PolySteel of Austin Contact Form

The main thing about Green Building is that it is focused on performance rather than aesthetics. In the past builders have focused entirely on eye candy and too often the idea has been that if the client can't see it - they won't ask. This has resulted in beautiful spacious homes being built that are cheaply built. A home that is cheaply built may do a horrible job of keeping the people that live there healthy, and even a worse job of being energy and water efficient.

But change is in the wind.

Changes are taking place in Austin and around the nation that will make it more difficult to sell a home that is not built to some green standard. In 2012 the manufacturing of incandescent light bulbs will begin to be restricted and they will not be manufactured at all after 2015. Things are changing. Within the city limits of Austin, we already have energy code changes that require all new residential homes to pass a blower door test and duct pressure test. Work is underway and soon there will be ordinances in Austin requiring testing for energy efficiency of older homes at the time they are placed on the market for sale. Initially this information will not trigger any corrections to the performance of the home but it will be required that this data be shared with perspective home buyers - and that is going to change the residential home market more toward green building. At the beginning of August 2008 the MLS system went live with its first capabilities to search and query listed homes for "green" features. The changes toward green have only just started.

If you are considering building a green home, we can assist you in the following ways:

Management of residential or commercial projects through the USGBC LEED rating system.

· We are experts in Insulating Concrete Form Technology and Foam Spray technologies.

We can provide specific information on a wide variety of ICF blocks
Provide technical information needed by architects, engineers, and builders to implement ICF walls
Assist in the analysis of ICF bids from contractors
Help you choose the optimal places to employ foam spray technologies.

· We have many local Austin industry contacts with a specific focus on green building from engineering firms, builders, architects, and landscape architects, to contractors and home performance testing firms.

· We can help you develop a "green building" strategy specific to your project with a focus on the performance characteristics of the structure. Some of the areas we can help you with are:

Health and safety of construction workers and occupants. Indoor Air Quality, use of low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints & coatings, carpets, and composite woods or agrifibers.
We can make recommendations to improve the durability and structural integrity of your project.
Refrigerant management.
Building Commissioning Authorities for commercial structures.
We have information to help you and your HVAC contractor make decisions about fresh air intake by CO2 monitoring. High MERV filtration media and the treatment of humidity as a separate issue to temperature control.
We can provide you with input on ways to increase the energy efficiency of the structure. Building envelope. Efficiency of powered systems. Controllability of powering down systems not in use. Motion detectors to turn on / off lights in closets.
Green Power and on site renewable energy.
Home orientation, shading, use of prevailing breezes, eves.
Water efficiency of the structure and landscaped areas as a system. Rain water and gray water harvesting. Low flow toilets, shower heads, and faucet heads. Use of shower, sink, washing machine, and dishwasher water to flush toilets or to water lawns.
Use of recycled, salvaged, regional, rapidly renewable materials such as cork, bamboo, etc. or Engineered & Certified Wood when practical.
Rain water collection and more.

Call us to discuss your plans and to see if it makes sense for us to be involved.