In today’s industry, they call it green building, sustainable building, eco-friendly building,  just to mention a few. But whatever you call it these days “going green with your construction and remodeling” is all the new craze. Lumber yards, building material manufacturers, licensed commercial and residential building and remodeling firms, and ’shade-tree’ handy men are all now using environmentally friendly practices and materials. New product lines including everything from nails to windows are now available and offered as “green alternatives” to products from the past. The “green washing” is in full stride as everyone now wants to be part of the “going green movement”, to help the environment where and when they can. And undoubtedly the environment and property owners will benefit from everyone’s efforts in this movement. The homes across America are becoming more efficient and durable as the “green movement”  forges ahead but, there is still plenty of unanswered question and reason for concern.

Legacy Home Builders in Western North Carolina’s first area of concern are the licensed builders and re-modelers that claim to use “sustainable” or “green” practices without going through any professional, certified training. Green technology is constantly evolving and in most areas are technical and expensive. Understanding how and when to properly use them is imperative in providing a high performing structure without needlessly spending the clients money. Legacy Home Builder knows the products and how to use them the right way.

The fundamentals are basic and easy to understand.

• Everyone knows that a on-demand water heater saves energy. But understanding the condensing rate and the advanced plumbing techniques are what really makes the difference in efficiency.

•  Spray foam insulation is always more efficient. But understanding the benefits of closed and open cell foam and the different applications for each make all the difference in cost and eliminates problems in the future.

These are just a few of many variables to make your “green” efforts the best choices when working on your project.

At Legacy Home Builders our point is make sure your choice in working with a professional is just that, and they can back up their promises with actual education and certifications that are up to date in this constant evolving industry. This information can’t be maximized by reading a trade magazine or internet article, it takes true education and knowledge on the materials available to you, the consumer, and the best way to apply them to your project.

My second concern is the longevity of many of the new green products being produced.

Many of the products claim amazing results that will last a life time. However, as an example, do you remember the composite siding recall and class action lawsuits a decade ago? It was the product of the future that was going to be durable, resistant to rot, mold, decay, fire, and dents and dings. It turned out to be far from that and actually caused significant damage to property resulting in costly repairs that burdened homeowners all across America.

With this example, Legacy Home Builders makes sure that we don’t jump on every product band wagon that is marketed at the “New Trend” but rather looks at new products with a skeptical eye and properly research and study them before recommending and installing them. While the majority of new products are durable and can deliver their promises, there are no long term studies or trials available so many of these products may not be all they say they will be in the next five years. Its up to you and especially your builder to do the research and homework to find the products that have the lasting qualities you are expecting. Yet another reason to require credentials of actual education, licenses, and certification from your builder.

As you embark on your project make sure follow through on your due diligence, a little research on your builder will pay off in dividends. Make sure their promises are based on pertinent educated and current license.  In today’s building industry, a high performing structure is more advanced and demanding and with the proper contractor like Legacy Home Builders, your structure can still be cost effective, demand increased value, and last a life time.  And as always, demand permits are pulled anytime electrical, plumbing, HVAC systems, or structural repairs are made…….by following through with this, it will pay off and be beneficial in the long run.

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions you may have pertaining to specifics in the new construction you may be planning or the renovation of any existing property. I’d be more than happy to meet and discuss your needs.

Ben Bergen, CGP*
President, Legacy Home Builders, Inc.
Vice President, Jackson County Home Builders Association
(828) 507-8582
(828) 631-1421
*Certified Green Builder Professional

HomeTrust Bank of Western North Carolina has endorsed Ben Bergen and Legacy Home Builders, Inc. for the resale of projects completed on time and on budget.

August 26, 2010

To whom it may concern:

It is without hesitation that I recommend Ben Bergen and the team of Legacy Home Builders of WNC, Inc. for anyone seeking new construction, or remodeling of an existing structure. Ben has consistently impressed me with his take-charge attitude and his ability to take personal ownership on the projects we have asked him and his team to complete.

Ben has a real talent when it comes to looking at a project and seeing creative ways to finish or remodel a property that will enhance its value. Ben’s team at Legacy is very good at adding value. When they encounter issues on a site they are quick to call and make rational, cost-effective, recommendations to mitigate any problem that has arisen. When you are working with foreclosed  properties you often encounter unexpected problems, Legacy Home Builders of WNC, Inc., has dealt with these issues in a fashion that is both efficient and at the same time effective.

One project I would like to highlight that Legacy completed for us was an unfinished spec home. Ben’s team took on the job: they renewed permits and had the uncompleted home finished in 3 weeks. Their work encompassed landscaping, adding septic, HVAC, electric, plumbing, finished carpentry, flooring, carpet, and painting. The finished product was flawless and HomeTrust bank had a contract on the home within 2 days of listing the home for sale. This is unheard of in our current real estate market.

I recommend Ben and his team at Legacy Home Builders of WNC, Inc. without any reservations. I am very confident in their abilities and I feel that anyone that works with them will be incredibly satisfied with the work they do.

Sincerely,

L. Brent Allison

Special Assets Manager

HomeTrust Bank

Typically, I am suspicious of lists with an even number of ten items on it. It makes me think only eight or nine could be found and they made up a couple. Today, I am breaking my own rule and bringing you the ten most often asked questions I receive about green building.

After nearly 15 years in green building, I have observed widespread misunderstanding of some basic principals of sustainability. In the future, all buildings will be green. It is inevitable in order for our species to survive. The sooner everyone comes to a basis of understanding how to be environmentally responsible, the better off we all will be.

These are the most common questions I receive in regards to building green:

1. Why do green buildings cost more than traditional buildings?

This is not true and a common misconception promoted by ignorant architects and contractors afraid of building in a different way. A good architect knows how to save their clients money. The client sets the budget, and a project should come in below that budget. With a clear direction of budget, there is no reason you cannot build a green building for the same price or less than a traditional building.

The issue arises when you try to compare “apples and oranges.” For instance, if you are comparing a building with solar panels to a traditional building without solar panels, of course it appears the traditional building costs less. This is focusing solely on the up-front cost of building. This model fails to take into account how the building with solar panels will immediately begin producing energy and lowering your monthly electricity bill. The lifecycle cost of the solar building will be much less. This monthly benefit, called a return on your investment, quickly pays for any additional up-front cost for purchasing the solar panels.

