Member Profile

Trex

We recommend this product as an excellent alternative to wood for exterior and decking applicatio... We recommend this product as an excellent alternative to wood for exterior and decking applications. This refers to the standard trex items and the brasilia items. We do not recommend the newer railing systems that are coated or cased in PVC vinyl because of the well known environmental drawbacks of vinyl. I have seen trex decks installed over 20 tears ago that are still serviceable though the surface has become slightly rough and this is in spite of improper application by the early adopters who failed to allow the recommended spacing between boards and placed them in continuous contact.

Rated by Green Home Carpentry & Design [01/30/2010] +Expand -Collapse

Overall	9	Raw materials	9
Toxicity	9	Manufacturing/Shipping	7
Installation/Application	8	Quality/Durability	9
First cost/price	7	Corporate Policies	N/A
Resource Recovery	9	Lifecycle cost	9

Fiberglass Framed Windows

My green remodeling company has installed Wood -Ultrex casement windows and sliding and french do... My green remodeling company has installed Wood -Ultrex casement windows and sliding and french doors with success, We have been very pleased with these products. However we encountered a serious debacle on our largest project to date when we tried the all ultrex double hung units made in 2009. It turned out that the units were not sufficiently rigid for conventional installation practices to succeed. In a blower door test many of the 21 double hung window units whistled from excessive air infiltration. The Marvin representatives have made some efforts to improve the situation.

Rated by Green Home Carpentry & Design [01/30/2010] +Expand -Collapse

Overall	5	Raw materials	N/A
Toxicity	N/A	Manufacturing/Shipping	N/A
Installation/Application	2	Quality/Durability	N/A
First cost/price	N/A	Corporate Policies	N/A
Resource Recovery	N/A	Lifecycle cost	N/A

Cel-Pak Cellulose Insulation

Our remodeling and energy retrofit company has used Cel-Pak cellulose from national Fiber on seve... Our remodeling and energy retrofit company has used Cel-Pak cellulose from national Fiber on several projects. We have applied it as loose fill attic blanket and subcontracted for it to be blown in to cavities. I value the product for its resource virtues as it is made from a recycled product . It has less embodied energy than some other insulations and this includes the advantage that it is made locally so transportation is not a major factor. One doubt I have concerns the rate of application guidelines provided with the product. I have found that coverage calculations have not provided accurate quantities so that we have had to make additional purchases of material to achieve specified depth in loose fill application. This should be considered only a preliminary caution because we have not followed up with controlled testing to verify the discrepancy.

Rated by Green Home Carpentry & Design [01/30/2010] +Expand -Collapse

Overall	9	Raw materials	10
Toxicity	10	Manufacturing/Shipping	9
Installation/Application	7	Quality/Durability	9
First cost/price	9	Corporate Policies	N/A
Resource Recovery	10	Lifecycle cost	10