Finding a Green Construction Company

We all know how to switch our light bulbs to the more energy efficient kind. And we know to turn the faucet off while we brush our teeth, or to buy a low-flow toilet to conserve water. Energy efficient washing machine? Check. Dishwasher? Check. Recycle everything with a label? Check.

So, let’s say you’re wanting to do a renovation or build an addition on your home. As earth-conscious as you are, you want a construction company with the same green-friendly approach to its everyday work habits.

The Mindset of a Green Contractor

It’s one thing to be told a construction company is green, but how do you really know that is the case? AEC Business (offering resources for architects, engineers and contractors) recommends that green building practices needs to take the following into account:

• An intelligent approach to energy
• Safeguarding water resources
• Minimizing waste
• Maximizing reuse
• Promoting health and well-being
• Creating resilient and flexible structures
• Considering the building’s effects on the surrounding community
• Considering all stages of the building’s life cycle

You’ll know upon initial interview if a construction company stands behind these same motivations.

Certification

In addition to all of the ways a construction company shows itself to be green through its business practices, you can be certain that it’s a green construction company if it has a U.S. Green Building Council membership and/or goes through the USGBC’s LEED certification process for each and every renovation project and new build. USGBC members receive exclusive access to education, programs and resources that help them develop effective green business practices and promote that to the community.

True to Life Application

Obviously a green mindset needs to align with action. How does all of this look in real life during the construction process? When you interview contractors and speak to their references, consider that a green construction company should do the following:

• Focus on the use of quality air barriers, caulking, foam, insulation, sealants, etc to reduce air leakage from any renovated or newly built area.
• Highly suggesting the use of recycled building materials, such as glass, concrete, steel and wood.
• Open to the use of reclaimed building materials (however, this is dependent upon the look you want), which can save money as well as help the environment.
• Retaining outdated materials (rather than taking them to the dump when they’re replaced) to donate to organizations like Habitat for Humanity.
• Emphasizing the installation of energy efficient devices in your renovation design or build.
• Conserving energy during the building process, such as unplugging devices when not in use.
• Using electric- or battery-powered tools over gas-powered tools.

If emphasizing the conservation of the planet is important to you in all aspects of life, it won’t take long to determine whether a construction company truly stands behind the green-friendly practices it proclaims. A little digging and observation can go a long way toward finding a contractor that is a good fit for your earth-conscious ideals during a renovation process or new build. 

Communicating With Your Contractor Effectively

Okay, so you’ve hired someone to do a home repair or remodel. You have in your mind exactly what you want the end result to look like, so it’s time to sit down with your contractor and give him all the details.

But, when it comes time to make a plan of action, you find your contractor has ideas that are a little different than yours, or tells you certain things can’t be done. And suddenly you’re wondering if maybe you hired the wrong person for the job.

Don’t fret. Don’t let the fact that your contractor knows more about construction work intimidate you. You also don’t want to get overbearing and insist upon things your way, despite your lack of industry know-how.

Instead, find a common ground. Utilize these tips to make sure you get what you want, while still allowing the contractor to give you the best possible results.

1. Pick the Right Person for the Job

Once your determine you want a project done, choose the right contractor. Don’t just hoard estimates and pick the cheapest one. Take the time to interview the top candidates in person; tell each what you’re wanting to do and your budget and see how it goes. View some of their completed projects and talk to previous clients to see what the process was like.

You want someone whose personality meshes with yours so that you can communicate effectively throughout the process. You have to be able to get along – and even laugh – because even the best projects have a hiccup or two. You also want someone that clearly listens to your ideas.

2. Be on the Same Page With Your Spouse

Your contractor doesn’t want to play marriage counselor or mediator – at least not without charging your for it. If there is more than one person making the decisions about the remodeling project, then you need to come to a consensus about what you want and your budget long before hiring a contractor. There will be moments in the process where questions come up or decisions have to be made, in which case you and your spouse (roommate, sibling, what-have-you) should take some time to discuss it in private and give the contractor an answer once you agree.

3. Make a Plan

You need to sit down with your contractor and discuss exactly what you want and allow him to tell you what can be done (and how) and what can’t. This is the time that you will address how you can’t knock out that wall to open up the kitchen because it’s load bearing – but you can put in a support beam or a pass through to open up the space and still provide structural integrity for your home.

