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Custom Mahogany Windows

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Lead safety

oldpaintLead poisoning can affect children’s developing nervous systems, causing learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Lead is also harmful to adults. Ecologic is a lead safe renovator. We can assess your home for lead and other hazards.

The most common way people are exposed to lead is through dust from old paint from 1978 and earlier. Renovation projects can disturb lead-based paint and create dust and endanger you and your family. A lead safe professional can check for lead-based paint in your home, make risk assessments and determine if your home has lead hazards. If your home was built before 1978, you should assume that lead paint has been used on walls, moldings, and doors. Even though the lead paint may be coated with lead-free paint that is no peeling,  renovation work can create a hazard if not done properly. The work area should be contained with heavy plastic so that dust does not escape. Floors and any furniture that cannot be moved should be covered. Doors and vents should be sealed off. This will help prevent dust or debris from getting outside the work area. A lead safe renovator will minimize dust by misting areas before sanding or scraping; scoring paint before separating components; and prying and  pulling apart components instead of breaking them.  After the work is completed the area should be cleaned up thoroughly using a HEPA vacuum attachment, followed by wet mopping with plenty of rinse water. (more…)

The Only Sustainable Practice for Wastewater

100_4937Eventually our standards for what is considered “sustainable” will have to actually be sustainable.  As long as we, as a society, are not recycling all our wastes, as nature does, our practices are not sustainable over the long term.

Nathan Roy at Ecologic Construction is currently designing one of the first residential onsite waste water systems that is truly sustainable.  It is not a composting toilet!  It is a much cleaner, more efficient better solution. (more…)

Passive Solar Principles

The bath tub area is set in a bump-out area, surrounded by five windows. We used a special tool to calculate the overhang of the roof for different solar angle projections at different times of the year. In the summer, there is shade. In the winter time there is abundant sunlight and warmth filling the entire room. The surrounding slate tiles help to capture the heat.

 

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Eco-Cottage: Slate roof installed

100_6859Slate roofs are by far the best choice, as long as the supporting structure has been planned to handle the extra weight. Slate is beautiful, durable, and ecologically sustainable.

100_6866Yes, slate is an expensive material to purchase, time-consuming and expensive to install, but a slate roof will last for a century and more with proper maintenance. Considering the long-term value of slate, it is probably the least expensive choice for your roof.  An asphalt roof will need to be replaced every ten to twenty years, but your slate roof will only require minimal maintenance every twenty years or so.

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Metal Roof Installed

IMG_0523 The roof on our two-story Millerton house project is made of 22 gauge Galvalume, Fabral manufactured, with a high percentage of recycled post-consumer metals, making this material an ecologically sustainable choice. The paint warranty is about 45 years, and with proper maintenance this roof could last a hundred years.

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Efficient framing methods

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The two-story house project in Millerton is progressing nicely. Here you see the new construction being attached  to an existing barn. We are using efficient framing techniques–insulated headers, seals between all plates and sills–to minimize thermal bridging and subsequent energy loss. Also our efficient framing layout has really minimized waste; we’re not filling up the dumpsters very quick on this job.
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