Numerous studies have shown investments into green products and systems will pay for themselves at least ten times over the life of the building. Luckily, the benefits and opportunities to save money on the operational costs are enormous. The combination of energy savings, water reduction and maintenance costs will catch the attention of building owners and translate to bottom line benefits.

The first step is energy efficiency. If every home in the U.S. used an Energy Star refrigerator, we could close ten aging power plants.

The next step is energy reduction. Replacing your burnt out light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road. Natural light easily replaces the need for lights in the first place.

The energy savings alone in a green building could pay for green improvements several times over with a return on investment within 1-7 years.

In the case where you are comparing similar materials, the costs end up being the same. For instance, a bamboo floor installs the exact same way as a traditional wood floor. The material costs are now the same, and use of the bamboo does not result in the clear cutting of a forest.

Finally, green buildings offer social benefits not easily seen. Student test scores are 15% higher in spaces lit with natural daylight. WalMart has discovered their retail sales increase in stores with natural light. Office workers report greatly reduced absenteeism in an environment with natural, non-toxic materials.

Although there are green materials that cost more than their traditional counterparts, there are also many more whose cost is far below the standard. Advances in recycling, new materials and better designs have allowed for a new generation of environmentally-friendly products that are less costly to produce. Of course, green materials also have a very important long term benefit of not destroying our planet’s resources.

2. What is a “LEED” building?

Since it’s founding in 1991, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has emerged as a recognized and respected leader among green professionals.

To help the construction industry define green building, the USGBC discovered a need for a method of scoring buildings to evaluate their “green-ness.” LEED is their green building rating system, which defines a voluntary guideline for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

LEED has quickly become the industry standard for green building in the United States. Today, LEED buildings can be found in 12 countries and all 50 states. There are currently over 20,000 LEED Accredited Professionals trained in this rating system and nearly 2,000 buildings on their way to certification. This represents about 8 percent of the U.S. new construction market, and this number is growing quickly.

Still in it’s early stages, some have found LEED to be confusing and difficult to implement. While LEED lists prescriptive requirements, there are no practical applications listed. A member of the construction team is left to guess how to meet the qualifications of each LEED point.

The USGBC had enough foresight to understand this, and the LEED system is structured to be open ended and consensus-based. The systems is continually being refined and draft versions are left open for comment and debate. In the near future, LEED will simply get better and better.

The LEED system works by dividing the building into five categories:

1. Sustainable Sites
2. Water Conservation
3. Energy & Atmosphere
4. Materials & Resources
5. Indoor Environmental Quality

LEED lists opportunities for a building to earn points in each. The final number of points determines the green level of the building, rated as Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

To date, LEED has been adopted by 8 federal agencies, 20 states and 41 U.S. city and county governments as the green standard in the construction of all municipal facilities.

This widespread acceptance of LEED will ensure future versions will overcome any criticism.

3. What do you mean by a “green” building?

Buildings of the world consume:

• 40% of the world’s energy & materials
• 25% of the wood harvested
• 17% of our water

The average American house uses:

• 13,127 board feet of lumber
• 6,212 square feet of sheathing
• 2,000 square feet of flooring

In the U.S., buildings account for:

• 36% of total electricity consumption
• 62% of electricity use
• 30% of greenhouse gas emissions
• 37% of ozone depletion potential

And, ironically enough, most of us spend 90% of our time indoors.

Our way of life is killing us. Our buildings consume over 40% of our energy and resources and their use represents 70% of our total consumption. The environmental damage caused in the last hundred years is a direct result from how our buildings are built. Architects, designers, and all building professionals are in a position to affect great change on our environment, moreso than any other group, since our buildings are responsible for most of the damage.

“Green building” (also known as “sustainable,” “ecological,” and “eco-designed”) is a way of looking at buildings in terms of reducing energy use, conserving water, improving indoor air quality, and reducing dependence on our natural resources. Although the basic concepts for green building have been around for decades, it has only been in the last few years that we have seen this explosive growth in the greening of the construction industry.

Once only of interest to hard-core environmentalists, the rise in energy prices, our dependence on fossil fuel and growing concerns over the damage done to our planet has boosted green building into the spotlight of mainstream interest.

Today, those in the business of designing and constructing buildings are faced with the new challenge of environmental responsibility. The rise in energy costs, shortage of building materials and growing consumer demands are driving this market to seek out better and more efficient ways to build our buildings. In addition, new legislation, stricter building codes, and rising health costs are forcing builders to build green whether they want to or not.

Research has shown that although an overwhelming majority of designers feel a responsibility to offer green building solutions, only a fraction of them do so. They blame this discrepancy on a “lack of information.”

More important than any statistic however, is the good feeling you have when you know you’ve done what’s right for both your family and your community. Promoting continued health, financial savings, and social responsibility, Green building is the construction standard for the future, and the smart solution for today.

4. What is indoor air quality?

Asthma, once rated seventh, is now the leading chronic illness in children. One of the primary causes of asthma is indoor air quality. The toxic chemicals found in most common building materials have been linked to asthma and other respiratory problems. The importance and need for green building is increasing exponentially as our health is affected.

Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality problems in homes. Inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and humidity levels can also increase concentrations of some pollutants.

There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion sources such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings as diverse as deteriorated, asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.

Apart from controlling the materials inside a building, the best way to control indoor air quality, especially in existing buildings, is through an increase in natural ventilation. With a lack of fresh air, pollutants will accumulate to levels that can pose serious health and comfort problems.

Asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, including 6.3 million children. Since 1980, the biggest growth in asthma cases has been in children under five. In 2000 there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million school days missed each year.

The consequences of poor indoor air quality go beyond mere comfort issues and extend into that of our future health.

5. Which is better: a recycled material or a natural material?

Recycled or natural? This question harkens back to the old “paper or plastic?” debate. In reality, most architects and contractors do not want to get into a philosophical (and perhaps even semantic) argument about the pros and cons between these two types of materials.

There is no perfect material. All materials have some negative impact on our environment. The key is in setting priorities for the project.

