Designer Q&A
Meet Our Builder
St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles teamed up with builder Eric Janssen of Janssen Building and Development to produce our premiere Living Green Showhouse at Tapawingo. We’ve asked Eric to elaborate on some of the many environmentally friendly building and energy-saving practices that made this Showhouse green.

As a custom builder for 30 years, can you describe some of the energy-saving practices that you were already incorporating?
Being energy and resource conscious has always been a focus for our company, building custom homes with energy-efficient windows and siding, proper ventilation and insulation with r-values that exceed local standards. We had been using James Hardie® fiber cement backerboards, and for the first time, transitioned to using the cement siding in this Showhouse. Fifteen years ago, when the proven technology became realistic, we began incorporating geothermal systems into the homes we build.

“We transformed an unclaimed, existing conventional Taylor-Morley home – making it a ‘green’ house – by converting it to its current level of environmentally sound construction and design.” – Eric Janssen, Janssen Building and Development
What are some of the components that you incorporated into the Living Green Showhouse that advance the level of green building?
We’ve concentrated on products manufactured from recycled sources and companies using green practices and techniques in the manufacturing process. We used local and regional suppliers and have had the fortune of using products that have become available in the past 10 – 15 years. In addition, we incorporate the practices of recycling and waste management, and we’re using both reclaimed and surplus materials. For example, the hardwood floors used throughout the main level are from a sustainable forest. The extensive walnut on the millwork, staircase and front doors is indigenous to Missouri and was crafted from wood that was cut almost 25 years ago to thin a cedar forest in Reynolds County, Missouri. The handsome wood belonged to my cousins Denny and George Dinges for 25 years, and would have otherwise gone to waste or rotted over time, but was transported to the Showhouse.

The carpeting selected was created from recycled plastic bottles. New, eco-friendly, low-VOC Benjamin Moore® Aura™ paint and varnish is used throughout the interior spaces. The outdoor space will include indigenous plants and water harvesting features, and the surrounding landscape will assist in maintaining the wildlife habitat. Kirchner pavers, made with fly ash, are used in exterior areas. With each decision, we weighed the options in regard to the degree of “green,” considering product availability and location in relationship to the building schedule.

Can you describe some of the energy- and water-saving features included in the Showhouse?
With advances in technologies, new energy- and water-efficient products were used, including low-flow and dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucet sets; light dimmers, sensors, and LED bulbs; (We teamed up basic incandescent can lights with LED bulbs, using basic dimmers and sensors for cost savings.) Geothermal (ground source heating and cooling) was installed, a very simple system that uses the constant temperature of the earth to heat the home in the winter and cool it in the summer. A LAING recirculation pump in the Showhouse provides immediate hot water and eliminates hot water waste. We used cellulose insulation made from recycled newspaper, and triple-pane insulated glass windows with double-E coating (which is a tinting process).

Are there any additional procedures that you went through to ensure air quality and energy efficiency?
During construction, all ductwork was covered and each seam of the ductwork – both heat and cold air return ducts – were sealed. Non-expandable foam was used around all of the windows and every seam on the exterior walls was caulked. Fireplace flues on the exterior walls were insulated. A central vacuum was also installed, which cut down on dust in the home.