You wouldn't know it, now that the drywall is up. You can't see it.
But the handsome single-story rancher taking shape at 43 Bloomfield Drive has a green heart.
It should consume at least 50 percent less heating and cooling energy.
Garman Builders Inc. broke ground on the project at Clearfield Gardens North, Clay Township, on March 22. The rancher will be on display during the 2007 Parade of Homes, June 16-24, which has a green home theme this year.
Time will tell whether the market is ready for green construction, said Norm Faus, Garman project manager.
Green construction is expected to add five to eight percent to the cost of the rancher, which lists for $304,900.
But with utility costs and concerns about global warming escalating, Faus said, "The builders of the future are going to have to be more mindful of that."
The U.S. Green Building Council attributes 30 to 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions to the heating and cooling of buildings.
Insulating concrete forms, the primary green building component featured in the rancher, offer one way to shrink that footprint.
Tom Reilly of Construction Supply Centers, a local distributor for the panels, explained how they work.
Concrete is poured between double-sided interlocking Styrofoam panels to form dense, airtight walls, which the Nebraska-based manufacturer, Reward Wall Systems, said insulates more than twice as effectively as conventional wood framing.
"Legos for big boys, that's what I call them," he added.
According to the manufacturer, ICF walls, which are braced with rebar, can withstand 200-mph winds. They're also virtually soundproof, according to Reward Wall Systems, and they offer superior thermal mass and resistance to fire, dust, mold and allergens.
Other green components of the Garman rancher include a high-efficiency heat pump, landscape pavers and carpet padding made from recycled materials, fluorescent bulbs that cut electricity consumption and an "Ecoblox" concrete footer that contains 10 percent recycled slag and fly ash.
Garman is partnering with New Holland Concrete and Construction Supply Centers to build the 1,930-square-foot, three-bedroom house.
Situated within the age 55-plus sector of Clearview Gardens North, the rancher will be finished with siding, stucco and natural stone veneer.
Garman Builders president Mike Garman said the project meets nationally accepted standards for structures with significantly reduced environmental impact.
His company will seek a National Association of Homebuilders green building award for the home.
This is the first time Garman Builders has used ICFs, which extend from the footer to the roof line of the rancher.
But Reilly said he believes the panels are just the tip of a green construction iceberg.
While tradition-bound Lancaster County has been slightly behind the curve on green construction techniques, he said, that's rapidly changing.
"The interest level is exponential," according to Reilly, who said several schools and commercial buildings in the region, including the community center in Gap, are incorporating ICF components.
High school students are also plugging ICFs into the foundation of a new house they're building on the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center campus in Mount Joy.
The students are aiming to make a "typical Lancaster County house" 50 percent more energy efficient by using ICFs, a metal roof, a solar hot water heater and an innovative framing technique that consumes less wood, said Kim Patrick, special projects coordinator for the school.
On the drawing board for next year is a house with solar panels.
But green construction has evolved far beyond its ponytailed, Birkenstock stereotype, said Patrick, whose husband, Bill Patrick, is the president of the Building Industry Association of Lancaster County.
"Building green is about taking a systematic approach" that meets specific energy conservation protocols, she said.
"This is really new to Lancaster," she added but, thanks to builders such as Garman, people are starting to talk about it.
"The building industry is moving in this direction. They're trying to do it thoughtfully and understand it."
Jon Rutter is a staff writer for the Sunday News. His e-mail address is jrutter@lnpnews.com.
