The company that became Woodhouse was formed in 1979 by Steve Keller and an MIT-graduate architect and they named their company “Solar Northern Post and Beam.” The focus of that little company was to build beautiful and very energy-efficient homes utilizing passive solar design principles and state-of-the-art insulating technologies. The post and beam structure was actually chosen as an ecologically sustainable method of supporting structural insulated panels – the panels were the real story in the eyes of the two partners because of their superior insulating characteristics.

As the 70s evolved into the 80s and America once again took its eyes off the energy efficiency ball, the focus of the company shifted toward the aesthetics of the post and beam, or timberframe, structure and became the company we know today as Woodhouse. With that said, the entire Woodhouse company remains dedicated to minimizing the ecological impact of our homes and we continue to utilize state-of-the-art building technologies and, when allowed, passive solar design principles towards that end.

So, how is a Woodhouse timberframe home package consistent with sustainable building principles?

First, sustainability, as it applies here, implies that a product, process or lifestyle is contributing to the betterment of the environment by having less of a negative impact on, or by actually improving, the environment over a period of time. The longer the time the more sustainable it becomes.

Consider these facts:

1. Less Wood - A Woodhouse timber frame structure uses less wood than a conventional stud-built home.

2. Less Energy - A SIP insulated home uses 30 to 70% less energy to heat and cool than a well insulated conventionally built home.

3. Longer Life - A well-designed timber framed, SIP insulated home with normal maintenance will last hundreds of years -- much longer than the average new American home.

Wood is a natural, renewable and sustainable resource. Using less wood to construct a home helps to ensure even greater sustainability of our forests. And with fewer trees being cut to build any one home, there will be more trees to help manage and reduce the amount of carbon in our environment thereby helping to sustain healthy air-quality.

All of our timbers come from managed forests and indeed some come from plantation-grown settings. The wood interior and exterior skins of our insulating SIPs are made of OSB – oriented-strand-board – plantation grown, fast growth and highly renewable trees. (Note - trees consume huge amounts of carbon helping to cleanse the air.)

The foam-core structural insulating panels (SIPs) used to insulate and enclose a Woodhouse timber frame are the best, most cost-effective and long-lived insulators currently available at any price. A SIP insulated structure will use 30% to 70% less energy for heating and cooling than a well-built and well-insulated conventional home. This includes homes insulated with all types of fibrous insulation and spray-in foams. This is important to helping sustain our natural resources of, gas, oil, coal and wood by significantly reducing the consumption.

The inherent strength of an engineered Woodhouse timber framed home helps ensure that the home will stand for hundreds of years. Enclose it with the SIPs and maintain the exterior finishes and, again, the home has the ability to stand for hundreds of years. This longevity reduces the waste generated by house replacement thereby further sustaining our natural building resources.