EarthSense
In today's world of increased social and environmental consciousness, we all must be aware of impacts we make on our neighborhoods, local region and beyond. Conner Homes has been dedicated to sensible environmental stewardship with our Earth Sense program since 1991.
Earth Sense is about sustainability and sensible economical use of all resources. A large part of our focus is building with the right products to save you cents. A much more important aspect is the execution of detail, the best materials are only as good as the installation. This is why we require and inspect to strict performance standards with inspections of critical components prior to progressing to the next phase of construction.
Our goal is a home that is built to last well beyond expectations and industry standards. Take a look at the Earth Sense features built into every one of our character-built homes below:
Exterior Wall Systems (1-5)
- Pre-primed fiber-cement siding or vinyl siding. (Long lasting, low maintenance, reduced use of forest products.)
- Exterior house wrap. (To help protect against the elements.)
- "Oriented strand board" sheathing. (Strong, long-lasting, uses reprocessed forest products and saves trees.)
- Vinyl framed, insulated windows with LowE2 glass, flashed to prevent air and water intrusion. (Saves energy, quieter, never needs painting.)
- Gypsum wall board with recycled paper.
Roof/Ceiling System (6-9)
- Fire retardant fibreglass architectural composition roofing. (Long lasting, reduced maintenance cost.)
- "Oriented strand board" sheathing and sub floors. (Strong, long-lasting, uses reprocessed forest products and saves trees.)
- Engineered roof trusses. (Stronger, reduces job-site noise, impact, and waste.)
- Skylights (at select homes), with thermal break construction and Low E insulated glass. (Natural light reduces energy use, increases home's value).
Insulation/Ventilation (10-12)
- Wall: R-21 fiberglass batt insulation. Continuous vapor barrier inside finished surfaces of walls and ceilings.
- Roof/Ceiling: R-38 fiberglass insulation with perimeter eave and attic ventilation.
- Floor: Crawl area ventilation at foundation perimeter. R-30 fiberglass batt insulation. 6 mil. ground vapor barrier. Hot/cold water pipes and heating/ventilation ducting insulation in unconditioned spaces.
Mechanical (13-15)
- Sealed, gas fired log fireplace with electronic ignition.
- Programmable electronic thermostat with summer fan.
- 1.6 gallon per flush toilet. Restricted flow shower heads and faucets. Energy efficient, quick recovery, gas water heater. On demand water heater available where feasible, tankless on select products.
Finishes (16-20)
- 7/16" rebond carpet pad.
- Factory finished hardwood flooring.
- Low maintenance, insulated doors and windows.
- Abundant natural light.
- Cabinets finished with environmentally safe stains, water-based acrylic sealer and water-based varnish topcoat. The topcoat is formulated to resist scuffing and is highly impervious to household cleaners for lasting durability.
Community Improvements (21-23)
- Wetland and open space preservation.
- Community improvements designed to make the overall neighborhood a better place to live, such as: sidewalks, street lighting, locked mailboxes, off-site street improvements and community parks when feasible.
- Recycle wood and paper waste from construction.
Environmental Office (24-26)
- Active recycling of paper, glass and metal waste.
- Effective use of email and electronic transfers to eliminate the use of paper.
- Use of recycled paper in printed materials.