For instance, for a residential kitchen countertop preference might be given to non-toxic and non-off-gassing materials. The indoor air quality and the health of the inhabitants (I believe) are more important than anything else. In the walls, perhaps using recycled plastic vapor barriers makes more sense.

Our society is undergoing a difficult transition as we move out of the Industrial Age and into the “Ecotopian” age. I have many friends who would eschew any and all plastics, even if they were 100 percent recycled. I tend to be a little more practical. While we have this over-abundance of plastic heading for a landfill, perhaps it is wise to use this up in the form of recycled plastic products. I have set the next 5-7 years as a grace period for the use of recycled plastics in my own practice. After such time, and the supply of virgin plastics have been reused, the need for any oil based plastics will have been replaced with naturally based alternatives.

There are natural materials that off-gas (such as the natural occurrence of formaldehyde in wood). Simply being a natural material does not guarantee the health of that material.

As the designer, you will have to determine the appropriate material for the given installation. By setting your priorities for the health, energy use, durability and other factors will help you decide.

6. How can I determine if a material is green or not?

The biggest obstacle in the adoption of green materials is a lack of understanding of how to look at materials. Our old method of “price first, features second, appearance last” is short sighted and explains how we put ourselves in this environmental catastrophe.

The primary thing one must understand about green materials is to realize it is not black and white issue. There is no one perfect green material. All materials have both positive and negative environmental attributes. The key is in understanding which of these will benefit your specific project.

For example, many people will ask me if concrete is a “green” material. They want a simple “yes” or “no” answer. But the real answer is not so black and white.

If we look at the good things about concrete:

• durable, (technically) recyclable, natural, non-offgassing, made from natural sand, stone, and water, and
• we can see it casually appears to be a green material.

But on the other hand, the bad thing about concrete is it’s chief ingredient, Portland Cement. Portland Cement is mined out of the Earth, heated to intense temperatures and as a by-product this releases tons of greenhouse gas. Suddenly, the green concrete you hoped for is a potentially bad source of pollution.

So how do we resolve this? How do you take a complex issue of concrete and look at it in a black-and-white way?

Perhaps you remember a few years ago, when dolphins were getting caught in the tuna fishing nets. There was a large outcry among consumers, “Don’t buy tuna! It is killing the dolphins!” After all, dolphins are cute and deserve to be protected. (The tuna, I guess, were not cute enough for saving.)

With the news of Flipper dying in a tuna net, the public responded and tuna sales plummeted. The industry changed seemingly overnight. What would otherwise be a complicated issue of marine fisheries, agriculture and industry was reduced to the beautifully black and white dictum of “Don’t buy tuna!”

So getting back to our example of concrete. How do we make concrete appear to be a black and white issue?

If the main problem with concrete is its content of Portland Cement, we can replace up to 50% of that Portland Cement with a material called fly ash. Fly-ash is a by-product of the coal industry. It is typically buried in a land fill where it seeps mercury into our water table. By putting it into our concrete mix, it turns out the fly ash makes the concrete stronger and more workable.

Is concrete a green material? Fly ash concrete is a green material.

This is how you make something into a black and white issue. This is the process you must go through with every material in your building.

Is wood a green material? FSC-certified Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council is a green material.
Is steel a green material? High recycled content steel is a green material.

Ask yourself these six questions when looking at any material:

1. Where did this material come from?
2. What are the by-products of its’ manufacturer?
3. How is the material delivered and installed?
4. How is the material maintained and operated?
5. How healthy are the materials?
6. What do we do with them once we are done with these materials?

This is a shorthand approach looking at the entire lifecycle of a material.

7. Where can I purchase green building materials and products?

The primary complaint people make in regard to green materials is their inability to find them. Given the ubiquity of such systems as LEED and Energy Star, finding green materials has never been easier.

Several clear sources come to mind:

• Internet Searches: A recent search for “green materials” on the Internet yielded thousands of results. The way to filter these into a usable form is to look to the experts.
• Building Green: The publishers of the Environmental Building News and GreenSpec have put all of their unbiased and perfectly presented information together in a wonderfully straightforward site. Their reasonable fee (one week subscriptions start at $12.95) will provide access to their wealth of research reports and product findings. Organized by CSI categories and Homeowner Categories, BuildingGreen has emerged as the Consumer Reports of green building.
  1. 2.                      GreenHomeGuide: Although targeted at homeowners, GreenHomeGuide provides reviews and descriptions of green products by the real professionals using them. Their Know-How sections provide all of the information you would need for greening a kitchen or a bathroom.
• Sales Reps: If you already have relationships with the sales representatives coming to your office, communicate to them your desire for more green products. Start the conversation and you will be surprised by the suggestions they provide.
• American Institute of Architects: For years, the AIA COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT (COTE) has been a place where architects could discuss how to green their buildings. Although the resources and influence of the COTE varies by AIA Chapter, you may find a whole world waiting for you full of knowledgeable architects ready to help you.
• US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL: A valuable source for data in regard to green building, great for making the argument to skeptical developers and city officials. One of the reasons for the creation of the USGBC was to provide a credible authority on green building, so use them as such. You can point to their combined experience and knowledge to find hundreds of reports and case studies.
• Local Showrooms: Each month new showrooms are opening up around the country offering green materials. While these initially opened up around the green buildings hubs (San Francisco, Austin, Portland) new stores are open in Santa Monica, Chicago, and even Fairfield, Iowa.
• City Offices: Dozens of cities have a Department of the Environment or equivalent concerning themselves with green building, environmental justice and toxics disposal. If you cannot locate one in your city, look at the county and state level. Your local recycling collection company can also point you to a waste management authority or commission. Such departments are invaluable resources and will be able to provide you with information you never knew existed.

8. Are there any building code restrictions on the use of green materials?

One would assume a building code would favor green materials, given their tendency toward less toxic materials.

In reality, building codes have little input in regards to the finishes or fixtures in a building. Generally, codes exist to protect the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants. You should be able to use green finish materials as freely as traditional building materials.

The structural members in a building (walls, floors or beams), do impact the occupant health, safety and welfare, and, therefore, fall into the purview of the local building code.

