Building with “green” materials
Flanders Woods Condominiums is proud to acquaint the new home buyer with the many ways we have integrated sustainable or “green building” design and construction techniques from the planning stages through the completion of the finished houses. Our intent has been to use resources more efficiently, to create a healthier and more energy-efficient home, while leaving a lighter footprint on the environment through conservation of resources, while at the same time balancing energy-efficient, cost-effective and low-maintenance products for our construction needs. Our homes are energy-efficient compliant.
Some of the important elements and techniques we employ
BMP or Best Management Practices have been integrated into the road and storm water drainage design at Flanders Woods. These are environmentally friendly processes, techniques and innovations that have a proven record of success, such as:
- Use of grass-lined swales to intercept, cool and filter storm water before entering catch basins.
- Creation of two beautifully landscaped bio-retent ponds:
– Planted with wetlands wild flowers and vegetation that will bring beauty to the community and provide pleasant picnic areas.
– Will also cool, renovate, and polish storm water runoff from roadways and roofs, before it is returned to nearby streams.
Layout homes/home sites to be in harmony with nature:
- Design homes with room layout and window placement within the arc of the low angle winter time sun to maximize opportunities for free passive solar heat gain, which also provides more cheery light inside the home.
- Provide evergreen windscreens wherever possible to buffer home from the prevailing northwest winter winds.
- Provide protected and shaded southerly oriented outdoor spaces for decks and patios, which also extends seasonal use time.
- Rooms, windows and skylights located to provide greatest potential for natural ventilation during warmer months.
We use Andersen Silverline vinyl windows with Low E (highly energy efficient) glass and grilles sandwiched between the 2 layers of glass. Since vinyl has a low thermal conductivity, it is a perfect way of providing both high energy efficiency and easy maintenance to the home owner. This means:
- Less electricity is used to heat and cool a home, which can help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal-fired power plants. Our Homes are energy-efficient compliant.
- Vinyl windows are impervious to rust, rot, blistering, corrosion, flaking and infestation by termites or other insects.
- Vinyl helps to minimize condensation, thus aiding in the prevention of mold.
- The low maintenance requirements of vinyl windows eliminate the need for paints, stains, strippers and thinners, which can negatively impact air quality. .
On the decks, we use polyvinyl chloride for decking and railings. PVC products require very little maintenance and repair. They do not peel, crack, splinter or fade and can even get stronger over time, so they are a proven solution for outdoor use with New England’s ever-changing weather conditions. Plastic can easily be recycled. According to vinylbydesign.com, “fencing, decking, railing and other plastic outdoor products — including gazebos, arbors, and bridges — are among the newest applications in the building products industry.” Because they will not rust or splinter, plastic outdoor living products are not replaced as often as some other building materials. As an alternative to conventional wood products, the use of plastic products reduces the loss of habitat and soil from over-harvesting old growth forests. Products produced of vinyl often can be reheated, melted and used again. Even the vinyl sawdust that is created by decking installation can be put back into the recycling stream.
