Katie Drueding
BJ Drueding Builders LLC, Wayne, Pa.
Two of project manager Katie Drueding’s favorite products are ones that stay out of sight.
Phantom Screens
The
first pick is Phantom Screens’ retractable screens for French doors.
Available in custom sizes, the screens are “easy to install, look great,
and perform better than hinged screen doors in most applications,”
Drueding says. Each screen’s housing mounts on the side of the door
frame, blending into the trim, she says, so screens stay out of sight
when not needed. That means exterior light fixtures will not interfere
with the ability to open a screen door, she adds.
The second product comes from Broan. The company’s recessed fan/light (model 744) “looks exactly like a regular recessed light, but it has a bathroom ventilation fan hidden above the bulb,” Drueding says. BJ Drueding Builders uses the product in all its bathrooms. Drueding says the fan hides so well that during walkthroughs, homeowners will ask, “Didn’t we get a fan in the powder room?” The fan also comes in a fluorescent model, the 744FL, that features a 14-watt bulb, meets Energy Star requirements, and complies with California’s Title 24.
Phantom Screens. 604.855.3654. www.phantomscreens.com.
Broan. 800.558.1711. www.broan.com.
Barry Katz
Barry Katz Homebuilding, Westport, Conn.
Barry
Katz has shifted the focus of his company to green building. So, he
believes his top material picks are less harmful to the environment than
conventional products.
IceStone
He
likes the look of IceStone, a recycled glass countertop, and the fact
that it is manufactured in Brooklyn, N.Y. This means shipments to his
Connecticut company use less gasoline and generate fewer emissions.
He also favors Yolo Colorhouse’s low-VOC paint. He says the company has great colors that perform as well as other paints.
Katz also likes Marmoleum flooring by Forbo because it doesn’t off-gas. It is an all-natural product that comes in a variety of colors and patterns, the company says.
Yolo Colorhouse
IceStone. 718.624.4900. www.icestone.biz.
Yolo Colorhouse. 877.493.8275. www.yolocolorhouse.com.
Forbo. 866.627.6653. www.forbolinoleumna.com.