Alternative materials such as straw bale or adobe, despite it’s time tested history, are still not accepted by many building departments. Cost-saving measures such as the use of finger jointed wood studs are also frowned upon by the local building inspectors. You will have to check with your local building department before planning any construction project with these non-traditional methods.

Any wood intended for structural use must be inspected and grade stamped prior to use, or it will not comply with the building code. Ask the supplier for grade stamps, some provide this service in house for a reasonable fee. This does not apply to finish and non-structural wood.

That said, it is always best to check with your local jurisdiction before using any materials.

9. Why should I care about green building?

With most of us spending more than 90% of our time indoors, green building is the healthy, common sense choice for a better life. In traditional construction, the quality of our indoor environment is often far more polluted than outdoor one due to the building materials, inadequate lighting, and a variety of other variables.

Green Buildings are sited, designed, constructed and operated to enhance the well-being of occupants, and to minimize negative impacts on the community and natural environment. Our 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.

Logically, our society can no longer build this way. It is simply a matter of time before we run out of the resources needed. The sooner we change our habits and how we build our buildings, the better position we will be in to minimize the devastation.

In the future, all buildings will be green. This is inevitable. Soon, we will have no choice.

But perhaps the best justification of Green Building is how you cannot afford to not employ green principles. The occupants and owners of a building are losing money on every green feature they discarded. Architects are in a position to save their clients a great deal of money in the operational costs of a building. After all, a great deal more will be spent on the operations, maintenance and employees in a building than ever was spent upon initial construction costs.

In short, a green building has the potential to:

• Provide a healthier and more comfortable environment
• Improve long-term economic performance
• Incorporate energy and water efficient technologies
• Reduce construction and demolition waste
• Bring higher resale value
• Include renewable energy technologies
• Improve indoor air quality and occupant satisfaction
• Are easier to maintain and built to last

All of these will save your clients money. Do you think that will get a building owner’s attention?!

10. This all seems to make logical sense to me. Why aren’t ALL buildings built to be green?

Research has shown that 83% of designers feel they have a responsibility to offer green solutions to their clients, but only 17% do so. They blame this difference on “not enough information.”

In truth, the construction industry represents 20% of the U.S. economy, comprising $1.27 trillion of our gross domestic product. With such large amounts of money and influence, the construction industry is inherently risk adverse. We have been building our buildings in relatively the same fashion for the last hundred years. What is the incentive for an architect, contractor or developer to add risk?

Luckily, the numerous benefits within green building are causing the industry to take notice. The initial acceptance was towards green finishes, where the risk is low. After all, it is the same exact process to install a bamboo floor as an old growth wood floor.

The next wave of adoption was in systems to add to the building. Solar panels can be placed on the roof without much risk. They are simply added to the project much in the way one would add a heating system.

The final surge in acceptance is now being seen in structural systems of the building. This final obstacle is slowly being overcome as developers realize a stuck frame building in Minnesota is different from a stick frame building in Arizona.

Platform and balloon frame construction have been around since the 1830’s. Invented as a direct result of the mass production of nails and dimensional lumber, balloon framing allowed low skill workers to put together a building. At the time, this system was ideal for the rapidly growing population and their expansion westward. The art of joinery was almost completely lost and millions of new homes were able to be built in areas previously thought impossible.

Now we see the limitations and problems with such a system. Once you build out of sticks, the structure has to be insulated, sheathed, wrapped and waterproofed. All of these weaknesses are opportunities for you as the designer to minimize the ecological impact.

The trick to widespread adoption lies in showing the industry the benefits far outweigh any perceived risk. In order to build out of an alternative construction method, you will have to sell client and contractor on the idea in order to succeed. You can do this in three simple ways:

1. Experiment with a productized construction system: rather than start with building out of Adobe, perhaps an easier sell to your client would be an alternative construction system sold as a product. Green construction methods such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s) and Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF’s) have emerged as a viable alternative to the 175 year old method of frame building.
2. Visit other construction sites using this technology; see firsthand how other builders are using these materials. Talk to them about the process.
3. Ask your sales representative for help: when reviewing any product, the sales reps are there to support your decision making. Ask them to present to your client or contractor in order to convince them of the viability of this material.

By more architects and contractors opening up themselves to new ideas, we will see more buildings built in an environmentally responsible manner.

Hiring a Licensed Contractor.

The cost of buying and owning a home is probably the biggest investment made by most people in their lifetime. Property owners therefore often look for the lowest price when looking to build or remodel a home. Since most unlicensed contractors are not bonded or insured and do not pay into the residential contractors’ recovery fund or pay any unemployment compensation for their workers, they can often under bid the licensed professional. This bottom line may at first be attractive to the property owner, as a way to lower costs and save money. Most of the time, it is not.

With the unprecedented growth in the country, and especially in the southwest, hundreds and even thousands of “would-be” contractors have appeared. People who may have worked as a laborer or a framer for a short period of time decide that they are ready to start their own business. In spite of the fact that they lack sufficient capital and experience, they print up flyers, distribute business cards and place an ad in the yellow pages.

In an attempt to get “the best price”, the unsuspecting customer calls the number listed on the flyer or in the ad and asked for a bid. Often, such operations are run out of a mail drop or on an answering machine, but someone usually calls the customer back. When you get the bid, you are really pleased at how much this person / company says they can save you.

You may even see “licensed, bonded and insured” on the business card or in the ad. Then the story begins. The contractor tells you he is going to need a large portion of the money up front. He may say he needs it to purchase materials, or to pay workers for another job where the property owner is slow to pay. He may even tell you about the unexpected medical bills he had to pay for a sick child (that he really doesn’t have), in hopes of gaining your sympathy.

At first things may seem fine. In a day or two a worker shows up and starts measuring, or a small load of material is delivered to the job site. Then the excuses begin. After a week has passed, with no work being done, you call your unlicensed contractor. All you get is a recorded message, so you leave a message, politely requesting a return phone call. Several more days passed, with no response, so you call and leave another message, not as polite as the first. When the contractor does call, he is very apologetic and tells you about some catastrophe involving either his truck, his family, his help or another job he just had to complete. He promises to get right on your job the next day. A week later he still hasn’t shown up, or he does show up and says he needs more money.

