Original house at 646 Longstaff
MMHG in Missoula, Montana, Summer 2007
Local Missoula.com, KECI-NBC, The Trail 103.3, and First National Bank of MT announced a world event this summer in Missoula, MT. KECI’s Monte Turner conducted weekly interviews and updates for Montana Today starting in early July. The Trail broadcasted live radio at the final open house in late August. This truly was the event Missoula had been waiting for. The pros said this was the second biggest event Missoula has ever seen (stupid Rolling Stones).
Located at 646 Longstaff in the heart of Missoula, this could easily be the most contentious remodel project the world has ever seen!
The key concept behind Make My House Green (MMHG) projects is to provide interactive and informative public demonstrations on “green” building methods. As builders, we evaluate energy efficiency and produce a complete project cost analysis so that you can ultimately determine which aspects make sense for your upcoming home remodel or new construction. Most people believe that going green is too expensive, but this is not necessarily the case. MMHG has developed a 3-step process for building or rebuilding a home utilizing some of the latest sustainable methods.
MMHG Missoula will consisted of 6 Saturday open house viewings during July and August. We hosted interactive technique demonstrations by our professional contractors and suppliers. See our Go To Green Team of Professional Contractors and Suppliers who advocate sustainable, efficient building.
Caleb and Corey in front of the house during the deconstruction phase
MMHG deconstructed a home that was originally built in 1925 and reconstructed the house into an eco-friendly, energy-efficient, locally-engineered home. The home was rebuilt using the 3-step guidelines developed by MMHG to maximize efficiency and minimize ecological impact. By reusing the materials extracted from the house and incorporating sustainable new lumber from the Good Wood Program, we ensured a minimum negative impact to our forests and environment. We installed energy-efficient windows, doors, insulation and appliances to save on fossil fuels and hydroelectric energy consumption. We used low-flow fixtures and several other conservational plumbing ingredients to maximize efficiency. Finally, we sought out locally-engineered and -produced goods and services to minimize product transportation and support our local economy. During the ongoing research for this project, we found numerous options that fit within our guidelines. We selected the most cost effective combination of these options and implemented them in this project.
MMHG has strategically developed our set of guidelines to determine whether or not a house meets the “green” building design. One of MMHG’s primary goals is to encourage everyone to go “green” when building or re-building. A national program has allocated the LEED certification for a “green “ home. Unfortunately, this certification is expensive, and therefore many builders and homeowners avoid it.We feel that everyone in every financial situation should be encouraged to build “green.” One of our goals is to show the public how to meet some of these nationally accepted green standards without necessarily having to go through the bureaucratic process of a certification. We need to realize that the certification is not the critical part of the green building movement, but rather it is the efforts taken to make the world a better place. MMHG provided Missoula's project with cost effective methods of going “green” based on our three general criteria.
- Sustainable Materials
- Energy Efficiency
- BUYING LOCAL
The framing is complete!
During this remodel project there were 6 FREE educational events open to the public. The events will took place at the project site during July and August and featured professional demonstrations by the Green Team, including an efficiency seminar by John Diem of Advanced Energy Solutions. Visitors enjoyed Design of Thought as sustainable designer Lucas Dupuis guided them through the thought process of a sustainable set of blueprints. Also Local plumbing supplier, Mountain Supply let the public in on the latest low-flow faucets and fixtures, as well as Baxi's 98% condensating Luna boiler and their Radiant Solar Panel Array that were all used on the MMHG home. These seminars gave demonstrations of cost-effective solutions for the common homeowner. Individually, you may or may not be able to implement all the “green” feature upgrades. The demonstrations were intended for every homeowner, allowing each person to find methods applicable to his/her home.
MMHG developed the definitive “Go-To Green Team” here in Missoula. All of our “Green Team” contractors and suppliers were interviewed and screened, and many applicants were turned away because they were not the best fit for the MMHG criteria. MMHG endorses our Green Team and encourages you to contact them for professional services. We will leave their contact and company information available on the mmhg site for the subsequent year after the project concludes.
For more information about this and future MMHG projects, contact:
| Caleb Beaudin Project Manager 406.240.8656 |
Corey Williamson Project Manager 406.544.9467 |