Remember, you may not have all of the information when you envision your renovated space. Be willing to hear your contractor out and work together to make a plan that you can both live with and stick to throughout the entire process. Be sure to communicate your “must have” items and the ones you’re willing to compromise on to get the job done efficiently.

4. Be a Good Sport

Effective communication with your contractor means that you treat him the way you would want to be treated in his shoes. Be patient. Be gracious and kind (but not a doormat). Understand that delays happen. Obviously, if no one is showing up for work when they are supposed to and things aren’t being done the way you agreed without more communication, then your contractor isn’t doing his part. But if he and his team are always there on time and working hard to get you what you want, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t cut them some slack.

And bringing them lemonade and snacks every once in awhile doesn’t hurt much either.

Pitfalls of DIY Projects

“You can do it. We can help.”

Well… maybe. Sure, it looks easy and quick to do a repair or renovation project yourself, and the idea of hiring a professional seems far too expensive. And, by golly, those big box stores make it sound completely feasible to manage any DIY project. After all, they have “experts” to help you.

Truth is, there are some DIY projects you can be successful at, and the list gets longer depending on the kind of experience you have. Painting a room, for example, is something most anyone can handle. Installing a new floor, however, is much more complicated. You’re bound to run into trouble along the way with a DIY project of that magnitude.

Where the Help Comes From

It’s important to note that the “we can help” motto isn’t as reliable as you might think. In truth, many of the employees at big box stores don’t have a lot of training or experience in construction and remodeling.

In fact, to make our point, the following is taken directly from a job listing on a certain popular box store website for a lumber customer service associate – these are the job requirements for interested applicants:

“Ability to operate, demonstrate and explain merchandise in assigned area. Ability to apply basic mathematical concepts such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and knowledge of weights and measures. Understand and respond appropriately to basic customer and employee inquiries… Ability to operate store equipment in assigned area (including but not limited to LRT, telephone, paging system, copiers, fax machines, computers, CCTV surveillance system, key cutting, panel saw, paint mixing computer, blind cutting, forklifts, pallet jacks, electric lifts, etc). Ability to interpret price tag and UPC information.” 

The requirements are virtually the same for customer service associates job listing in all departments. We include this to show you that employees in these stores may not have any experience building an addition on to a home, installing floors or replacing doors. They may simply have a operations knowledge of the cutting tools in the lumber department or the difference between a 2x4 and a piece of plywood. But as far as guiding your through your DIY process, their knowledge is limited. Yes, they have folks that will do installations if you pay extra, but those are typically contractors that work with the store, rather than direct employees.

The Learning Curve

Okay, so let’s say you go ahead and decide to take on your first major DIY project. And let’s say that you’re going to put new tile down in the bathroom. Seems relatively simple enough – you’ve seen it done a thousand times over on HGTV.

It’s easy to mix thin set and spread it out on the floor. And you can even manage to lay the tile evenly, mix the grout and fill it. But, do you know how to lay out a floor to make it even with the walls? Do you know how to cut tile for those tights spots like the threshold and corners?  Do you know how to sponge it properly to reduce haze?

Do they know enough at the big box stores to guide you through that process from afar?

There is a learning curve with big projects like this – a curve that professional contractors have navigated for years, finding the most effective ways to do each task for quality results.

The Details

There are so many things that must be taken into consideration when doing a repair or renovation. Take hanging an interior door, for example. It’s far more than putting it on the hinges and making sure it swings the right direction. Did you know that it must be level in four different directions? Or what causes a door to rub in the winter and not in the summer? And that trimming the bottom of the door is is not the way to repair one that rubs or fails to latch?

In just about any home repair or remodel there are little traps for DIYers to fall into – details that go overlooked and cause bigger problems down the line.

Trust the Experts… Really

When it comes to DIY projects that go beyond interior design, you’re better off trusting professionals to do the job for you (or, if you’re really lucky, chatting it up with a friend who is a contractor). The time factor alone should be enough to deter you from completing a DIY home repair – it will always take you 2-3 times longer than it would a professional. That alone may be worth paying a little more money…  and dishing out a bit of humility to admit your knowledge is a bit limited on these sorts of things.