Sound ridiculous? Well it happens every day, often with the consumer losing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You, as the property owner have little recourse other than to pursue the matter in court.

Hiring a licensed contractor offers many additional protections to the property owner, especially regarding residential property. First of all, a contractor can not obtain a license without possessing a minimum amount of experience and must pass a business management test. The applicant also may be subjected to a criminal history background check, and must not have any unresolved contracting complaints outstanding.

Should you experience the above problems with licensed contractor, you as a residential property owner have significant protections not available to persons utilizing an unlicensed contractor. Among them is the ability to file a complaint against the contractor’s license, in most cases, for a period of two years from the date of occupancy or date the last work was performed. This is your guarantee should the workmanship be below standard or in violation of existing codes.

Many log-home owners believe that once they move into the dream home they designed and built, it will be perfect forever. After a few years, however, you may decide it’s time for a makeover or even an addition. Perhaps you already live in a log home and find yourself in this position now.

Remodeling, whether for cosmetic improvements or structural changes, is more popular then ever with all homeowners, not just those living in log homes. Of course, like any major undertaking, the first thing to do is figure out how you will pay for your re-do.

Not all houses can financially support a major remodeling project. While minor improvements or repairs will keep your home’s value from declining, it can be difficult to recoup the cost of major renovations until some time has passed and appreciation has occurred.

Some remodeling choices have greater immediate value than others. The kitchen, bathrooms and master bedroom all enhance the value of the home when remodeled. Of course, these can also be the most expensive of upgrades, and if you overdo it or make it unique, you could have difficulty seeing those dollars come back to you if you ever do decide to sell.

Adding square footage can benefit a house greatly, particularly if the home is an older one that is smaller than today’s buyers want or than other homes nearby. Just be sure not to expand too far past the size of the typical houses in the area. Overbuilding not only makes it harder to recoup building costs, but also could negatively impact your ability to sell the home in a moderate or slow market. Buyers may pay a little more for a slightly larger home than others around it, but they are more likely to search for someplace with bigger homes in general rather than pay a large premium for a giant home among smaller ones.

Pay careful attention to aesthetics and usability when planning your remodel. Not everyone is an expert on good design, but most people are critics when the design is poor. It’s important to preserve the architectural integrity of a log home so that it maintains curb appeal to future buyers. Be aware that adding odd-shaped rooms or causing strange traffic patterns might be OK for you, but they could drastically reduce the home’s marketability.

Try to finish all at one time. Partially finished projects often suffer devaluation problems, in spite of the owner’s good intentions.

Remodels can be costly, and not everyone has sufficient savings to pay for work that can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. If your house has equity in it that exceeds the cost of your remodel, you may be able to tap this equity to cover your remodeling costs. One popular way is through a home equity line of credit, or HELOC.

HELOCs can be beneficial if your first mortgage is at a low interest rate and you’re not sure how much of the money you are going to use. HELOCS are large credit lines that allow you to draw money and pay it back as you wish. You pay only interest on the amount you draw off the line, so you can keep your payments down if you don’t need all the money.

More of this article appeared in the September 2007 issue of Log Homes Illustrated.

A step-by-step guide to refinishing your cabinets

by: Donna Peak

If you’re one of the thousands who suffer from KDS (Kitchen Dissatisfaction Syndrome), fear not—there’s hope. And the remedy may be as simple and inexpensive as a coat of paint on your cabinetry. A healthy dose of color may be all that your kitchen needs to get on the road to recovery.

As with all prescriptions, follow the directions closely.

What You’ll Need

• Newspaper or drop clothes
• Painter’s tape
• Degreaser & rags for cleaning
• Paint brushes or spray equipment
• Primer
• Tinted paint
• Polyurethane
• New door hardware

Get Started

Step 1. Prep the area. Tape around the edges of the cabinet boxes to keep stray paint off the walls and lay drop cloths or newspaper to catch drips.

Step 2. Remove all cabinet hardware.

Step 3. Prepare the cabinets for their new coat of paint by cleaning all wooden parts (doors, frames, etc.) with a degreaser and lightly sand out any rough areas or peeling paint or varnish.

Step 4. Apply a primer, like Kilz, to the prepped cabinets.

Step 5. Start painting. More than one coat of color may be necessary to achieve your desired look. If so, lightly sand between coats. If you want a distressed look, sand a little heavier around edges and details so the undercoat can show through.

Step 6. Apply a coat of polyurethane to seal the paint, which will protect it from chipping or peeling and make it easier to clean. Again, more than one coat may be needed; lightly sand between coats.

Step 7. Keep cabinets in a dust free area during drying process to maintain a smooth final finish.

Step 8. Add new hardware to complete the makeover.

Good Advice

• Paints, varnishes and polyurethanes come in different finishes; satin, eggshell, semi-gloss, flat, high gloss. Know what you want before you start.
• Oil & water don’t mix so remember: Oil can be painted over latex, but latex cannot be painted over oil. It will peel eventually.
• Oil-based paints don’t leave brush strokes like latex paints do, but white oil-based paint will yellow over time. Oil-based paint is also more difficult to clean; whereas latex-based paint cleans up easily with water. Additives like Floetrol, which condition the paint and improves the coverage (saving you money), can reduce brush strokes in latex paints and give you that smooth oil-based-paint look.
• If you are spraying the final paint coat, be sure all cabinet doors are lying flat and out of the area of “spray dust,” which will create colored bumps on anything nearby.
• Hang cabinet doors vertically while drying to avoid dust from settling on them.

Additions are a great way to get more living out of your home. Here’s how.

by: Jim Cooper

Is it easier to build a second level or tack space onto the main floor?

That depends on a number of factors, including your building site, design of both your existing home and the proposed addition, and your budget. Because both options will likely affect the structure of your existing home, it’s important to discuss them with an architect, structural engineer or general contractor prior to construction.

One of the first considerations is how your existing home and foundation will carry the added weight. An architect, engineer or builder will first look at your proposed addition to determine how it will be supported, which may rule out certain possibilities either logistically or financially.

