-1561 or spiritbuilders@colorado.net |
PO Box 6927 Breckenridge, Co. 80424 (970) 390-1561 spiritbuilders@colorado.net © 2003 GTVideo Productions & JonRovick Construction |