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Tag: sustainable design

Introducing Duralife Siesta Hardwood Blends Decking

Do you want the look of tropical hardwoods, but the low maintenance of a composite deck?  Gaf has the solution for you!   DuraLife’s New Hardwood Decking boards offer the beauty of finished tropical hardwood. They come in four natural, easy- to-maintain earth tones, Brazilian Cherry, Garapa Gray, Golden...

LEED Certified Building Increases

Schutte Lumber provides builders with FSC certified lumber. These products are a great foundation for those aiming to meet LEED certification. The number of LEED certified homes has reach 10,000—a remarkable milestone—but more can be done to make our nation greener. American buildings are the cause of 39% of...

Better Building Initiative Includes Sustainable Forestry

Recently, President Obama announced his Better Building Initiative, which is a plan meant to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings. The Initiative’s goal is to reach a 20% improvement by 2020, which would save $40 billion a year! Part of the program includes a Race to Green program, encouraging...

Creating that Rustic Look with Log Cabin Siding

If you have admired the look and rustic feel of log cabins but didn’t want the expense of building a full log cabin then log cabin siding may be for you.  It is a siding that looks like a log from the outside but has a flat back for...

Building Terms – I-Joists and LVLs

I-Joists and LVLs are becoming more and more popular as framing options, but do you know what they are? I-Joists are classified as an Engineered Wood Product.  They replace the use of solid dimension lumber in places like floors and roofs.  Prefabricated wood I-joists utilize the geometry of the...

Using Ipe as Decking

When looking at the many choices homeowners have in materials for their new deck, Ipe is often overlooked because of price.  It would be a shame to miss out on this beautiful, durable wood however. Ipe is a dark brown wood which will fade to a silver gray if...

Can Using More Wood Reduce Your Environmental Footprint?

Structure magazine recently posed the question, “Can using more wood reduce your environmental footprint?” The magazine explores why it’s important for designers to focus on which materials they will use, as well as the life cycle of those materials. For example: “Some people might think that recycled products are...

Green-focused Building Trends for 2010

Did you know? Green building is expected to grow by more than 60 percent in 2010 alone, (using new, cumulative LEED project registrations as a proxy). Although the focus is expected to change from new construction to existing buildings, here are some trends you can expect to see this...

Wood: Sustainable by Design

Did you know? “Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. Warm, natural wood uses less energy and produces less air and water pollution than the energy intensive manufacture of steel and concrete,” according to an article in Wood Design & Building magazine. Do you want to...

What's Driving Green?

Residential Design & Build magazine’s columnist John D. Wagner, who says he traveled thousands of miles across the U.S. to speak to contractors and designers alike about the green building industry in 2009, predicts that the future is green, and you’d better have a plan to capitalize on it,...