We talk about the use of reclaimed building materials on our blog a lot, and while this may seem like a new concept, making use of salvaged materials is nothing new. Since humans began living in built structures, using and re-using various building materials has been a pretty common practice. According to the design blog Networx, today there is a renewed appreciation for these old-world methods, as well as the desire to be environmentally friendly.

Salvaged doors are a great reclaimed material to use in the construction of a new home. They provide a great deal of character to your home. Just think of the story a beautiful craftsman-style door could tell, with unique features like stained glass and architectural details. A salvaged door in good condition is a true piece of art and can add a lot of beauty to your home.

Would you consider adding a salvaged door as a design element in your home? Share your thoughts and ideas with us!

Image Courtesy of Anyajazz65 on Flickr via Networx.com.

LEED for Homes could see changes in the future. Eco Home magazine reports that revised LEED for Homes requirements are projected to be released in November 2012. The purpose for the LEED for Homes updates is to create a more streamlined certification process that will reduce paperwork and shift to a performance-based criteria.

LEED for Homes Technical Development Manager Asa Foss said during the 2010 Greenbuild conference that “LEED has always pushed codes… And whenever we stretch the LEED requirements we try to balance how far to go and how fast.”

Some of the proposed changes include the following:

• Changing the certification points scale from 136 points to 100 points to align with other rating systems.
• Updating Energy and Atmosphere credits to meet new Energy Star for Homes Version 3.0 requirements.
• Requiring all projects to complete Energy Star 3.0 HVAC inspection checklists.

Eco Home magazine also reports that this new approach to LEED-certification would “reward design decisions that affect performance in ways that a prescriptive path can’t, and offer fairer comparisons between homes – including existing homes.”

What do you think about the proposed changes for LEED for Homes? Share your thoughts with us! If you would like more information on LEED for Homes, please visit www.ecohomemagazine.com or www.usgbc.org.

Photo credit: Ecohomemagazine.com.

Design Rendering of Trilogy Design Build Project "Calecho"

Trilogy is a Design Build residential construction company. But just what is Design Build?

What It Isn’t

Let me answer that question by first giving and example of what Design Build is not. Suppose you want to build your dream home (or any home, for that matter.) What’s the first thing you do? Right, buy a lot. So you contact a real estate agent who helps you find a lot. Now you own a lot. It may be , in industry parlance, a highly build-able lot. Or it may require expensive infrastructure that you weren’t counting on. You’ll find that out later on. Okay, still you own the lot. Now you need someone to design a house for the lot. Taking a deep breath you initiate an interview process and then hire an architect. An engineer. And you may or may not need other specialists or someone to help with planning, building permits and all the other details necessary before you can even begin to build. Then you need to hire a builder. You audition a bunch of builders. You may ask for a bid from each one. The bid is based on a budget based on the drawings the architect and engineer have produced. Some of the bids are low, some high. Some of the builders say the plans are adequate for construction. Others say the plans are inadequate and they  need more information, something the architect disputes. So you lay awake at night. Which builder do you hire? One builder says your lot will be difficult to build on. Another says it’s a piece of cake. Do you hire the lowest bid? What if a builder with a fantastic reputation comes in at a higher price. Is he worth the extra money? And then a couple of the builders say they don’t like fixed price budgets and that their clients prefer Cost Plus contracts and budgets. What are they talking about? The one thing you know for sure. Every builder, the architect, the engineer, the interior designer, everyone associated with the project seems to have a different opinion about every question you ask.

This is not Design Build. Design Build proposes a completely different organizational structure.

