Local Builder Goes Green in a Big Way
Handcraft Homes, LLC is building one of the first homes in
Central Virginia under the USGBC’s LEED for Homes program
Goochland, Virginia
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Local builder Handcraft Homes, LLC (
www.HandcraftHomes.net) is building one of the
very first homes in the Greater Richmond area under the
U.S. Green Building
Council’s LEED for Homes program (
click here to see LEED project list). This
program, first released in December of 2007, is arguably the most stringent
certification program in the country for building a home under green guidelines.
Handcraft Homes stands to be one of the first homes in Virginia to be certified under
this program in the “single-family” category.
While there are many green certification programs continually popping up trying to ride
the “green wave”,
LEED for Homes remains the most rigorous and well developed
program to date. The first LEED program was developed in 1998 and was geared
toward commercial buildings. Since then more than 14,000 projects have been
developed under LEED in all 50 states and in 30 countries.
When Handcraft Homes was founded in 2002 by brothers Wayne and Richard Grebe,
a commitment to quality was foremost in their minds. This is reflected by the
company’s slogan, quality, value, attention to detail. “This was the main reason we
entered into the building business”, said Wayne Grebe, President and CEO of
Handcraft Homes. “We looked around at the homes being built and said, ‘We can do
better.’ And because Handcraft Homes has always been committed to quality,
stepping into the green arena was a natural progression. Many aspects of green
building are just common sense to a quality-minded builder.”
The home is being built in Powhatan for Greg and Allison Dunaway on a piece of
family property (
click here for a detailed project description). When asked why the Dunaways were interested in building a green home, Allison Dunaway answered, “It's
important to me to set an example for our daughter, that we should all do our part to
minimize our impact on the environment. I also wanted to have her grow up in a
healthy house.” Greg Dunaway agreed and added, “I wanted to build a home with low
life-cycle costs, especially when considering the unstable and rising costs of energy.
It’s a win-win situation, good for my family's day-to-day budget and good for the
environment.”
It’s not hard to see why Allison Dunaway was especially interested in building a green
home. Mrs. Dunaway works as a Regional Enforcement Manager for the
Virginia
Department of Environmental Quality. She received her B.A. in Environmental
Science from University of Virginia and master’s degree from Virginia Tech in
Environmental Science & Engineering. “I wanted to practice what I preach, so to
speak”, said Mrs. Dunaway.
When asked why they chose Handcraft Homes as their builder, Greg Dunaway
answered, “Handcraft Homes was the first builder we spoke with that was genuinely
interested in green building.” Allison Dunaway added, “We chose Rich and Wayne
because they were genuinely excited about the project and its possibilities, as well
as committed to staying within our budget.”
Greg Dunaway is a Master Electrician with 10 years of electrical experience. He took
on the task of all the electrical work on their new home. This was a challenge for Mr.
Dunaway because the home was designed and constructed using SIPs (
Structural
Insulated Panels) for the walls and roofs. SIPs are essentially a foam core
sandwiched between two sheets of OSB (oriented strand board, which is similar in
use to plywood). SIPs have channels pre-bored through them, vertically and
horizontally to provide chases for electrical wiring. “This was my first time working
with SIPs”, said Greg Dunaway. “Since I was doing the work on nights and weekends,
there was no time for a learning curve.” Greg Dunaway is the Director of Business
Operations, PPD for Virginia Commonwealth University. He is also currently an MBA
student at VCU and holds a B.S.B.A. from there as well.
A typical SIP will deliver an
r-value of 13 to 14, as compared to a stick-built 2x4 wall
insulated with fiberglass at an r-value of 9 to 10. That’s about a 40% increase in the
energy retaining properties of a typical wall. This can translate to significant energy
savings in heating and cooling. However, the benefits are probably even greater
because SIPs virtually eliminate the main enemy of energy efficiency, and that’s
drafts.
Laroche Construction performed all of the framing on the Dunaway’s house.
When asked what he thinks about SIPs after his first experience with them, Mike
Laroche said, “All in all they were relatively easy to work with. With few exceptions
everything went together like it should.” Laroche went on to say, referring to the
process of gluing and caulking SIPs together during their assembly”, “One thing
though, it’s difficult not to get that caulking all over everything!”
When asked how Handcraft Homes differs from other builders he’s worked with,
Laroche said, “Handcraft Homes is a very detail oriented builder. They demand
quality work from all their subs, and as a result deliver a quality home to all their
customers. They don’t just cut their subs loose on a house. They are with us every
step of the way.”
The house was designed by Watershed Architects of Richmond, Virginia of which
Patrick Farley is the principal. Structural Insulated Panels figure prominently in many
of their designs. When asked what are the greatest obstacles to green building
becoming more fully utilized he said, “…demand for housing driven by awareness of
the full spectrum of benefits, affordable alternatives to conventional applications
(along with real understanding of first-cost versus life-cycle cost), and availability of
professionals with the know-how and education.”
As founding principal of
Watershed Architects, Mr. Farley has advocated
ecologically-sound design for over 20 years. He earned both his undergraduate and
graduate degrees from the University of Virginia and was the first LEED accredited
architect in central Virginia. He was also a founder & Vice Chairman of the
James
River Green Building Council (JRGBC).
Handcraft Homes is certainly doing their part to try and remove at least some of
those obstacles. Wayne and Richard Grebe both have completed training with
Earth
Craft House of Virginia, a local company providing green education, training and
certifications. A member of the U.S. and James River Green Building Councils,
Handcraft Homes is continually reassessing their methods and materials.
When asked why he thinks green building is important, Richard Grebe, the V.P.
and Operations Manager of Handcraft Homes, said, “I believe green building practices
are essential to the betterment of the standards of health, of individuals and the
environment, not to mention the long-term financial benefits of homeowners. I would
like to someday say, ‘I helped thousands of builders and home buyers build a home
with a better planet stewardship in mind.”
Many point to the difficulties involved in affording or constructing a green home.
On that issue Richard Grebe went on to say, “The most problematic aspect of green
building is having sub-contractor familiarity with products, and the product’s best form
of assembly and integration within the context of the architect’s design. We have
very competent and quality-oriented subs, and getting each person on the team
completely dedicated to the proper installation of building components is an
educational and cooperative process. For this reason, good communication is
paramount in green building.”
On that same point Greg Dunaway had to say this, “By far, the most challenging
aspect in building a green home was staying within our budget. However, I think we
have shown that you can build healthy and green and not have an astronomical
budget. We tried to incorporate systems that will allow us to further improve the
efficiency of our home in the future, as budget and pricing permits. The roof system
is set up to allow for ‘vegetated roofing’ and the electrical is set up to allow for
photovoltaic or wind generation once prices and technology become feasible.”
Wayne Grebe had this to say about the challenges of building green, “While green
building may require a bit more effort and usually costs a bit more to the homeowner,
the advantages and benefits far outweigh any difficulty. We face a much broader and
bigger challenge in our global environment. But that environment is not a thing, it is us. We need to stop looking at our world as being separate from us. You cannot describe a human being without referring to the context in which it lives. We all need to start living like the planet is our own body, which it fact it is.”
The Dunaways have graciously agreed to open their home to the public for viewing
and questions on Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28, from 10 am to 4 pm.
CONTACTWayne Grebe
Handcraft Homes, LLC
(804) 405-7609
(804) 556-3336
(fax)
wGrebe@HandcraftHomes.net
www.HandcraftHomes.net
