We used sustainable building practices long before the term ‘green” was coined. And in many cases they are also best in terms of practicality, economics and comfort. We understand the balance between energy use, resource utilization, durability, investment and life cycle cost. We can explain why installing a solar panel on your roof is not always the most “green” thing  you can do with your money.

Unfortunately, many of today’s “green” and “sustainable” products and projects are largely hype, with claims that are often hard to verify, misleading or downright false. We can help you sort fact from fiction.

Here is a sample of things you can do:

• Simplify. Minimize the complexity of your building.
• Consider materials and systems with a higher initial cost but lower energy use and lower life-cycle cost.
• Build airtight and insulate well.
• Maximize passive solar gain.
• Consider highly durable materials.
• Maximize the use of local materials, renewable materials and recyclable materials.