What It Is

With Design Build the client engages one entity to oversee the entirety of the home building project to include but not limited to lot choice, planning, architectural design and interior design. The Design Builder puts together an experienced team and facilitates the interaction between the design and build project participants. Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Construction, Interior Design, Interior Decorating integrate seamlessly around the table provided by the Design Builder. Most Design Builders will even suggest that they take a roll in helping the client and the real estate professional secure the best lot. The Design Builder is the party responsible for the successful outcome of the project.  The Design Builder is the bottom line when it comes to cost or labor or timeline. The Design Builder helps the home owner establish a responsible budget amount, and then governs the process so that the owner reaches budgetary goals. And architectural goals. And goals that include time frame and completion dates. A good Design Builder even advises the client with issues concerning project impact and sustainability. The Design Builder is the owner’s partner in the design and construction of the home. The Design builder supplies all the manpower, materials, and know how needed to build the home. Design Build not only offers the client a degree of integration, fiduciary responsibility, and efficiency that is atypical of the conventional “design then engineer then build” construction process. But Design build offers the homeowner client an unmatched level of security, commitment and accountability as well.

Trilogy Partner’s Design and Build approach results in successful projects. Its strong and enduring client relationships proves the worth of Design Build as a management process. Visit the Project Gallery to see examples of Trilogy Design Build projects.

We’ve been talking about our experience in creating a zero net energy home lately. If you find yourself a little confused over what this means or are interested in learning how a zero net energy home can benefit you, here are a few facts to consider, courtesy of CT Zero Energy Challenge:

• Zero Net Energy means that a home uses no more energy than what it produces on site. For example, if a given home used 7,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity in one year, but it produced 7,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity from a solar PV array in the same year, it would be considered a zero net energy home.
• Typically, a home must have some type of on-site power generation in order to achieve the status of “zero net energy.” This could include solar, thermal, or even wind energy, depending on the conditions of the site on which the home is built.
• Some state and federal programs do exist to help build zero net energy homes, including some federal tax credits for builders and homeowners who are looking to build a zero net energy home. The Department of Energy’s Building America and Builders Challenge programs are good resources for those who wish to create a super high efficiency home or building.

To learn more about Trilogy Partners‘ experience in creating a zero net energy home, check out our series titled “Zero Net Energy Home In Depth.”

This scale from the U.S. Department of Energy shows the difference between the energy performance of most homes and those that are Zero Energy homes.

Photo credit: Blog.mapawatt.com.

Trilogy Partners in Architectural Digest May 2010

Summit Daily News 2-2010 – Sun Earth Science 1

Summit Daily News 2-2010 – Sun Earth Science 2

Trilogy Partners in Timber Home Illustrated February 2009

Trilogy in Builder News January 2007

Trilogy in Mountain House and Home January 2007

Trilogy in Luxury Log Homes 2007

Trilogy in Timber Homes Illustrated 12-2006

Goliath Business News

Steamboat Pilot 11/10/2009

USA Today 11/9/2009

Summit Daily News April 13, 2009

Steamboat Pilot  11/8/2009

Denver Post 11/10/2009

Cherry Tree Design

Craig Daily Press

Earlier this week, we discussed what LEED certification means for homes. As promised, today we’re going to tell you a little bit about the LEED certification points system, as well as the levels of certification for homes. Let’s get started with the points system.

The LEED for Homes rating system is a set of industry best practices that help guide builders in constructing better homes. There are 35 topic areas with a unique intent or goal for each. Under the requirements section of each topic area, very specific measures are identified that should be incorporated into the home. Those measures include good practices, better practices, and best practices. Good practices are the prerequisites that need to be met, which are considered a mandatory measure. Better practices are typically worth one point, and best practices are worth two points.

Prerequisites must be met during the design of construction phase and include 18 prerequisites. The 67 credits in the rating system are purely optional measures, but a minimum number of points must be earned in some of the credit categories. Once the prerequisites are met, the home can proceed with being rated on better and best practices.

We built the Timber Trails residence, shown above, to meet LEED sustainable standards.

Based on the number of points a home earns in terms of better and best practices, it can then be certified into one of four levels – Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum. Certified homes are those that receive between 45 and 59 points out of the total 136 points available. A Silver home must receive 60-74 points, and a Gold home must receive between 75 and 89 points. Platinum home are the highest level of LEED certification, earning between 90 and 136 points.

We hope this information has given you a better understanding of the LEED for Homes certification process. Here at Trilogy Partners, we strive to meet LEED sustainable standards with every build. You can find more information on the LEED for Homes certification process on the U.S. Green Building Council website.

