November 11, 2007
 |
Alta Log Homes
Receives LEED for Homes Certificate
HALCOTTSVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--Alta Log Homes, a leading builder of
“green”
log homes for over 35 years has gone one shade greener
with its elegant Greenbriar model, which has received
the first U.S. Green Building Council’s
LEED
Certification for Homes, under its Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design for Homes pilot program. Log
homes have been the standard in “building
green” for centuries. |
Today’s log homes are a far
cry from Abe Lincoln’s log
cabin, offering all the amenities, elegance and open
space demanded by 21st Century
home buyers. Beginning with the logs, a naturally green
product, Alta Log Homes’ LEED
certified home offers a completely healthy environment
inside and outside.
"Building green" has been the buzz word in the
building industry for years, but just how green is
green? As more and more new home buyers begin to
understand what consequences their environmental
footprint is having on the planet, they are moving
towards “building green.”
However, those words have many shades of meaning and not
all “green builders”
are truly that. Only Alta Log Homes can claim the first
LEED certificate from the U.S. Green Building Council
for a log home.
Alta Log Homes, located in the heart of the Catskill
Mountains of up-state New York has combined their
specialty with “building
green” to produce a modern,
environmentally friendly log home.
According to Steven Winters, founder of Steven
Winters Associates, leaders in Green Home Planning: "The
benefits of living in a LEED for Homes certified home
are endless: better indoor environmental quality, having
more efficient mechanical equipment, appliances and
lighting, having a tighter building envelope, therefore
controlling outdoor pollutants from entering the home
and lower energy bills, less impact on the environment
through reduction of greenhouse gases escaping into the
atmosphere, decreasing waste throughout the building
process and incorporating more environmentally
preferable products into the home. Alta is the first log
home builder to receive the LEED for Homes certificate
in the Country!" says Winter.
Already a leader in the design of
“building green”, Alta
Log Homes has, for over three decades, been considered
ahead of its time. The company’s
logs come from renewable and sustainable forests. All
Alta Log Homes are made from white pine or red cedar
logs that have been air dried, thus eliminating toxins
caused by the kiln drying process used by many other
builders. Alta has gone one step further by building the
Energy Star
Five Star Plus rated LEED certified home to ensure an
environmentally sound dwelling to help reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and create a warm and elegant atmosphere.
From the choice of location--the home must fit well
into its site--preferably facing southwest, Alta makes
sure that every element of the construction process is
environmentally sound. “While
many people don’t think of
their interior space as part of the environmental
solution, Alta does. The home has many high performance
features that provide improved health, safety, comfort
and lower operating costs,”
says David Mann, Vice President of Alta Log Homes.
“The
Humidex that exchanges the air in the home six to
seven times a day, creates a very healthy interior
space. Radon remediation built into the foundation helps
protect from radon gas. Water efficient top of the line
fixtures save not only money but conserve valuable water
resources. Energy Star®
appliances plus photo-voltaic panels are all part of the
certification process that comprises a LEED certified
home. Finishing touches such as
Anderson
High-Performance™
Low-E4 windows and doors and Teragren
bamboo floors-also from sustainable forests-are an
integral part of the finished product,”
explains Mann.
The warm, rich interior beckons with eco-friendly
Sansin stains.
Passive solar energy light floods in from south-facing
gabled windows on to polished durable
Teragren Bamboo floors. The shining star of the home
is an advanced Energy Star package (which includes a
highly efficient heating system with attached water
heater and lighting fixtures with fluorescent bulbs).
Unlike traditional stick built homes, there is no
waste. Every part of each log is used. Any left-over
materials become recycled into mulch for gardens and
animal bedding on farms.
Energy savings is a major component of the LEED
certification process. Alta’s
log homes provide all the elegance and warmth of
traditional houses and for the buyer, a big return on
their investment, from 30 to 50% lower energy costs per
year over traditional houses when solar panels are in
place.
Alta Log Homes are state of the art, engineered for
quality and beautiful living. From a rustic log home to
a grand design, Alta Log Homes is the leader in the
industry.
Take a virtual tour of Alta Log Home’s
Greenbriar LEED certified model.
http://www.hometalktours.com/view/1282
For more information on Alta Log Homes and its ENERGY
STAR® rating, call 800-926-2582
or visit www.altaloghomes.com A Fast Fact Sheet on the
ENERGY STAR Program & Alta Log Homes is Available.
Click here to contact us. |
