Matt Risinger
Risinger Homes, Austin, Texas
The
homes that Matt Risinger builds are long on energy efficiency and the
careful use of natural resources. But one of the greenest things a
builder can do is make a house that will simply last a long time. To
keep termites from invading his walls and floors, Risinger prefers
simple, mechanical solutions to fancy chemistry. “The usual method is to
dump gallons of chemicals that last only 10 years into the soil,” says
Risinger, who believes that a mechanical barrier provides a greener and
more permanent solution. He wraps each through-slab pipe with a skirt of
Termimesh, a stainless steel screen that locks into the slab when the
concrete is poured. Termites that tunnel up along the perimeter of the
slab are easily detected and dealt with; it’s the hidden pathways that
present the real danger. Termimesh provides a lifetime solution to that
problem, Risinger says, without chemicals.
Termimesh
Termimesh. www.termimeshusa.com. Circle 150.
Andrew Hartnett
Chad Powell Homes, San Antonio, Texas
Have
you heard? Water is the new oil. As dry regions of the United States
become dryer and growing populations bump up against finite supplies,
American consumers are paying closer attention to the quality and supply
of this most vital of resources. To address the quality issue in the
high-end custom homes he builds, Andrew Hartnett recently began
specifying Pure-O-Flow whole-house reverse-osmosis filtration units.
“It’s a brand new system from GE,” Hartnett says. “I think we put in the
first four in Texas into our houses.” Installed just downstream from
the main service, the unit forces water through a series of filters and
membranes to remove a wide range of impurities.
General Electric
“We
have a ton of lime in our water,” says Hartnett of the San Antonio
area. Water softeners have been the traditional remedy. “But you can’t
drink that softened water; it doesn’t taste good.” With reverse osmosis,
“you get drinking-quality water at every faucet in your house.” Unlike
water softening systems, Hartnett adds, reverse osmosis adds nothing to
the water. “It’s chemical free—no salt.” Having already made the
equipment standard spec for all his houses, Hartnett plans to exploit
its capabilities to the fullest. “We’re going to be doing rainwater
collection systems that will push water through the whole-house R.O.
system,” he says. That will help Hartnett earn points under the Build
San Antonio Green certification program, but he expects such
applications to become common practice before long in any case. “Water
is going to be a huge issue over the next 20 years.”
General Electric. 702.243.9400. www.pureoflow.com. Circle 151.
