Rightfully, many of us are concerned about the environment. The building industry impacts the environment in a HUGE way. What is Drumeller Construction doing? How can we help you?

First, I don't like the term "green." I prefer "environmentally responsible." I prefer a notion of personal responsibility. I think when people see the word "green," they think that someone has all the answers and has solved all of our problems. That's just not accurate. For the most part, all of the "green" stuff is just better than what we've been doing, maybe, but its not where we need to be. So rather than "green," the current color should be somewhere between black and green - a color I'll call "BLEEN."

Second, building environmentally responsibly is more than just hay bales and solar. There are three major notions when thinking about building responsibly: community, methods and materials, and lifetime operation/maintenance.

Community simply refers to how your structure relates to the larger community in terms of distance from the "community" (fuel consumed to interact with community), water consumption and runoff, and how, if at all, does the structure support the notion of community (are there "communal" aspects that can be shared?)

Methods and materials is the part that most of us think of when we think about being environmentally responsible. This part directly impacts the third consideration - operation/maintenance. Methods and materials are the "parts," both materials and labor. Toxicity, distance traveled to jobsite, scarcity or abundance of material or labor input, energy efficiency and so forth. There are computer programs that try to sort all of this out, and it's really difficult. It's not as simple as the soapstone for the countertops was quarried 50 miles from here so it's got to be more responsible than the granite that came from Italy. We will work with you to sort this out.

Finally, operation/maintenance. What is it going to cost to operate and maintain this structure through the lifetime? What is the longevity of the structure? Energy efficiency - higher R values for insulation, windows and doors; higher efficiency ratings for mechanical systems; more efficient lighting systems - is an important consideration and is the "low hanging fruit." There is also the whole solar/wind/geo issue. Essentially, this directly impacts the "carbon footprint" of the structure. Again, putting a large wind turbine on your property will ensure future carbon neutrality, but what kind of carbon expense did it require to get there? Not simple stuff.

Longevity and quality typically run down the same track. Typically, the higher the quality, the longer it will last. I have observed that many structures - while "cheap" on the front end, are loaded with future maintenance and replacement costs - which is not environmentally responsible. How efficient is an exterior door that is not flashed properly, thereby necessitating significant repairs in five years? How efficient is the exterior trim if it was not back primed or sealed in some way, bringing about a re-painting cycle sooner than needed? The list goes on and on. We'll help you make decisions. We'll give you the pros and cons as we understand them.

In summary, being environmentally responsible is required. It is also complicated. It is in its infant stage. We will not advocate every new thing that comes along. We will help you evaluate it in the larger context and then go forward.