At Fairway Estates, Jeff’s newest community on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Fairways at Hartefeld National Golf Course in Kennett Square, as well as every other location he has or builds, he has committed himself to building custom homes that greatly exceed the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently published Model Green Building Guidelines. The NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines were designed to move environmentally-friendly home building concepts and practices further into the mainstream marketplace in the hope that builders would adopt their benefits. The concept of building a “green home” was not new to Berlin. Jeff has been building energy efficient, sustainable construction for over a decade before it became a national movement. “Going Green” isn’t just for “tree huggers”. It’s for ALL OF US who should be concerned about the environment and our families, and want to be good stewards of our communities.” Those suggested guidelines were published in 2007, yet Berlin has been building in excess of the NAHB’s recently published highest level of Green building since 1997. Further, Berlin has since expanded his normal practice of “green building” to now greatly exceed those Guidelines, and now offers to his customers his most comprehensive green building package ever, and does this STANDARD……at no extra cost to the consumer. This translates into tremendous benefits to the homeowner and the environment, some of which are:
- Preserving natural resources means leaving more for future generations to enjoy.
- Better energy efficiency means comfort and savings for the homeowner and less pollution for the earth.
- Reduced water usage means savings for the homeowner and a reduced strain on our limited water supplies.
- Healthier indoor air means comfort, health, and peace of mind for the family.
- Using durable materials means reduced maintenance, savings, and more leisure time for the home owner.
As the owner of a “Green” home you will benefit by having substantially lower operating costs, increased comfort and indoor air quality, a drastically reduced “carbon footprint”, and an end product which will last longer, requires less maintenance, and generates a higher resale value. Today’s home buyer simply is unaware of the dramatic benefits they can have from a properly built Custom designed Green Home, and the fact that they can do all this for the same price competitors are charging for traditionally built housing is revolutionary. Each home is custom designed to the buyer’s requirements. The whole process is custom, affordable, easy, and ultimately very rewarding for the new owner.
Energy Savings Benefits
- By increasing resource, energy, and water efficiency, you’ll save thousands of dollars over the life of your home.
- Berlin Construction incorporates the following energy saving practices and materials:
- Use of ENERGY STAR labeled appliances, materials, and products
- Use of compact flourescent and low voltage lighting
- Bosch in-line “heat on demand” water heaters
- Propane fired furnaces with Central AC – net 91% plus high efficiency with two stage heating and cooling exceeding ENERGY STAR requirements.
- Use of sun-tempered design and passive solar designs
- Low E glass and Insulated entrances
- Insulated steel doors
- R-21 high density in sidewalls, R-45 high density ceilings
- House wrapped in Typar outside living areas
- Foam Infaltration Package
- Use of 7/16” aspenite sheathing
- Dow R-11 foam insulation, waterproofed below grade with DECO 20 Foundation Sealer
- And more
Environmental Benefits
- Superior indoor air quality
- Water efficiency (on-demand water heater, water-conserving appliances, use and collect rainwater as permitted by local code)
- Construction and demolition waste reduction and on-site recycling during the construction process.
- Decrease Global Environmental Impact by using the following materials and practices:
- Low VOC emitting carpets and paints
- Low E windows and Insulated steel doors
- Underground infiltration bed
- ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package including programmable thermostats and April Air Media Filters which exceed the Merv 9 requirements for indoor air purification
- Exhaust fans included in all bathrooms
- R-45 in ceilings made from blown cellulose recycled materials
- Builder installed process of draft infiltration barrier inside walls of structure
- Use recycled-content building materials
- Use materials manufactured from renewable resources or agricultural byproducts
- On-demand water heaters
- And more