Teton Heritage Builders

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Teton Heritage Builders’ Montana Jobsites Take On New Look

October 26, 2012

Over the years construction jobsites have been slathered with so many different types of signs to show who is building the project, who drew the plans and maybe even who the plumber or electrician is.

In the past few months, Teton Heritage Builders has completed a new signage program for our Montana jobsites, which show the true craftsmanship and quality of the homes that they sit in front of.

The key component to the sign is the masthead THB logo with the main office number attached.  This gives any prospective client or subcontractor a way to call and find out more information about the project, or THB.  Below that, there will always be our architect partner who, no pun intended, creates the blueprint for THB’s quality to be achieved.  Presenting that particular aspect of the sign helps to promote their name, as well as ours.  The next point of the sign is the job address, which lists the physical address of the property for subcontractor and suppliers to find, and in the end, becomes a gift for the owner of the home.  The last part of the sign is reserved for our fantastic and talented project managers, which helps to represent them to the public, as the key figure for THB in bringing the home to fruition.

In addition, smaller signs were created for those high-end remodel and addition projects that will not last as long as the custom homes do.  They show the masthead THB logo and the architect only.  These are smaller and more portable, but still maintain the overall look and appearance of the larger signs.

I personally, along with a lot of help from the wife and kids, took on the not-so-little job of building the signs that I felt represented who we are, and what we do, to the highest level for the Montana market, which covers the whole state, but focuses on places from Georgetown Lake to Big Timber and from Bozeman to Big Sky.  THB’s office in Jackson Hole, Wyoming had recently done the same thing, so I did what all good marketing folks do, which is take what they did and utilize the best aspects for our business here in Montana.

I used local suppliers for every piece of material, including laser-cut carbon steel plates made and finished with a dark exterior, while overlaying it over clear stainless steel plates.  The wood materials and fasteners were all purchased new from the local lumber yard, and finished to look reclaimed. The final touch to the signs was to add solar-powered down lights to show off the sign at all times of the night and day.  This is in keeping with the energy efficient solutions that our sister company, THB Energy Solutions, uses in their day to day business practices, as well as the energy efficient ways that we build our homes.

Where can you expect to see these signs, you ask?  On any of our current building projects in Montana, is what I say.  We are currently working on 3 projects in Big Sky.  One in Spanish Peaks , one in Cascade and the other is in the Yellowstone Club (which does not allow outside signs other than those provided by the Y.C., so I has the sads).  We also have a contract on a home in the Big EZ that already has a sign up, even though construction will not begin until the spring.  The 2 remodel/ addition projects we are currently working on are an addition to a custom home that we built a few years back in Spanish Peaks and the Lone Peak Brewery building, that we also had previously built.

In our opinion, and I’m sure the opinion of all the previous home owners that we have built for in the past, these signs will represent the craftsmanship and quality associated with a THB built home.  Consider it a badge of honor that we will wear every day knowing that THB builds magnificent homes.

Top 5 LEED Design Tips for Montana

July 16, 2012

Teton Heritage Builders built the first NAHBGreen certified home in the state of Montana.  It took some extra measures to ensure we achieved the criteria for the certification, but in the end we completed the home at no additional cost to our clients!  How’s that for service?  The end result is a highly energy efficient dream home in Bozeman, MT.  I caught up with our staff LEED AP, Ben Jones, on his top five tips for achieving LEED certification in Montana.  Here’s what he had to say:

1.  Insulation:  Super insulate your building envelope!  Insulation is perhaps the best investment you can make for your home in this cold climate.  Spray foam will decrease air infiltration to keep heating and cooling costs low.

2.   Sourcing Materials:  Don’t automatically think you can’t afford “green” materials.  The price gap between conventional and green products is getting slimmer and often with a bit of searching around you can find sustainably sourced materials for the same cost.

3.  Limit the Size:  Large homes incur bigger penalties when calculating points for LEED certification.  You will need to strike a balance between a grand house and an energy efficient home.

4.  Lighting:  Sit down with your architect and be sure to orient your home to maximize solar resources.  Take advantage of solar for natural lighting and passive solar for heating and cooling.  The Sun is critical for gaining LEED points as well as cutting down on utility costs.

5.  Performance Testing:  Be sure to perform a blower door test before you put up any drywall.  It is a great indicator of where you need to improve the insulation around windows, at roof/rafter connections, etc.  A house with low values of air changes per hour equates to more LEED points.

These are just a few key areas to target when designing and building a home in Montana.  With a keen eye towards the details you, too, can have a NAHBGreen home without breaking the bank.

Big Sky Homes in The Yellowstone Club Go Modern

June 15, 2012

Teton Heritage Builders is busy building a new home in the Yellowstone Club.  Designed by Reid Smith Architects, a creative Big Sky architect, this modern project adds to our already diverse portfolio of Big Sky homes and Jackson Hole homes.

This 10,000 square foot home will be one of only a handful of modern buildings in the log and timber frame dominated Yellowstone Club.  It is perched on the side of Lone Peak with ski-in/ski-out access and stunning views of the surrounding mountains.  Aside from the cutting-edge design, what makes this house particularly incredible is the Unilux window package chosen by the homeowner.

