Green Prefab in the Catskills: Alta Log Home, Fleischmanns, New York

2007

Dec

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USGBC’s LEED for Homes (“LEED-H”) Pilot Program is now closed; the organization’s constituents voted on its final approval during a period that ended a few weeks ago, and the system’s formal introduction should be forthcoming shortly. Three projects in New York State earned certification from USGBC under the Pilot Program, and we’ve presented two of these residences to you previously. The Morrisania Homes, a Silver affordable housing development in the Bronx, made our list of the top five 2007 New York City green buildings, while the Callahan House in Skaneateles, just outside of Syracuse, received Gold early this summer.

Alta Log Homes is a Catskills-based manufacturer of prefabricated wooden log residences. It offers fifty different models, as well as custom designs, and its Greenbriar model in Fleischmanns earned New York’s aforementioned third LEED-H rating (Certified) back in August.

Alta has purchased wood from sustainable forests for decades, which it air dries in order to prevent the toxins that would form during a kiln drying process. Each log is used completely; the prefabrication process helps reduce the overall amounts of construction waste, and any excess wood is recycled into mulch. The 2,000-square-foot Greenbriar model includes standard LEED features, from Energy Star appliances and low-e windows, to bamboo flooring, photovoltaics, and passive solar design. Alta built the home and hopes that the prototype will generate enough interest among potential purchasers for it to incorporate these and other green features into additional models. Steven Winter Associates served as the project's USGBC LEED-H Provider. You can check out a virtual tour of the home here, as well as floor plans and other information here.