Build Green Homes that provide great benefits to the environment
By Maureen Licata – Business Examiner – November 2011
Joe Wackerbauer, president of Okanagan Custom Homes Ltd., builds luxury houses that delight his clients and often provide great benefits to the environment.
As a registered Built Green builder, he incorporates eco-friendly elements into high-end homes in Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Penticton and Naramata. According to the company web site, “Green building, first and foremost, is a method of designing buildings in such a way that resources are used responsibly, focusing on the protection of the environment and occupants’ health, while ensuring the building’s long term profitability”.
From the foundation to the roof, Wackerbauer employs construction techniques geared to conserve water and energy. His homes feature everything from footings that have been “bagged” or wrapped in plastic to create a moisture barrier, to insulated concrete foundations, to an airtight building envelope.
These all contribute to high energy efficiency. Versa-Lam studs, laminated veneer lumber wall framing, provide strength without warping or splitting. Besides their functionality, they help to preserve a dwindling commodity.
“The Versa-Lam framing system is more expensive than conventional lumber,” says Wackerbauer. “But it’s a higher quality product and produces less waste, which saves money in the long run.”
Sustainability makes an appearance even on the roof, where he relies on eco-roofs made of 100 per cent recycled materials. They’re generally aluminum and guaranteed to last for 50 years.
The rain water is collected off of the roof of the home and is directed into an underground filtered rain water recovery system before it is used for irrigation purposes. Grey water from inside the home is also recovered, and it flows into a tank in the crawl space or basement and it is reused to flush the toilets.
“We also install black water sewage systems that consist of a series of tanks,” he says. “The septic field can be reduced by up to 75 per cent. The water that flows into the ground pits is actually safe to drink and can be incorporated into an irrigation system.”
To ensure that the air is exchanged within the house, Wackerbauer installs a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). In fact, it can change all the air in a green home in a three hour period. It also reduces the energy needed to warm outdoor air. “It removes air-borne particles from the home, thus making it a healthier environment for the occupants,” he says.
Wackerbauer is also exploring the upsides of solar power. In one of the homes he is constructing, it will heat the water, the pool and the floors.
“I am working toward self-sufficiency in power and water,” he says. “In essence, I’m trying to build homes with less impact on the environment and closer to being off the grid.”
With over 35 years of experience in the construction industry, Wackerbauer is well-versed in the myriad of technologies available and builds his homes well above the code requirements.
He started learning the family construction business from his father, a master carpenter and cabinet maker, and from his uncle, a master finisher. He received his journeyman carpenter status in 1985.
“I’m a member of the Canadian Home Builders Association”,” he says. “I’m also a licensed residential builder with the Home Protection Office (HPO). I have kept pace with the changes in the industry by routinely attending seminars offered by the HPO and other courses outside of that organization.”
His dedication to each project is evident in its detail and elaborate finishing. The home warranty highlights his unwavering standards. Clients receive a two year warranty on labor, five years on the building envelope along with a 10 year structural defect warranty.
“I treat every house as if it were my own,” says Wackerbauer
www.okanagancustomhomes.com
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I have kept pace with the changes in the industry by routinely attending seminars offered by the HPO and other courses outside of that organization.”