Image Courtesy of Trilogy Partners

As time progresses, sustainability in design will continue to be a pressing issue. Sustainability means more than just using building and design materials that are made to last. Certain standards must be followed to ensure we complete projects in a manner that is environmentally friendly, such as the Timber Trails residence. To make that possible, we follow the LEED certification standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED for Homes is a consensus-developed, third party-verified, voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. For a home to be considered LEED-certified it must be registered with the USGBC.

Registered projects are measured for overall performance in eight different categories, which include Innovation & Design Process, Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environment Quality, and Awareness & Education. Homes are rated on a minimum level of performance and are rewarded for improved performance in the categories listed above. Homes accrue points and achieve one of four LEED for Homes Certification Levels based on the amount of points earned (we’ll look at the points system in greater detail later on).

Here at Trilogy Partners, we strive to build homes that are as environmentally friendly as possible. LEED for Homes is just one of the tools we use to aid us in that process. We’ll explore more factors of the LEED certification process in the near future, so be sure to check back with us often!

Image courtesy of The Daily Green

Caleb’s Journey Winter Construction

Days like today remind me of the many years we’ve been building great houses in the middle of the winter at 10,000 feet. Last night we got over 2 feet of snow and as I sit here writing the snow is falling, horizontally, as it often does when the wind is howling. This is what they call a powder day. But for those who will spend the day in workboots and not skiboots there’s nothing like arriving at the job site at 7 in the morning and the temperature is below zero. Not optimal working conditions to be sure, especially if we’ve had a dump like the one last night. So the first thing we try to do when building a home in the winter is to get the walls up, and the roof on, and the framing sheathed. At that point at least we’re out of the weather. Unfortunately we still have to deal with winter temperatures. Inside the house “shell” the temperature remains frigid because the shell holds the night’s cold air inside. Hardly pleasant working conditions. Sure, we can and sometimes use portable propane heat, but that’s an expensive proposition. Once the walls are up and the roof on it will be weeks if not months until the plumbers lay down the radiant floor tubing and get the boilers and gas connected to the house so we can have real heat. It’s a hardy bunch of souls that live at this altitude and work building homes through the winters. Though building slows down this time of year, it certainly doesn’t stop. Because folks, it’s winter here 8 months of the year!

Trilogy Meadowview Rear

It was true what everyone said. We didn’t know what we were doing. The year was 1998. We’d borrowed more than a million dollars. And now we were attempting to build our first house. In December. At 10,000 feet. In below 0 weather. We’d spent a week excavating a big hole in the ground and were due to install the foundation walls in a couple of days. But the Breckenridge building department officials had told us they would not permit us to install the pre-cast foundation walls on top of frozen earth. But how could we keep the ground from freezing. We came up with an idea. We’d put a giant plastic tent over the hole and put propane heaters in the tent. Our vision quickly became reality. The tent was enormous. The size of a house. We were proud. It was warm inside. The ground was not going to freeze. And then, a giant gust of wind came along. And took the tent away. At 2am in the morning. We didn’t sleep that night as we watched our foundation hole grow colder and the dirt grow hard with frost. Our first home… was it going to be a disaster? At this point, it was beginning to look so.

2011 marks the 13th year Trilogy Partners has been designing and building homes. Almost as a lark we built our first home, biting off way more than we could chew, working our hearts out and then, miraculously it seemed at the time, selling it the day it was completed. Then came a second home, and more as we began building homes for clients as well as spec homes for sale.  As 2011 begins we look back to that first home. We broke ground in December. Crazy. We had much to learn about building homes. In Breckenridge, at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, the only reasonable outdoor activity that time of year is something that involves skis. And yet,  here we were digging a hole in the frozen ground so we could place the foundation for a house. John and I stayed in good shape that winter shoveling snow for hours at a time as a home rose from a snowy meadow. Here are photos of Meadowview, which is still occupied by the original purchasers.

Meadowview by Trilogy Partners