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Consulting

Green Building Experience

raftsman Homes of Austin will consult with you or your company in all aspects of "green building," as well as in the proper way of handling of contaminants. Steve Wauson, from Craftsman Homes, has been involved in building custom high-end homes for over 20 years from Houston to Seattle.

Wauson, an advocate of the motto: "Think Globally. Act Locally!" always searches for green solutions. To that effect his latest project has garnered him a multitude of acclaims from the AIA, Austin Institute of Architects, to articles featuring his work in prestigious trade magazines.

He believes that Central Texas, “green landscaping” usually means, “brown landscaping.” The goal is to plant native plants and grasses requiring little or no irrigation to survive. The end result, often hot, brown and barren, is termed “water wise” because little city water is required for maintenance compared to a St. Augustine grass lawn.

He thinks that following some basic directives, the water naturally available is maximized and distributed when needed. The choice of plant materials and grasses then shifts from strictly drought tolerant varieties to an assortment of other species. The criteria to select other variety of flora may consider species that are:

Native
Aesthetically Pleasing
Beneficial to wildlife —while resistant to some of them, such as deer.
Shade enhancers and providers —trees and shrubs along the landscape, hardscape, and house. Such arboreal strategy, along with reducing evaporation, keeps the site and home cooler, saving air conditioning usage and expense. In Austin, the lynch pin is to sign up for the city's wind energy program. In this manner the electricity is originated by a carbon-free source.
Of course, we’ll still try to plant drought tolerant flora.

"This is a true ecological, “Green,” solution. Following these simple guidelines we achieve a lush, green, cool, carbon-consuming landscape, which provides a healthy wildlife habitat —without a need to deplete the scarce water resources from the utility district. The trunk of a tree is mostly carbon removed from the atmosphere. Shouldn’t our goal be carbon negative, instead of “carbon neutral”? Let’s strive to consume more carbon than we exhale!" Says Wauson.

The National Wildlife Federation, NWF, has accepted the Buckeye Trail House as a "Certified Wildlife Habitat". The features necessary for recognition are:

Food Sources
Water Sources
Places for Cover
Places to Raise Young
Sustainable Gardening

"Smart Homeowner Magazine" - This national magazine is featuring Buckeye as their "Home of the Month" in their July-August '07 issue. The article focuses on green aspects of the residence.

"The city of Austin, Texas, is known for lots of things: It has been called the "live music capital of the world." 6th Street is now almost as infamous as Bourbon Street and, of course, there's the Longhorns football team.

But more importantly, Austin is becoming known for its green power and greenbuilding initiatives. Not only the city's utility companies offering green choices, but also more and more local builders are incorporating a green philosophy into their craft .

One such builder is Steve Wauson, who has owned and operated..." [read more]

On Remediation

“Quite a few of my remodel projects through the years revealed mold, asbestos, lead, radon and other hazards. From them I’ve learned not just about abatement, but also how to prevent conditions conducive to problems.”

“Mold spores are ubiquitous. Give them proper temperature and humidity, along with organic material to consume and mold will thrive. Keeping structures dry and limiting consumable materials in key areas will always maintain structures sound and healthful.” Says Wauson.

He has served on two mold related committees for the Austin ISD and later on the Citizens Oversight Committee.

If you want further information, click here.

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These days, with the rising cost of energy , renovations improving energy efficiency are safe and desirable.