BUILD NEW & GREEN

If you are planning to build a new home, the prospect of heading full speed forward doesn't always provide the level of comfort and assurance people would like to have before making such a large financial and emotional investment. So when a prospective customer wishes to ease more slowly into the design process, we will sometimes recommend beginning our working relationship with a design Feasibility Study rather than with our full design process.

This approach is as applicable to a "green" new build project as it would be to a conventional new home construction-build project. Beyond the usual considerations, applicable green design strategies, technologies and materials may also be evaluated for their potential with respect to a variety of cost and benefit considerations. So keep this in mind as you read on here and let us know if you'd like more information on this approach.

REPLACING AN EXISTING HOME WITH A NEW ONE

When an existing house is slated for demolition, it is usually because the size of a home is determined to be too small or the condition of a home is determined to be beyond repair. Usually there is a good deal of material left in any house that could be salvaged for reuse or recycling but conventional practice is to demolish the house. A small amount of material might be recycled but the majority of the material ends up in a landfill.

A new and much greener option is available in the DC region with the establishment of a few new businesses. One business take buildings apart in the reverse order from which they were assembled in a process called deconstruction. A few other businesses receive the reusable material and resell the material to the public and discounted prices. Other material is recycled and the remainder is sent to a landfill. All materials captured for reuse are donated and count as a tax deductible contribution for the homeowner.

Deconstruction is price competitive with demolition but the process takes a little longer so advanced planning will help your project stay on schedule.

If you need assistance determining the condition of your home to determine if it is worth saving and remodeling or if you know your home needs to be removed, please contact Landis Construction. We will help you navigate the process and work help you design and build a home that captures your aesthetic preferences, functional needs and accomplishes this with the smallest environmental footprint possible.


BUILD ON AN UNDEVELOPED PIECE OF LAND

If you plan on building a new home on an undeveloped piece of land, Landis Construction is ready to help you make the most of the situation. Our knowledgeable staff will help you minimize environmental damage to the site, integrate the existing site characteristics and plantings into a design that will work to maximize the performance of the heating and cooling systems and deal beneficially with the effects of the sun. We will also help you design and build a home that captures your aesthetic preferences, functional needs and accomplishes this with the smallest environmental footprint possible.