Gost-Effective Green a Trend to Watch

The key to the mainstreaming of green is to make sure that consumers understand the value of green upgrades-and exactly how costeffective that sustainable construction can be in the long run, according to a panel of green building experts at the National Association of Home Builders' recent International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Nv.

a traditional remodel, but "retrofitting these homes to be green is a good solution," he said.

Habitat for Humanity

wittopen a Restore discount LBM outlet this spring in Bond Hill, Oh., and held a Jan.21 grand opening for a new unit in Montclair, Vt.

Habitat selected a '10,000-sq. ft. site next to a Lowe's in Rockingham, N.C., to open a ReStore by April 1.

Several other locations have outgrown their current quarters. The Struthers, Oh., store is building a 6,000-sq. ft. addition and the unit in Robertsdale, Al., moved to a bigger, 12,000-sq. ft. building in Summerdale, Al. Other stores recently relocating to larger facilities were Council Bluffs, la.; Oxford, N.C., and Rapid City, S.D.

Stock Building Supply

redesigned its website, stockbuildingsupply.com, to represent the full spectrum of LBM and seryices the chain Drovides.

The site is now comorised of seven sections, including "Green Resources."

Builders, remodelers and product manufacturers are beginning to green their processes and incorporate more energy-, water-, and resource-efficient features. They are learning how to reduce waste on the job site to save enough money to pay for these upgrades-and help ensure that the builder makes a profit, said consultant Steve Bertasso.

Green building has truly reached the tipping point because it's moving out of the custom home market into the realm of high-production homes, he added. "This year is going to be a big change in the production [buildingl environment," Bertasso predicted. "Consumers are asking questions they didn't ask two and a half years ago and contractors are making better decisions."

The key to reducing the nation's energy use is to green existing homes, said Philip Beere, who is remodeling distressed properties near Phoenix's new rapid transit line. Adding insulation, improving the ventilation and air conditioning systems and replacing turf grass with landscaping more appropriate to the Southwest's desert climate doesn't cost much more than

Connecticut home builder Jim Pepitone called himself a "late adopter," but one who has finally seen the green light and believes the rest of the industry can't be far behind. Builders need to educate consumers on air sealing, the importance of right-sized heating systems and good insulation, and the advantages of rooms that can serve more than one purpose so the home can be smaller and less expensive, he preached. "We need to make sustainable attainable."

Fire Costs Alabama Plywood Producer Laminating Line

Hartselle Plywood & Lumber, Hartselle, Al., is operating out of a mobile office after a Jan. 16 fire destroyed its office and manufacturing building.

The company is looking for new equipment to reopen its laminating line. An adjacent building, which housed its plywood operations. was spared.

"I want to remove the debris from the site and rebuild," said owner Greg Crimes. "Time is of the essence, since about 507o of our business is gone. A machine we used to laminate panels for mobile home applications was our biggest loss. They're hard to find. I spent several hours over the weekend searching on the internet without success."

The fire's cause is under investieation.