This snippet has been extracted from “The green house Creative Homeowner Green Remodeling” by “John D. Wagner”. The Checklist for your Contractor should be find out how and when the contractor got into the business, and how long the company has been around. “Drywall repair Washington DC“, provides you with a proper checklist on selection of the Contractor.
Checklist for your Contractor
When interviewing contractors, here is a list are attuned to green building. (See the other “Your Green Choices” sidebars in this chapter for a list and description of green-building programs and product certifying organizations.) If a contractor is well versed in green building. He should be able to answer-or immediately tap into experts and subcontractors who can answer-these questions about green building.
- What is the contractor’s understanding of green building and what makes a project green? What are his key sources of information?
- Is the contractor a recognized Energy Star contractor? If not, what green- building standard does the contractor subscribe to?
- Has the contractor built other green projects, and what qualified these projects as green?
- Does the contractor’s designers or allied architects have training in green-building practices, which can range from knowledge about house orientation and window basics to the ability to specify green products in every part of the home?
- Does the contractor have reliable sources for green products, such as Energy Star-qualified HVAC systems; low-VOC caulks, adhesives, and finishes; and sustainably-harvested lumber?
- For finished wood applications like trim or shelving, does the contractor have a plan for using composite woods, such as medium-density fiber-board (MDF), and plantation-grown green alternatives to tropical hardwoods, such as bamboo or Pau Lope, that will reduce pressure on forester?
- Does the contractor subscribe to any framing optimization system that can reduce job-site waste? This can simply mean that the contractor uses a software system to optimize framing so that his crew uses fewer structural wood components.
- Is the contractor aware of advanced insulated foundation, rood, or wall systems that can achieve high R-values, such as insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and structural insulated panels (SIPs)?
- Does the contractor have any knowledge of-or subcontractors who have knowledge of –solar electric systems or solar hot-water systems?
- Does the contractor employ subcontractors who are aware of green-building techniques, such as floor finishers who use no-VOC water-borne polyurethane?
- What systems does the contractor have in place to check on and audit the green practices of the subcontractors who will be working on your job, such as pre-approval of materials?
- Does the contractor have a waste and recycling plan so that building materials such as metal or use able wood are recycled rather than discarded?
- Does the contractor have a toxic-waste disposal plan? Ask the contractor what he plans to do with old thermostats that contain mercury or light ballasts that contain poly-chlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs). If he doesn’t have a deliberate plan for disposing of these highly toxic materials, his credentials are suspect.
- Does the contractor have a plan for ensuring the indoor air quality (IAQ) of the home before and after construction, even if there is active ventilation when finishes are applied on site? IAQ is a key component of any green re-modelling job.
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