The Sustainability Review:
Kelly Moore Construction

I was approached by the newsletter editor to write an article about Kelly Moore and his construction company.  The request was easily followed since what Kelly is doing is right up my alley and he and I have been friends for several years.  Kelly was recently given the City of Moscow’s sustainability award for the second year in a row for building homes that meet the requirements of their Green Building program.  Kelly is the only commercial builder that I am aware of that is building homes such as these in Moscow.

I visited Kelly at his latest home in Moscow and was given the grand tour of all the things that classify it as “green”.  This home was recently given a “gold” rating, the highest offered by the program.  The following are some of the items that make it different:

1. High efficiency (96%) boiler system with radiant floors and baseboards.  This boiler also supplies the domestic hot water as well as allows for a additional solar hot water system to be added later
2. Heat recovery ventilator (HRV):  As air enters the house, it is preheated by the heated air leaving the house through a heat exchanger.   Most houses bring in air directly from outside that must either be cooled or heated, depending on the season, by the house’s furnace.
3. 100% recycled nylon carpet that is recyclable as well.
4. Zero VOC paint used throughout the house, I noticed when walking into this home that there was no objectionable “new house” smell.
5. Cabinets made from low-formaldehyde products produced at Huntwood Cabinets in Liberty Lake, WA.  (This facility is a zero-emissions facility where all the waste produced is recycled and all coatings are recovered and not discharged into the environment.)
6. Caroma dual-flush toilets – there are 2 settings on the toilet, 1 button for liquid waste uses 0.8 gal/flush and the other button for solid waste uses 1.6 gal/flush.
7. Formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation installed so that the insulating values exceed those required by code.
8. 3/8” water lines for fixtures.  Most fixtures don’t need a ½” plumbing line to them; doing so causes an increased use of hot water while waiting for the hot to show up.  There is less than half the water in a 3/8” line, making water delivery faster and conserving our precious resource.  There is no need for hot water circulating pumps that so many homes are using these days.
9. No vinyl in the house.  Vinyl has a poor record when it comes to indoor air quality and production on the industrial scale.  Kelly uses no vinyl products inside the home. 
10. Tile floors that are made from domestically produced tile.  Much of the tile we use comes from overseas, adding transportation impacts and taking away from domestic producers.
11. Water-based adhesives:  Houses contain many adhesives and Kelly uses water-based, solvent-free ones.  You’d be surprised how much adhesive goes into the house.  We used approximately a 5 gallon bucket’s worth on our 1,350 -square-foot home.

These are just some of the specifics that make Kelly’s homes different from others. There are also non-visible items that contribute to the sustainable nature of the house. Kelly is very concerned about the waste they generate in the home.  Everything that can be reused is, and what isn’t is recycled if possible.  There is no large construction dumpster outside the home with useable wood piling up in it.

I was impressed with Kelly’s house.  Kelly has a very thorough approach to building a home.  He is very particular about the quality of workmanship both as is pertains to energy performance and aesthetics.  I know that his next project is a “green” duplex that employs the above-mentioned items and is going to have a solar hot water system as well.  I applaud him for taking these steps when it is so easy as a builder to just stick to the norm and build a “cracker box” that sells and has a much larger impact on the earth and our community.

For more information on Moscow’s Green Building, contact the building department at 208-883-7022. And for more information about Kelly’s homes, you can call him directly at 208-892-3524.

Mike and his family are putting the finishing touches on their home.

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