Nowadays when building a house, contractors have a fairly new set of considerations: How environmentally friendly will it be?
“Today the clients are becoming more and more aware of having a house that is environmentally friendly,” said Mike Murphy, director of new project development of Murphy Brothers Contracting in Mamaroneck. “People used to be more concerned about how things looked; now they”™re more concerned about the things that they can”™t even see. They want to have improved air quality and they like using natural resources, like reclaimed wood and various things within the house. So we want our project managers to be aware as much as the client is or more so on what”™s on the market and what”™s available.”
Murphy, who is not related to owners Sean and Chris Murphy, said one of Murphy Brothers”™ recently built homes will achieve a gold certification from the (NAHB) National Association of Home Builders”™ Green Certification program; the first such certified home in the county.
“People ask me, ”˜How long have you guys been green?”™ and I say, ”˜Well, we”™ve been green for 30 years, because we always use the latest and greatest materials,”™” said Sean Murphy, vice president of the company. “In this area you have a lot of high-end customers who have the money to spend on environmentally safe materials.”
Murphy Brothers has been installing geothermal heating and cooling systems in homes for the past seven years, Sean Murphy said, and spray foam insulation for the past 12 years, so the green revolution “is not new to us.”
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“We also use a new product that is recycled newspaper used for countertops,” Sean Murphy said. “It”™s unbelievable ”“ they wet it, dry it out and compress it, and it”™s hard as a rock.”
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Another trend that is beginning to take off in commercial properties are green roofs, or living roofs covered in plants, which absorb rainwater.
“It”™s much better for the overall global environment,” said Chris Murphy, president of the company.
Green building can be more expensive because some of the products are new, but there is usually a return on the investment down the line.
“It doesn”™t have to be unaffordable for someone to be green,” said James Killoran, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Westchester. “People think green building is expensive, but Habitat proves that the low-to-middle-income family can use green building techniques. For example, this week we”™re weatherizing a home in Yonkers. We”™ve always had to help our families keep their utility costs down, so we”™ve been green since 1997.”
This fall, Habitat will offer a three-day green building course and holding a denim collection to be used for insulation.
“I feel proud that I”™ve got a green construction team and that if we”™re going to save this world and have a strong economy, I encourage everybody from the small business owner to the homeowner to go green,” Killoran said. “I want to see solar panel factories in Yonkers and Mount Vernon. We”™d better bring these manufacturing jobs back immediately to where the infrastructures are strong.”