Most foundations can handle the weight of a second level without much modification. A simple addition could consist of adding a couple dormers to turn attic space into usable square footage, which should keep demolition and cost reasonable. (It’s more costly to remove the entire roof and add a full second story because you pay both to demolish a perfectly good roof and then replace it.)

Building Notebook

• Roof removal often makes adding a second level more costly, but space restrictions may prohibit a main-level add-on.
• Use trim to separate old logs from new to prevent noticeable color differentiation between the wood.
• Check to see whether a wall is bearing before altering it, because such modifications may affect the structural integrity of the home.
• Consider non-log your addition to eliminate settling issues.
• Add a loft using joists, girder beams and supports.
• Check with local building officials to determine what types of permits and paperwork are needed tcomplete your project.

Two other factors to consider are how much time you’re able to leave the interior of your existing home exposed to weather and how you will access the upper level. In a dry climate during moderate weather, you may be able to handle being roofless for a couple weeks, but in most parts of the country, a lot of unpleasant possibilities can arise. Bad weather can damage your home, as well as extend construction time because outside work stops until decent weather returns.

Introducing a second level also means adding a staircase. A basic staircase requires an area roughly 12 to 16 feet long and 3.5 feet wide; if you’re short on space, consider inserting a landing to break the runs into shorter lengths.

Expanding your main level is similar to building from scratch: Your addition will require its own foundation, walls and access to your existing home. Your builder will need to be concerned about how the walls and roof of the addition attach to the house.

If your site has the room, building out is usually less expensive than building up. Plus, building up means workers traipsing through your house and the noise of construction inside your home throughout the project; building out means the noise and activity take place mostly out of the regular flow of household activities.

Is it difficult to match up logs? Is any special staining required to make sure they’re consistent with the rest of the home?

Matching logs can be a challenge. Your existing walls may have had several years for logs to shrink and walls to settle. Joints between your new logs may initially match those in the existing walls when the addition is finished but be out of place after several years of shrinkage. Attempting to predict shrinkage and size logs is tricky because logs aren’t always predictable.

When adding a solid log addition to a solid log house, it’s best to set posts where the two meet and attach the logs to the post rather than each other. This allows the addition to respond independently to shrinkage and settlement. Points of attachment between the new and old buildings always pose some risks for air- and water-tightness, and energy efficiency. A weather-tight union requires skilled carpenters with experience working with logs.

Two other factors to consider are how much time you’re able to leave the interior of your existing home exposed to weather and how you will access the upper level. In a dry climate during moderate weather, you may be able to handle being roofless for a couple weeks, but in most parts of the country, a lot of unpleasant possibilities can arise. Bad weather can damage your home, as well as extend construction time because outside work stops until decent weather returns.

Introducing a second level also means adding a staircase. A basic staircase requires an area roughly 12 to 16 feet long and 3.5 feet wide; if you’re short on space, consider inserting a landing to break the runs into shorter lengths.

Expanding your main level is similar to building from scratch: Your addition will require its own foundation, walls and access to your existing home. Your builder will need to be concerned about how the walls and roof of the addition attach to the house.

If your site has the room, building out is usually less expensive than building up. Plus, building up means workers traipsing through your house and the noise of construction inside your home throughout the project; building out means the noise and activity take place mostly out of the regular flow of household activities.

Is it difficult to match up logs? Is any special staining required to make sure they’re consistent with the rest of the home?

Matching logs can be a challenge. Your existing walls may have had several years for logs to shrink and walls to settle. Joints between your new logs may initially match those in the existing walls when the addition is finished but be out of place after several years of shrinkage. Attempting to predict shrinkage and size logs is tricky because logs aren’t always predictable.

When adding a solid log addition to a solid log house, it’s best to set posts where the two meet and attach the logs to the post rather than each other. This allows the addition to respond independently to shrinkage and settlement. Points of attachment between the new and old buildings always pose some risks for air- and water-tightness, and energy efficiency. A weather-tight union requires skilled carpenters with experience working with logs.

Do

Consider the time of year and the amount of time you may be without a roof if you opt to add a second level.

Don’t

Overexpose your home to harsh weather and construction delays as a result of an ill-timed addition project.

Log additions also carry the challenge of blending the appearance of the existing logs with the new. Aged logs typically are darker than new ones. Stained logs may be difficult to match if the stain darkens over time. Isolating the new construction from the old with trim or other design features helps reduce potential differences in color.

Often the best solution for an addition is to use log siding over conventional framing or structural insulated panels (SIPs). Because log siding usually contains less moisture than solid logs, dimensions won’t change much, which improves the prospect of matching the log joints and makes it easier to create a tight seal.

What precautions do I need to take if bearing walls are involved?

Always talk to a structural engineer or builder before altering a bearing wall. Bearing walls carry part of the weight of your house and must be treated carefully to avoid injury to both you and your home. Outside walls that rest on a foundation are almost always bearing. Interior walls can also carry weight. Check the basement or crawlspace beneath the wall in question; if there are walls or posts located directly beneath it, the wall is probably bearing. Also check the roof framing: Walls that cross at right angles with ceiling joists are usually bearing; walls beneath room-spanning pre-fabricated trusses often are not.

Removing a door or window to create access to your addition is fairly simple as long as you don’t widen the opening. In bearing walls, such features have headers that take the load from above and route it to either side of the opening. You can remove a door or window along with the piece of wall below the window without disturbing the structure. If you plan to widen the opening, however, you must install a new header after carefully installing temporary supports for the section of wall affected.

Does shrinkage need to be taken into account? If so, how?

Depending on the construction of your home and addition, shrinkage may be an important factor. If your home is solid log and fairly new, some settlement may be still occurring. This could strain connections to the addition and contribute to air and water leakage or structural issues.

If your solid log home is more than three or four years old, chances are most of the settlement has already taken place. However, adding a solid log addition introduces the possibility of settlement there. New walls may lose from 1 inch to several inches in height during their first years. This can create stress where the addition meets the house if the two aren’t joined properly.

To add an addition that may settle to an existing home that has finished settling requires skillful carpentry and familiarity with log construction. To avoid potential problems brought on by uneven settlement, try to isolate the log walls of the addition from the main home as noted previously to keep their settlement separate. Carpenters used to working with logs sometimes create slip joints that keep the wall joints tight as they settle. Building with the driest logs available also helps minimize shrinkage and settlement.

