Conserve/Preserve: Natural Resources / Your Health / Your Money

-Engineered Green: Safer and Stronger

Here at Messner Homes, LLC, we pride ourselves on being committed to building "LEED Homes", “Built Green” and “Energy Star” qualified homes.  Our homes energy efficiency consistently out performs energy code requirements by 50% or more.  We achieve this through building homes that are green engineered. In 2007, we began to offer concrete homes utilizing “Insulated Concrete Form (ICF)” construction.  ICF homes having a 250 mph wind resistance, no dry rot problems, no termite problems, and a 4 hour fire rating; thus making them extremely safe and much stronger then he typical built home.  The following are the ICF’s we use: logixicf, nudura, and rewardwalls.  SIPS panels, hay bail, and other alternative forms of construction are also green and energy efficient and will be utilized upon customers request.  We pride ourselves on providing a vast array of green construction technologies that will meet and exceed our customers expectations.

-Best air, water, and energy filtering available

Not only will our homes conserve your money and natural resources, but they are also among the healthiest homes around.  The latest state of art technology in air and water quality can protect against viruses, bacteria, mold, and fungus from ever getting a foothold in your home.  The energy protection protects the entire electrical panel and everything connected to it from power surges and actually helps the motor driven appliances last up to 25% longer.  These technologies are listed below and many of them are utilized in the White House, Pentagon, and by NASA.  We also use Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) units to control the quality of the air inside the home.  Our houses are so air tight that we have to continuously exchange the inside air with the outside air.  Since we control it, we are able to control the temperature of the new fresh air so it does not cause additional heating or cooling load on the house.  These units use the same electricity as a 60 watt light bulb.  Having continuous fresh air that is controlled is far healthier and more energy efficient than not controlling it with a drafty house where unhealthy gases, like radon, can build up and stick around.

-Lower utility bills, insurance costs, and cost of maintenance.

Another huge advantage of a Messner concrete home, is that they are generally the same price as most of the 2x4 homes offered by comparable builders.  Our ICF homes also enjoy a 20% home insurance savings with Allstate Insurance due to the safety features mention aboved.  The utility savings are significant with an ICF home. ICF homes have an affective insulation of more than R50.  With the wind that is seen in the Colorado front range area, having a concrete home is ideal since wind only drops an ICF R-value around 10%, as compared to 80% with wood framed homes.  With this added affordability, you can have more home for the money, hence our saying, “Save the Green and Your Health”. 

Clean/Health Technology:

DuctWorx is the air purifier utilized in obtaining cleaner / healthier air. It purifies the air continuously through utilizing a variable speed motor furnace. Tests have proven that it kill germs in the air as well as on surfaces.

LaundryPure is a great new product that allows someone's existing washing machine to clean clothes without the use of detergent and hot water.

Eco Power 4 is a device that extends the life of motor driven appliances, and can save money in your electric bills of up to 25%.

Customer Service Aspects:

Custom Design - We specialize in creating completely new and custom plans for each of our customers based on their land views, land layout, desires, and budget. Our customers truly get the house that best fits the land and the customer. From time to time, we have a customer that wants the same house we have previously built. We can do that too as well as use the customers plan.

So whether its the customer's plan, a previous plan, or a completely new custom plan, we can build it.

Customer Service - With the ease of communication created by cell phones and email, our customers have direct access to Andre Messner during the entire construction process. Andre sends out emails and / or calls on a weekly basis to inform our customers of the status of their home, thus keeping the customer in the loop. This way the customer know what's happening on the job and what's coming up.

In addition, allowances are given in the budget for the customer to pick out: light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, flooring, colors, trim, doors, railing, door hardware, cabinets, countertops, and many more. We feel the more the customer is able to select aspects of their home, the more they will love the home.

Committed to building:

LEED for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. Green homes use less energy, water and natural resources, create less waste, and are more durable and comfortable for occupants.

Built Green - Introduced in 1995, Built Green Colorado was created through the joint efforts of the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver (HBA), The Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC), Xcel Energy, and E-Star Colorado.

Energy Star - To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes.

The largest green building program in the nation, we currently have over 100 builder members across the state, 45 sponsor members, and 8 members of our Built Green Industry Leaders group. The operating budget of the program is generated from the dues and fees of the builder and sponsor members, and from the substantial financial contributions of the Built Green Industry Leaders. Built Green Industry Leader members are: James Hardie Building Products, Rheem Company, Boise Building Solutions, Trex Decking, Whirlpool Corporation, Kurowski Development Co., and Grace Construction Products.

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF's): Advantages

Greater Comfort & Lower Energy Bills

Energy savings and comfort are built into every ICF system. ICFs start with a high it-Value. Four inches of ASTM C 578 polystyrene foam insulation, combined with a five inch concrete wall a typical ICF system - are rated above R-17 at 75* mean test temperature. Other insulating form configurations and materials also exhibit high it-Values. But that's not all! Air infiltration in an ICF Home is minimal due to the continuous air barriers provided by the foam insulation and the concrete. Likewise, there are no convection currents within wall cavities.

The concrete walls of an ICF home have high thermal mass, which buffers the interior of a home from the extremes of outdoor temperature during every 24-hour cycle. This reduces both peak and total heating and cooling loads.

This combination of high R-values, low air infiltration, and high thermal mass is believed to account for the amazing 25% to 50% energy savings of ICF versus wood or steel-framed homes.

Peace & Quiet

New ICF homeowners almost always remark on how unbelievably quiet their new house is, compared with their old stick-built home. They expect the new-found comfort and energy efficiency, but the peace and quiet -the protection from outside noise - never fails to surprise and delight them.

