Eco-friendly Building and High Performance Homes

Thankfully, many home construction companies are becoming environmentally aware and employing eco-friendly building practices. On so many levels, building green is building smart – and building smart is what Keystone Development is all about. For this reason, we have been using green building.

Although our practices were not yet labeled “environmentally friendly”, we employed them because they were wise. Without any prompting from federal building codes stressing energy efficiency, our standard practices in this area continue to surpass all energy efficiency mandates for home construction. Here's how:

Site Planning:

  • Limiting soil erosion. Soil run off and damage to surrounding plant and animal habitats is prevented by implementing erosion control measures such as grading, and storm water management.
  • Preserving as much existing vegetation as possible.
  • Reuse of excavated materials such as fill and topsoil. Cleared trees and vegetation can be processed for mulch.
  • Proper home placement on the site in order to minimize clearing and grading activities and optimize/minimize solar exposure.
  • Preserving as much wildlife habitat as possible.

Energy Efficiency:

  • Utilizing extensive air sealing measures in order to produce a tight building envelope. This minimizes air leakage and reduces heating and air conditioning costs.
  • Reducing air transfer between conditioned and unconditioned areas by increasing insulation requirements. This leads to reduced heating and cooling costs.
  • Designing heating and cooling systems with increased insulation of air handling ducts which reduces air leakage and improves the efficiency of the system.
  • Recommending the use of Energy Star certified fixtures and appliances to all clients.

Resource Efficient Building Materials:

  • Construction materials can be manufactured with recycled materials such as engineered lumber which is manufactured from recycled wood products. Examples include truss roof systems, engineered beams, OSB sheathing and finger jointed studs.
  • Durable exterior materials with warranties ranging from 25 years to a lifetime can be used for roofing and siding, reducing the cost of home ownership and saving raw materials over the life of the home.
  • A variety of recycled materials, such as used glass, are used to make attractive counter tops.

Indoor Air Quality:

  • Constructing tighter building envelopes to prevent contamination of the indoor environment by airborne pollutants.
  • Employing additional air sealing measures and insulated doors at the house/garage intersection to prevent interior moisture build up.
  • Employing drainage, proper ventilation, and vapor barrier measures to help prevent moisture build up and mold contamination.