As an alternative, consider a timber-frame, conventional-frame or half-log-covered SIP addition to match the rest of the house. These systems don’t settle and should have little impact on your existing log home. It’s also easier to create a lasting, weather-tight union between your existing home and addition.

My ceilings are tall enough to allow for a loft. What type of reinforcement is needed to support this addition?

Adding a loft to a cathedral ceiling area can be an easy way to gain floor space. A loft floor consists of either heavy timber or conventional floor joists covered with sheathing and flooring. Depending on the length the joists will span, you may also need a girder beam supported by posts beneath it.

In the simplest loft floors, joist hangers attached to log walls support the floor joists. The joists are then covered with tongue-and-groove pine flooring. The joists may be dimensional lumber (2-by-10s or 12s) or heavy timbers (4- or 6-by-8s). Talk to a builder, architect or engineer to determine the proper size of the joists and the size and placement of additional supports. If your joist spans are 16 feet or less, you may be able to build your loft without supports.

Any projects that are particularly challenging or should be avoided?

With research and careful planning, your only limitations are your imagination and your budget. Architects and engineers often save you far more than they cost by recognizing potential pitfalls or unexpected possibilities. Check building requirements with local building officials. In many areas, you will need a building permit, as well as specialty permits, such as electrical, plumbing, footings and foundation, for your project. You may also need to submit blueprints and structural drawings that have been approved by an architect or licensed engineer.

Expert Roofing Advice. Here are 15 tips.by: Charles Bevier

When selecting roofing materials, consider your log home’s design, the climate where you’re building and your budget, as well as any special values (like using local or eco-friendly products).

1. Nurture Nature: “A roof’s design should blend in with the topography,” says Ken Pieper, co-owner of Ken Pieper and Associate, who has designed luxury mountain homes for more than 35 years. “If a roof is designed well, you should almost have to search to find your home within the landscape.”

2. Smart Slopes: A key component of your roof’s design will be its pitch (or slope). Generally speaking, the steeper the slope, the more attractive (and expensive) the roof. Roof pitch is determined by vertical “rise” over horizontal “run,” with the denominator always being 12. So if a roof rises at a rate of six inches per horizontal foot, it has a 6/12 slope — the most common for homes (although 8/12 and 12/12 are also popular).

3. Hot or Cold: Underneath the roofing material, homes have either a “cold” or “hot” design. For a cold roof (used in northern climates), the attic is ventilated with ridge and soffit vents — allowing heated air to escape, which keeps the roof deck cool. This equalized roof temperature helps prevent ice dams from forming. A hot roof design, used in warmer climates, has no ventilation and its insulation is on the underside of the roof deck. This prevents heat gain through the attic. And don’t forget to measure the depth of your attic insulation to make sure it conforms to local building codes.

4. SIP Tips: An alternative to a cold roof system is to opt for structural insulated panels (SIPs), which don’t require ventilation. These large, thick panels exhibit superior thermal performance, says Gary Trudell, national sales manager at Eagle Panel Systems. The SIP building system offers proven energy efficiency, which reduces your energy costs over more conventional fiberglass insulation.

It’s also a quicker way to enclose the roof of your home, typically in a day or two, which reduces the likelihood of weather-related damage to the interior of your home. To further speed construction, Eagle Panel offers pre-finished, tongue-and-groove paneling on the interior side of the panels.

5. Brain Freeze: If, despite your best efforts, winter causes ice dams or icicles to form on your roof, your home can be seriously damaged by water infiltration, rot, mold and mildew. Jerry Taylor, a roofer, offers this fix: “You want to increase attic ventilation or insulation, preferably both.” Solar-powered roof-ventilating fans will increase air circulation. Also make sure soffit vents aren’t blocked with insulation.

6. Eaves Dropping: “To protect your home’s exterior log walls from snow, wind, ice and sun, you should include larger eaves — I usually recommend about four feet — in your roof design,” says Jerry Koski, co-owner with his wife Linda of Koski Log Homes. These overhangs can also provide cover over an entrance, balcony or porch.

7. Timber! : Many buyers want heavy timber roof systems with tongue-and-groove decking in their great rooms. But you’ll pay quite a bit for this luxury. If money is an object, request a conventional truss or rafter roof system, then add smaller, decorative timbers and tongue-and-groove decking that’s not structural. “You can drop the cost by more than a third while sacrificing very little in terms of the look,” says Mike.

8. Gutter Instinct: Gutters and downspouts are an essential part of a roof system, channeling water down and away from your home. If you don’t like their utilitarian look, opt for more decorative (but still effective) rain chains. Gutters can range from inexpensive aluminum to decorative copper, with a generous jump in price between the two.

Regardless, clear them of debris at least twice a year to keep them from overflowing. To keep your basement dry, make sure your splash-blocks divert rainwater at least six to nine feet away from your home.

9. Insurance Savings: The right roof could provide more than shelter from the store. By specifying roofing materials that are both impact- and fire-resistant, you may be able to save a bit on the cost of your home insurance, suggests Dick Hogan of Dick Hogan State Farm Insurance.

10. Have it All: Since roofs are such a large investment, comprehensive warranties are a growing trend. As a result, manufacturers will want you to buy their whole package, including weather barrier, underlayment and shingles or other roofing materials. If you use the whole package, you’ll get the total warranty.

11. Color Wheel: In addition to its aesthetic powers, the color of your roof can affect energy efficiency. Light colors reflect sunlight, which is good in hot climates. Dark colors work well in cold climates. Certain colors can also mitigate or enhance architectural features. Light colors often make a shallow-pitched roof seem taller, while dark ones make a steep roof seem less imposing.

12. Money Matters: When it comes to pricing labor and materials, roofing jobs are bid on a “per square” basis. A square is 100 square feet of roof space, regardless of whether proportions are 10 feet by 10 feet or five feet by 20 feet. Don’t despair if you can’t afford that long-lasting traditional material. It’s likely that an engineered “look-alike” alternative will serve you well — and save you money.

