As you make a decision to build a timber frame, you will probably be thinking about more than the beautiful beams and great open spaces. You will be considering the size and style and you might be considering how much money you will save in your comfortable, energy efficient timber frame home.
As you ponder your choices, the “efficiency factor” needs to considered. Your home will be carefully crafted in a controlled environment and ready for assembly onsite. (The waste timbers (minimal at best) will be put to good use at the shop…ours heat our shop.). The structural insulated panels that enclose your new home will be manufactured for just your home … again waste will be kept to a minimum. When the crew arrives to raise and enclose your timber frame, the process will take only days…not weeks.
So efficiency begins early in the process of building your new timber frame home. The contractor should be encouraged to make best use of materials that he will add to complete your home. He doesn’t fill up the landfill with trash and you save money in hauling fees.
That efficiency will continue as you select appliances and finishes. Energy Star rated appliances will very efficiently save you money (both as tax credits and in long term usage). WaterWise plumbing fixtures do the same.
So let’s think green …both as an eco-decision and about the money you’ll save…and include the efficiency factor in all our discussions and decisions.