Building an environmentally friendly home

Posted: Feb 15, 2010 9:16 PM by Monica Quintero
Updated: Feb 15, 2010 9:16 PM

If you're looking to build a home that's environmentally friendly and can hold up better in an earthquake, a local company said it's using a product that's the wave of the future. The product is called expanded polystyrene. It's otherwise known as EPS. Polystyrene may be best known for its foam coffee cups. The company said using EPS will cut up to 20-percent of the cost of traditional construction.

The product is technically called EPS but some refer to these type of buildings as foam homes. Either way, it's another way to think and build green. Something many of us are trying to do here on the Central Coast. Duane Heil owns Vitruvian. It's a company based in Arroyo Grande. He said EPS has numerous benefits. Heil said, "This product is the future of any kind of construction. One of the most exciting things to the buyers is that the maintenance on the buildings will be nearly zero forever."

Heil walks the talk, he even built his home out of expanded polystyrene as well as his barn. Heil said, "The fact that you have highly efficient building products doesn't effect the architecture. In fact, it enhances it." He also said it's strong. In addition, the builder said EPS passes seismic codes. In the event of an earthquake, the risk of collapse is drastically reduced and it's fire resistant. Heil said, "If you start lighting it and the accelerant is gone, it extinguishes itself."

Two men were along with Heil on our tour. They were educating themselves on the product. Freddy Segura is learning about EPS on behalf of the government in Honduras. Segura said, "What we're going to do is we're going to develop a project there with about 300 houses. Then, we're going to try to do is move on to Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and throughout the whole Central America." It's his second trip to California to learn about it. Segura said, "This will take care of the problems with termites in Costa Rica, the heat, the sound barrier and the construction costs itself."

The other person on the tour was Robert Anderson of Arroyo Grande. He's looking to build a resort in Central America. Anderson said, "All third world countries they need help. People in the U.S., we are the innovators or building designers of the green building concept." Heil said, "If you want to spend a lot of money, there's a lot of ways you can get a net zero structure. But if you want it to be cost effective, I don't know of another way." It's an environmentally sensitive way to build, but Heil said the biggest obstacle is getting people to trust these alternative materials will work in the long run.

He also said there is virtually no trash pile during the manufacturing process. The total drop off is typically less than two-percent, another reason it's affordable. Heil also said the materials are user friendly and lightweight making it easier for construction workers. For more information, go to www.vitruvianbuilt.com/.