In sound transmission tests, ICF walls allowed less than one-third as much sound to pass through as do ordinary frame walls filled with fiberglass. With double-glazed windows in ICF walls and beefed-up roof insulation, you will rarely hear street noises or airport traffic.

Solid & Lasting Security

The high-mass walls of an ICF home not only give it a remarkably solid feel, but they also make it safer for the family. And make it a remarkably solid and secure investment, too. Concrete homes have a proven track record of withstanding the ravages of hurricanes, tornadoes and fires, when all the stick-built houses around them are in ruins.

Less Repair & Maintenance

With ICF homes, the equation is simple. No Rot = Less Repair and Maintenance. Neither polystyrene nor concrete will ever rot or rust. Concrete can even be exposed to the elements for centuries with few ill effects. Reinforcing steel, buried deep inside and protected by concrete's alkalinity, does not corrode.

ICF Advantages For The Builder. Versatile System - Flexible Designs

ICF homes can be designed in any style, and will accept any traditional exterior finish including vinyl or wood siding, stucco and brick. Because custom angles and curves are easily created, it's simple to build in bows, bays and radiuses. And ICF systems accommodate any of today's most popular design features, such as tall walls, large openings, long floor spans, and cathedral ceilings.

 Internationally Proven & Code-Accepted

Originally developed in Canada (where concrete home building is standard) ICF systems have been used successfully around the world for more than 40 years. Tens of thousands of ICF homes have been built in recent years throughout the United States and Canada. They have proven successful in every region and climate, from Orlando to Calgary. ICF systems are accepted by all the major model codes in the U.S. and by the National Building Codes in Canada.

  Fast To Learn & Easy To Use Although it looks new and different, anyone with construction experience can quickly get up to speed with ICFs. An ideal crew has a mix of concrete placement and carpentry experience. Once the crew has some practice, each ICF-built home requires less skilled labor and less total labor than a wood-framed home. And ICFs are very lightweight, so crews stay fresh through the day. Likewise, ICFs present no problem for the sub-contractors who come after the walls are poured. Since holes, chases and rectangles are easily cut into ICFs with a knife or saw, installation of mechanical systems is a snap The fastening of drywall and lap siding is just as fast and easy. And mid-course corrections, such as moving an opening, are no big deal - just saw it out and re-form. It's not more difficult to make changes to an ICF wall - it's just different.

 Cost Competitive.

Over the last ten years, concrete prices have been remarkably stable. Recent price increases in other materials have generated interest in concrete building systems as never before. Labor savings and readily available materials make ICFs, feature for feature, one of the most cost competitive wall systems in U.S. and Canadian housing markets.

DuctWorx

Fresh Air DuctwoRx is powered by ActivePure technology

In just a few minutes...

• Certified Space Technology Radiant Catalytic Ionization (ActivePure) which incorporates the same process NASA uses to scrub the air inside their spacecraft.
• Germicidal broad spectrum high-intensity UVX lamp.
• A specially engineered matrix with a patent-pending proprietary multi-metallic coating.
• An exclusive design engineered to work in conjunction with Fresh Air by EcoQuest and BreezeAT.

LaundryPure

A healthier 'no-suds' way to do laundry

Without hot water and with little or no detergent, LaundryPure puts the technology of nature to work in the laundry room at home. Based on processes used for over a decade in hospitals, hotels, and Laundromats, cold water is infused with oxygen, peroxides, and other gases to bubble and lift dirt and grime from cloth fibers, leaving towels softer and fluffier, and clothes brighter and cleaner.

Plus, every load helps save energy and money. Reducing or eliminating detergent means less residue and abrasives to weigh down and wear out fabrics, and of course, less detergent to buy. Washing in cold water also reduces the weekly demand on the household water heater.

Finally, LaundryPure incorporates the power of ActivePure with the odor and contaminant reducing action of silver ions to help an amazingly effective cold water laundry system for residential use.

Benefits of LaundryPure

• Reduces the need for detergents and fabric softener
• Reduces odors and contaminants without bleach or hot water
• Helps eliminate allergic reactions due to detergent residue
• Keeps colors brighter, longer
• Gets towels softer and fluffier and helps cloths last longer
• Helps you save money and the environment by removing the need for hot water.

Eco Power 4

Lower your electrical bills by recycling energy inside your home!  This is the same technology that industries and utility companies have used for years, and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy and is UL listed/tested.

    Electric induction motors, found in appliances such as refridgerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and fans, waste a percentage of electricity due to the resistance of the magnetic fields.  In the average American home, this results in a power efficiency factor of about .77.  The other 23% of the electricity that is billed to the home is wasted!

      The EcoPower 4 unit typically increases the power efficiency factor to a .97 or .98, which results in an increased effective use of the electricity, lowering the overall usage/amount billed.  This increased efficiency also reduces the heating of the electric motors, resulting in a longer motor life for your appliances.

    Another element contributing to electrical waste in American homes are electrical harmonics.  The harmonic interference of electrical noise in a building's electrical system can cause premature failure of appliances and electronic devices.  Damaging harmonics can be caused by televisions, computers, variable frequency drives, energy-efficient lighting, and more.  EcoPower 4 counteracts this by using MOVs (metal oxide varistors), in addiiton to protecting against  spikes and surges caused by sources such as electric motors turning on, power fluctuations, static electricity and lightning.  The EcoPower 4 also protects appliances by detecting the surge, switching "off," and blocking it from causing damage.  A $25,000 limited warranty is supplied to cover any damage to equipment if the EcoPower 4 is not successful in preventing damage to electronic equipment.  

    The average cost per kilowatt hour has increased from 2 cents to more than 10 cents - and will only continue rising.  Wouldn't you want to mitigate your power bill, rather than let it grow?