GREEN BASICS

“Consider your house as being your outer skin - it mediates between us and the world; it is a vital organ that needs nurturing in order to live.” - Bill Hutchins, Helicon Works

We facilitate the creation of surroundings and products that connect people with their environment. As your partner, we educate and assist you in making conscious choices and you decide what we incorporate into your project.

Our "guidelines" to selecting sustainable products include materials that:

• support healthy living
• contribute to operating energy efficiency
• are durable, long-life materials requiring little or no additional finishes, and minimal maintenance
• are manufactured from renewable resources and harvested in a sustainable manner
• have recycled content, and are recyclable
• are salvaged and reusable building materials
• require minimal manufacturing and processing, and have low embodied energy
• are local materials and can be disposed of safely
• omit unnecessary by-product during the manufacturing process; thereby, lessening waste

We carefully apply these guiding principles to make the conscientious selection of the following items:

Energy Efficiency - Fixtures, Lighting, Heating, Cooling, Windows

Main Construction - Framing, insulation, foundations, walls, exterior finishes, Waste Removal or Re-use, etc.

Interior Finishes - Paint, Stain, Sealers, Flooring, Wallcovering, Tiles, Countertops, Paints, trim, built-ins, windows, doors, hardware, etc.

Interior Furnishings & Accessories - upholstery, casegoods, artwork, linens, dishes, glassware, etc.