I caught up with Dave Behan, our local Unilux Windows representative, on the specifics of these windows.  First off, Unilux manufactures only triple pane windows in their factory in Germany.  Part of what sets them apart from your standard window package is their narrow frame dimensions which provides more glass area for unobstructed views.  They are “the most energy efficient windows available on the planet for a curtain wall system,” says Dave.  In fact, they are more than 75 percent more efficient than a standard double pane window.

When complete, this home is going to have the feeling of being outdoors while being comfortable at home.  Large panels of glass will slide open to bring in fresh air and invigorate the home.  Teton Heritage Builders hired Unilux certified window installers to ensure the windows are properly installed.  The slightest miscalculation of structural steel framing which supports these windows can mean disaster for a project of this scale.  Fortunately for us, our Superintendent/Project Manager Ben Jones nailed the structural framing.  Way to go Ben!

Check out more modern Big Sky homes and Jackson Hole construction by Teton Heritage Builders.  And come back to our blog for more progress updates on this exciting home!

Bozeman Builders Know Geothermal Heat

May 31, 2012

Bozeman builders Teton Heritage Builders is starting the installation of a geothermal heat pump system in Big Sky, Montana.  The first of 24 geothermal wells was just drilled just off the building’s garage entrance.  As bozeman builders, we understand the varying geology of the mountain folds around here and know importance of the scientific approach to designing a ground source heat pump system.  So we are using this first vertical geothermal well to run a thermal conductivity test on the local geological formation to precisely size this geothermal system.  With accurate test results in hand, the updated geothermal design will be the absolute best it can be.

Once finished, this well will be part of the ground heat exchanger for a 24 ton geothermal heating and cooling system.  The homeowner will be able to simultaneously heat and cool their mountain home in the Yellowstone Club using the renewable energy naturally stored underground on their site.  By harnessing the Earth’s heat their radiant and forced air system will reach levels of efficiency above 350% in the middle of the winter.  Talk about huge savings!

Use Geothermal Heat in Snow Country

December 28, 2010

By Pete Lee, Co-Founder, President & CEO

Here in the North Rockies (Jackson Hole, Wyoming & Big Sky, Montana) we have “significant” winters (another way of saying l-o-o-o-o-n-g heating seasons!).  The plus side: a lot of great skiing.  The downside: conventional home heating bills are often high enough to drive a chill up your spine.

But the downside can be avoided by installing a geothermal heating system (also called “ground source heat” or “geo-exchange heat”).    Geothermal is a great way to mitigate your heating costs and has become much more affordable & popular.

This is true for three primary reasons:

  1. Uncle Sam gives a 30% tax credit to encourage use of this low-carbon, green energy;
  2. The technology has been making steady improvement and now boasts COPs (see below) of 4.5 to 5.0;
  3. The local heating community has embraced the new technology.

The alternative energy tax credits return 30% of the system costs to our clients.  In effect through 2016, the credits are reducing time to recapture your investment from 10 years to an economically viable seven [7] years.  Read on, and you’ll see that in some cases, THB Energy Solutions has done even better; one of our systems will pay for itself in 4.2 years—a 24% Return On Investment!  Regardless of your political persuasion, you gotta appreciate Uncle Sam helping us wean ourselves off foreign fossil fuels.

Now couple those tax breaks with technological improvements and things get exciting.  10 years ago, a heat pump COP (coefficient of performance) of 3.0 was considered good.  Fast forward to today, and units are clocking in at a COP of 5.0.  This is huge because the technology has crossed the tipping point of efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Let’s take efficiency first.  Geothermal uses grid electricity.  So to fairly compare its carbon footprint to fossil fuels (like propane and heating oil) you have to account for delivery.  Historically, grid electricity loses about 70% of the fuel energy burned by the time it gets to a delivery point (i.e. your house) due to line loss. In essense, a geothermal heat pump that delivers a COP of 3 has about a 90% efficiency of the actual fuel consumed ((100%-70%=30% efficiency) x 3 COP = 90% actual efficiency).  Well, this is comparable to high efficiency boilers burning propane or heating oil.  Now, with the improvements, that actual efficiency can push 150% (30% x 5 COP = 150%).  There is no way for propane and heating oil to compete and your carbon footprint has been reduced!

Next, let’s think about cost effectiveness.  We recently completed a geothermal energy retrofit on a 8,600 square foot house that produced a heating bill of $284 last month.  Two years ago, the same bill was over $1,750.  The savings for the year will be $11,000; the system will pay for itself in a little over 4 years (a 24% return on investment).  Now, that’s cost effectiveness!

Okay, that covers two of the three legs of the stool: finance and technology.  The last one is service.  And today, that is well represented in the Rocky Mountains.  Generally, the Rocky Mountain mechanical community was slow to learn about geothermal heat, but they have caught up quickly.  In the last five years, many mechanics have learned all about the systems and there is a wealth of knowledge to tap into (especially out of the Midwest).

All the reasons are here to use geothermal heat in your next Rocky Mountain home.  Not only will you be pleased with how small your heating bill is, but it is a good return on investment.  And to top it off you can rest assured that you will be well taken care of and that you will be doing your part to help planet Earth.

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Montana

76225 Gallatin Road
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
phone: 406-522-0808

Handcrafted Homes
Lifelong Relationships

email: info@tetonheritagebuilders.com

Wyoming

655 Deer Dr., Suite #3
Jackson Hole, WY 83001
phone: 307-733-8771

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