Selecting materials color, texture and style is a challenging process but there are other items that can be considered.
At ENVI Construction, we strive to incorporate building methods that improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
We are also interested in what impact our purchasing choices have for our personal health and possible influences on our communities.
Japanese Printmaker Koichi Yamamoto of Tennessee states:
"Surface only provides record from recent event.
Making critical judgement requires understanding of what lies underneath".
In terms of selecting materials, with a concern for sustainability, understanding what lies "underneath" requires examining the relationship of many factors.
If clients are interested in this we will ask that they become a partner in making decisions in terms of environmental & personal health and the community.
The best tool I have seen to cut ease the confusion is Pharos Lens. Although not fully launched for consumers, the chart shown can be helpful for making decisions when selecting products.
Pharos Lens
List compiled from Pharos Lens
*Health and Pollution*
IAQ and User Exposure
High Hazard Toxics
Global Warming
Air Quality
Water Quality
*Environment and Resources*
Renewable Energy
Embodied Water
Solid Waste
Renewable Materials Use
Habitat
Embodied Energy
*Social and Community*
Occupational Heath and Safety
Consumer Health and Safety
Fairness and Equity
Community Relations
Corporate Leadership
When purchasing materials. Which of the elements would be the most important factor in selecting a sustainable product? Of course all of them but most products do not include improvement in all areas.
Understanding the gray areas of green building are can be one of the most daunting tasks a designer, builder or homeowner can tackle. Luckily if this is of interest to a client, there is plenty of available information that is being shared to assist with choices that are important to them.
12/17/08
12/12/08
Job Scheduling - Where is the Crew?
A majority of potential clients are concerned about safety and understand the importance of permits. They also want to understand how scheduling is handled with regard to when workers will be in their home.
Back in the old days when many carpenters didn’t care about permits or inspections they could start a job and work on that job every day until it was completed.
Since they didn’t acquire permits, they didn’t seem to need licensed tradespeople. The carpenter would install all the plumbing, electrics, tile, sheetrock and paint. This could save the carpenter a lot of time by not worrying about scheduling trade subcontractors or meeting code standards.
Some of the problems the one man shop caused were quality & safety issues.
The lack of a permit eliminated the need to pause work for the 2 or 3 inspection milestones that would need to happen before continuing. Now when a permit is pulled on a professional job, we are normally not allowed to install insulation while waiting around for the inspector because this would cover some of the work they are looking at.
We need to schedule in lag time which is breathing room for each trade. One potential disaster is a job not being ready for a particular trade on the day we say we are. If we attempt to schedule all the trades back to back with not enough time in between for small surprises, then we will be scheduled to the back of the line, thus causing further delays on the project.
What does all this mean to the client? This means that there will be days that no one is working in your home.
Do not despair!
Usually something is still happening behind the scenes with the tremendous amount of support from our trade partners and the ENVI office.
The value of increased safety and planning are worth the extra time needed to properly complete a quality job.
Back in the old days when many carpenters didn’t care about permits or inspections they could start a job and work on that job every day until it was completed.
Since they didn’t acquire permits, they didn’t seem to need licensed tradespeople. The carpenter would install all the plumbing, electrics, tile, sheetrock and paint. This could save the carpenter a lot of time by not worrying about scheduling trade subcontractors or meeting code standards.
Some of the problems the one man shop caused were quality & safety issues.
The lack of a permit eliminated the need to pause work for the 2 or 3 inspection milestones that would need to happen before continuing. Now when a permit is pulled on a professional job, we are normally not allowed to install insulation while waiting around for the inspector because this would cover some of the work they are looking at.
We need to schedule in lag time which is breathing room for each trade. One potential disaster is a job not being ready for a particular trade on the day we say we are. If we attempt to schedule all the trades back to back with not enough time in between for small surprises, then we will be scheduled to the back of the line, thus causing further delays on the project.
What does all this mean to the client? This means that there will be days that no one is working in your home.
Do not despair!
Usually something is still happening behind the scenes with the tremendous amount of support from our trade partners and the ENVI office.
The value of increased safety and planning are worth the extra time needed to properly complete a quality job.
12/8/08
Final Inspection Tips
Often times a client will already have their own painter or paint a room themselves . This can cause a minor delay for the final inspections.
Here are some tips for the final inspection. The smallest details are important.
1. All switch plate and outlet covers for the home should be installed. Many times the homeowners or painters will remove these for painting and fail the inspection.
2. Bathroom ceiling fan cover needs to be in place.
3. The permit card needs to be available.
4. The permit drawings need to be available.
5. All new outlets need to be accessible and not covered by furniture.
6. All light fixtures need to be completely installed.
7. And most importantly: All bedrooms need to have (correctly placed – not above a doorway) smoke detectors. In addition every floor needs to have a smoke detector installed. All detectors need to be 10 year rated.
Here are some tips for the final inspection. The smallest details are important.
1. All switch plate and outlet covers for the home should be installed. Many times the homeowners or painters will remove these for painting and fail the inspection.
2. Bathroom ceiling fan cover needs to be in place.
3. The permit card needs to be available.
4. The permit drawings need to be available.
5. All new outlets need to be accessible and not covered by furniture.
6. All light fixtures need to be completely installed.
7. And most importantly: All bedrooms need to have (correctly placed – not above a doorway) smoke detectors. In addition every floor needs to have a smoke detector installed. All detectors need to be 10 year rated.
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