Page 4 - Green Builder Magazine March-April 2018 Issue
P. 4
EDITOR’S NOTE By Matt Power
The Inside Scoop Editor-in-Chief
Caption. Text
Building for the Owner You’ll Never Know
Award-winning homes begin with an attitude of service.
ACK IN ABOUT 1993, when I met in an older home and finding a little “present”
my future friend and colleague from the original builder? Maybe he penciled
Ron Jones, he was building one-off a date on the rafter or left a note about a
custom homes in Albuquerque for renovation. He or she took pride in the work,
B well-heeled clients. At the time, we and wanted to leave a legacy.
didn’t use terms such as Net Zero or Passive I’ve found these notes many times in my
House. Guys like Ron just knew how to build own renovation work. But there was also the
superior, energy-efficient homes: You use OTHER kind of non-verbal messages: criss-
the best available materials and install them crossed wires in a senseless tangle, missing
with precision and care—always keeping the insulation, poorly nailed rafters. The list of
future well-being of your client and future screw-ups is almost endless. The impression
homeowners in mind. you get is that these contractors weren’t
Ron and his subs didn’t need to carry thinking about the future owners of this home.
around the Code book and try to squeak by, On the contrary, they were thinking about
doing the bare minimum. They considered finishing up early, loading up the truck and
the Code more of a safety net than a cookbook. downing a few beers at the local sports bar.
Stay with me. Before I talk about this year’s Green Home of the In other words, great homebuilding and renovation is a mental
Year Award winners, let me ask you something: exercise, above all.
Have you ever had the experience of opening up a wall or ceiling Twenty years ago, I gave a speech comparing custom builders and
production builders to Greeks and Spartans. The former group—
focused on a long-lasting “legacy” project—delivers a superior house,
energy efficient and beautiful. The latter —narrowly focused and
creatively stifled—delivers a “just enough” home.
I should add that today, that comparison is no longer really fair.
Many production companies have raised the bar to Net Zero and are
building homes a citizen of ancient Greece could be proud of.
Which brings us to the award-winning sustainable homes featured
in this issue. These are forward-looking projects, built to please the
second, third and fourth owners, not just the immediate occupant.
Beautifully designed and sited, they minimize the use of energy and
water, yet also address the factors that cause the built environment
to deteriorate and lose value: moisture infiltration, wear and tear, and
poor indoor air control.
From a long-term perspective, what’s really encouraging is that
every one of this year’s winners is built “beyond code,” whether or not
CREDIT: RICK KEATING, RK PRODUCTIONS in these stellar projects transfer without translation to every type of
it’s certified under a green building program. The principles applied
residential structure, from tiny homes to multi-story, multi-family
apartments.
We’re proud once more to present: the Green Home of the Year
2 GREEN BUILDER March/April 2018 Awards. GB www.greenbuildermedia.com
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