This is the first of a four-part series on green building trends in the systems-built industry

Of all the building systems on the market, panelization offers one of the quickest and easiest ways for a conventional builder to go green. The panels for your client’s home are assembled in a controlled environment, out of the rain and snow. Quality control standards for design, workmanship, and materials are met for each home before it is shipped. Your home will be weather-tight much faster than a site built home, which will protect your client’s home from damaging elements, while reducing the likelihood of mold, mildew or other indoor air quality issues down the road. You will save time and money without compromising quality, plus the home packages are easy for other trades to understand. And the rewards keep coming: panelized wall framing systems and roofing systems received six points each according to the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and will also be included in the upcoming National Green Building Standard (http://www.nahbgreen.org/).

Just ask Bob and Kathe Tortorice, co-owners of Building Alternatives (Franconia, NH). The husband and wife team have carved out an enviable reputation for eco-friendly and energy efficient home construction — including earning an award for the most energy efficient home in New Hampshire in 2007.

Building Alternatives concentrates on building super efficient homes in the New England area, including in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts. The company uses the panelized system from Harvest Homes, but also routinely uses other building systems as well, including modular, log, SIPs and ICFs. “My husband has been a proponent of energy efficient homes for more than 15 years. We were green before green was fashionable,” Kathe says.

Building the Team

Like many husband-wife teams in home building, Bob and Kathe found that they complemented each other’s strengths. Bob has more than 30 years experience in residential and commercial construction. For three years, Bob was president of the New Hampshire Home Builders and Remodelers Association (1996-’98), he’s a certified Energy Star builder, has an engineering degree and has earned his MBA.

Kathe brought 20 years of experience in program and financial management from the computer industry, most notably at Hewlett Packard and Digital Equipment Corporation. She too has earned degrees, including a B.S. in economics and an MBA. Once she joined the construction firm, her naturally curious disposition led her to question the how and why of things. She quickly absorbed the business of home building. 

“It only took me a year to take over the operations side of the business. Now all the guys treat me well because they know who writes the checks,” Kathe Tortorice says with a laugh. “And my husband? Now he jokingly calls me the boss.”

The company attracts clientele through its comprehensive Web site as well as numerous home shows. “We attend as many as 17 home shows in a year and my husband is a sought after speaker on sustainable design and building. It’s a big investment in time and energy. The goal is to educate the home buyer about their options,” Kathe says.

The company typically takes on a dozen new construction or large scale remodeling projects a year. But with the slow down in the market, the firm is tackling five projects so far for 2008. Many are unique, employing cutting edge technology, regardless of which system they use to enclose the tight envelope of the home. “It’s a fun job.  Every job is a new challenge. Many of our clients come to us because they want a green or energy efficient home. Some of our competition doesn’t want to be bothered with those kinds of projects. They’ve built the same way for 30 years and refuse to change.”

Advice to Succeed In Green Building

• Use your skills in communication and planning

Kathe’s strength in strategic planning proves valuable in managing projects and meeting the expectations of their clients. “With many of the processes we’ve put into place, it makes the walk through go so much smoother,” Kathe says.

• Your trade contractors can help you succeed

“I think the best way to come into this industry is to respect your trade contractors. If you respect their strengths, they will begin to see yours. I didn’t know anything about construction, but I do have an MBA and I know I’m smart. They helped me understand their work and how it affects the rest of the job.”

• Be Proactive

“Not only do you have to be patient with clients and the trades and write everything down, you have to be proactive and look for ways to improve your business and its processes,” she says.

• Good design never goes out of style

“Women in the industry weren’t that common 10 years ago. There are more now and I think they can bring a lot to the table. They can help in the development of the floor plan, decorating, furniture placement and about the functionality of a design—just to name a few. I don’t know how many people have come to me with designs—some of them done by architects—which don’t have a closet by the front door.”

• Use available resources and certifications

The NAHB National Green Building Program, or NAHBGreen, provides ways to score your homes against the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines as well as many other technical tips for panelized construction, for demonstrating its resource-efficiency, and for getting your product certified by the National Green Building Certification.  All of this is available at http://www.nahbgreen.org/ 

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