Sustainability is top of mind for everyone these days. For Beaver Mountain log homes, it is not a trend; sustainable building is what we’ve done from the start. Going above and beyond building codes is important to us, not only to provide our customers excellence in service, but also because in doing so, we are honoring environmental and sustainable practices that matter to us personally and leaves a legacy for our children for years to come.
When you choose Beaver Mountain log homes, we understand that you are looking for a home in which to enjoy nature. The very essence of our log homes combines luxury living with the great outdoors. But we take this environmental benefit further with sustainable practices in waste reduction, high performance heating options, and we offer solutions for solar energy and off grid living.
When we choose our materials, we do so with the environment – our local environment and our planet – in mind. As a family-owned business, it is important to us that everything we do lasts for our children and yours.
Energy efficiency
Log walls are naturally efficient as their thermal mass holds heat in during the cold winter months and cool air during the warmer summer months. This thermal mass allows us to keep heating and cooling to a minimum which helps the environment, and your wallet. Beaver Mountain’s standard 10-inch-thick milled logs are more energy efficient than six- or eight-inch logs offered by competitors.
Our design process incorporates energy efficiency; 24-inch on center studs and rafter spacing means less wood is used. Less wood equals more insulation at the exterior envelope. Additionally, smaller headers allow for more insulation at the exterior envelope and greater spans means less posting and material use. We supply insulated headers at framed walls and offer insulated sheathing at framed walls. Spray foam insulation does a superior job insulating and reducing unwanted air flow. We supply high efficiency windows and patio doors, which also save on energy usage and costs.
But it’s not just our log homes that are designed to be energy efficient. Our home office, engineering and production facilities all have energy efficient lighting to reduce our impact on the environment.
Waste Not Want Not
We live where we work and maintaining the pristine Catskill mountains of New York is important to us. We don’t want our products and byproducts to end up in a landfill or increase the need for more landfills.
We have found ways to recycle and reuse materials while giving back to our community. We collect sawdust from milling and send to a local dairy & horse farms where it is used as bedding for the animals. Scrap wood that can’t be re-sawed or reused for other building projects is sent to local high schools where it is used for woodworking projects.
Pallets and shipping containers are reused or recycled, and all trash and recycling is sent to the county composting facility.
Our lumber is carefully chosen from renewable sources. Our precutting process greatly reduces waste at the site. All lathe-turned timber is from standing dead trees that were killed by fire or other natural causes. And all wood purchased from mills have professional foresters who supervise the harvest operation.
We employ a local trucking company and homes are only delivered & built in Northeast & Mid-Atlantic states to save fuel and emissions.
Every Beaver Mountain home is custom to fit your personal style. Our staff can work with you on options to live off grid, or greatly reduce your carbon footprint. These options include energy systems like geothermal and solar and incorporate rainwater catchment systems as well as composting options. Geothermal solutions harness the constant temperature of the ground to heat and cool your home, while solar panels use the most natural resource we have – the sun. Rainwater catchment systems collect water from gutters and downspouts to harvest into large cisterns to purify and supply your entire household demand. Composting products to help you reduce your waste and need for garbage pickup. All these systems can be incorporated into the design of your home without disruption to design — with the right landscaping, they can blend seamlessly in with nature.
When you’re designing your home, tell your Beaver Mountain log home designer that you’re interested in green building and brainstorm together to create a home that is efficient and beautiful.
