Bourke Builders is your home improvement contractor specializing in custom homes, green building and remodeling.

Home | Testimonials | Resources | About | Contact

New Homes

Additions/Remodels

Kitchens/Baths

Porches/Decks

Green Building

Today, the term ‘green building’ has come to represent the field Bourke Builders has been pioneering and working in for over 25 years.

Green building allows us to live in healthier, more comfortable houses that are less expensive to operate, last longer and are more earth friendly. Green building encompasses every part of construction, not just the house itself, but everything around it, and how the house and its occupants relate to the community around them.

The 2009 Stimulus Bill includes a 30% tax credit on geothermal, solar and wind technologies for existing and new homes, and other tax credits for windows, doors, insulation and other improvements to existing homes.

energy efficient homes, general contractor, sustainable building

And most exciting, we are now building Zero Net Energy homes – houses without energy bills! We simply lower the amount of energy used, then off set that use with renewable energy production.

Visit the EnergyStar Web site for more tax credit information.

Visit Geothermal Genius and/or GeoExchange for a written and video explanations of geothermal heating and cooling technology. Wikipedia also has a good written explanation.

The Three Goals of Green Building are:

1. Energy Efficiency, the cornerstone of any green building project, including site orientation, the use of higher levels of insulation, thermal breaks, air sealing, advanced windows, high efficiency heating, cooling and hot water (geothermal, for example), heat recovery and lighting to name a few.

2. Conservation of natural resources, including the use of durable, sustainably harvested, local, low embodied energy and recycled content products, water and land conservation, and recycling of construction waste; renewable energy production such as wind power and solar electricity (photovoltaics) and hot water, which lower operating costs and reduce the use of fossil fuels

3. Indoor air quality, including moisture, mold and Radon mitigation and the installation of highly efficient air filters and fresh air mechanical systems such as heat recovery ventilators.

Our History in Green Building:

Established in 1984, Bourke Builders’ primary mission was the construction of highly energy efficient homes. We called these ‘super-insulated’ homes. At that time, our company was one of the few highly dedicated, conservation-minded builders among the thousands of builders who hardly gave energy efficiency a second thought.

Over the ensuing years we realized that the house operated as a system and that the term ‘super-insulated’ was too limited in its scope. So, among others, we addressed health issues and incorporated fresh air systems, environmentally friendly materials, advanced strategies for water and mold mitigation, and techniques to add years to the life of our buildings by making our houses more durable. We included high efficiency heating, air conditioning and hot water systems to our projects.

Our homes were recognized not only for saving energy and having higher re-sale value, but also for being healthier and more comfortable for families. In short, we created a new discipline called ‘Building Science’ and introduced ‘sustainability’ to our field. We helped create programs such as ‘Energy Crafted Homes’, which became one of the models for today’s federal ‘Energy Star’ program. We also spread the word by speaking at conferences and teaching workshops for architects, engineers, code officials, and, of course, other builders and subcontractors.

Today ‘green building’ has become a household phrase. Homeowners want to live and build green, and homebuilders are scrambling to position themselves to take advantage of the coming wave of green business. In the end, it all comes down to commitment, know-how and experience. And that is where Bourke Builders stands above the rest in the Valley.

Over the past 25 years our projects have achieved high marks on the ‘green scale’. We are well known among our peers as leaders in the field. Our reputation speaks for itself. Our clients love to live in the homes, additions and remodels we build for them. We love doing something that improves the quality of life for homeowners, and also does something good for the planet.

[top]