13. Code of Conduct: Local building codes may require your roofing material to be resistant to fire, hail or wind. They may also factor into the weight of your roofing material, which can range from about 250 pounds per square for asphalt shingles up to 2,000 pounds for some tile, slate and cement-based products. Building codes generally require a framing-system upgrade for anything more than 600 pounds per square, which can quickly lead to thousands of dollars in additional framing costs. Also, some residential developments have covenants governing what kind of roofing styles and materials are allowed.

14. Think Green: If using eco-friendly materials is a priority, there are a host of green options on the market. For example, if you want to harvest and store rain-water for gardening, consider a recycled metal roof. Green roofing options generally don’t cost any more than not-so-green options. But do consider your log home’s resale value, if that’s important to you.

While you may be enamored of shingles made from recycled tires, will the buyer of your home in 30 years be equally pleased with that choice? Maybe, maybe not. (Though, by that time, we hope high-performing recycled and renewable materials will enjoy wider awareness and appreciation.)

15. Living Roof: If you want to go super green, opt for a sod roof. “It makes a fine place to have a picnic,” says longtime builder Michael Peyton, who has installed sod roofs on handcrafted log homes. He starts with a beefed-up framing system (including 18-inch purlins and 10-inch rafters) to accommodate up to 40 tons of weight. Then he installs multiple sheathing membranes on the roof deck, followed by eight to 12 inches of soil topside, with gravel at the edges to act as a buffer. The cost is comparable to a metal standing-seam roof (about $100 a square in his market, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan).

Labor is the big issue. “You have to get the dirt up there somehow, either using a crane or a conveyor belt. We’ve found success using reusable burlap bags,” he says. Just don’t forget to weed occasionally — or hire a landscaper to do the honors.

On October 28, 2009, members of the International Code Council’s Residential Building Code Committee made it clear that fire sprinklers are destined to become a standard feature in all new homes. The fire sprinkler requirement was added to the International Residential Code (IRC) last year, and it is scheduled to become effective January 1, 2011 in states that adopt the latest version of this code. Currently, 48 states use the IRC as a basis of regulating residential construction; although, some states lag behind in adopting updates.

What is the estimated cost of a fire sprinkler system? The latest survey information was collected in 2007 by the NAHB Research Center. They collected information on sprinkler costs in a nationwide survey completed by 102 builders who built 5,527 homes with fire sprinklers in 2006. The survey results show that the median cost of installing fire sprinklers in the 5,527 homes was about $5,573. The median size of the surveyed homes was 2,271 square feet, very close to the 2,248 square feet reported by the federal government for homes built in 2006. Estimated costs include the materials, design, installation and inspection fees. Keep in mind that homes built on scattered rural building lots with private water supply may have increased costs associated with an installed fire sprinkler system.

While the installation of a fire sprinkler system will have an impact on housing affordability, some insurance companies offer discounts, most often in the form of a percentage off the basic premium. However, this discount only modestly offsets the increase in price of the sprinkler system for a typical new home buyer. Check with your home insurance company for further details on any discounts that may apply.

Want to avoid the increased cost of a sprinkler system? The time to build is 2010: Besides the dollar savings buyers can obtain on homeowner insurance policies, buyers may have other reasons for desiring for fire sprinklers, such as an added sense of security it gives them. But if you are someone looking to avoid the cost of installing a sprinkler system in your new home, the time to build is prior to January 1, 2011, the commencement of the IRC fire sprinkler system requirement for all new construction.

Did you know there’s a timeline for your log home’s construction loan? Here are the basics behind draw schedules.

By Joe Bousquin / Log Home Design

The draw of log-home living is obvious: Their rustic good looks and close-to-nature feel inspire us to fall in love with them time and time again. But, when it comes to financing, understanding the draw schedule behind your construction loan can be less clear.

When you apply for a construction loan, the bank doesn’t just hand you a lump sum of money, as it would with a traditional mortgage. Instead, it divides your loan into specific payments, or draws, that are given to you at pre-determined points during the building process. While this makes financing a little more complex, it’s actually a good thing. For one, you’ll only pay interest on money that’s been disbursed, so you won’t be charged on the full loan until your project is complete.

“Nobody wants to borrow the full amount up front and start paying on it right away,” says Troy Kennedy, who heads the log and timber lending team at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Wayzata, Minnesota. “Having different draw times regulates cash flow, and it enables you to pay less interest on the total amount of money being borrowed.”

It also helps a project stay on track. Banks will release the next round of funds only once each stage of the project is complete, and they’ll send their own inspectors to the site to make sure things are progressing as planned. “The inspector not only signs off on each line item, he looks at the project’s percentage of completion, as well,” Troy explains. “That’s to make sure the build never gets too far out of scale with the amount of funds that are still available to finish it.”

Here’s how a typical draw schedule works:

The first draw on a loan pays for the log package to be cut and delivered. That’s why it’s important to work with a lender who’s familiar with the log home industry, since traditional lenders might balk at paying for materials before they’re in place. The second draw will probably be dependent on the roof’s completion, and the bank inspector signing off on it. A third draw may be released when plumbing and electrical systems are installed and a fourth when interior and exterior finishes are complete. The final draw will be dispensed when an occupancy permit is issued.

The money from each draw typically is given directly to your builder, so it’s his responsibility to finance construction between each payment. With that said, you can request that your signature is required for each draw, so that your builder won’t be paid until you’ve authorized the release of funds. That way, you’ll have leverage if things aren’t done to your satisfaction or on your schedule.

Finally, most construction loans have a 12-month time limit before they convert into a permanent mortgage. If construction isn’t complete within that time frame, you could be charged a higher interest rate. So make sure the consequences of any unmet deadlines are spelled out up front. “I’d make it crystal clear that the builder pays any penalties incurred by a project going over schedule,” says Bob Gammache of Carteret Mortgage in Centreville, Virginia. “That’s one of the reasons why you want to have a good feel for your builder before you get started. You want to make sure you’re working with someone who will make it a point to get to your next draw on time.”

The most important thing to remember is that draw points are really an insurance policy for you, because the bank will keep tabs to make sure your project gets completed on time. This means you’ll be able to enjoy your new log home right on schedule