by Pamela Steinbach
 Terry Thornsbury is going to build green homes, but he’s no greenhorn: he has 13-plus years in residential and commercial design and construction. He also has 14-years’ experience serving in the United States Air Force on active duty and in the reserves.
His interest in green-building goes back to his final architectural thesis project at Ball State University. He explored the possibilities of developing lake properties to use the resources of the lake water and return it to the lake cleansed, promoting a healthier lake environment.
He continues his involvement today as a member of the Northeast Indiana Green Build Coalition as well as with membership in the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), national and state chapters. After applying his education and experience at a local architectural firm, he is now going exclusively green as a residential and commercial designer.
Nature respects limits, and so does Terry. He wants to build a strong team of no more than six, maybe eight, designers and technicians, so he can keep overhead low and remain focused on green design. He finds gratification in knowing his designs can promote a sustainable way of living for more than just the homeowner.
“Getting one homeowner [to build green] is an educational opportunity for everyone involved,” Terry says. “We spend most of our time in buildings, and if you can change one person’s way of thinking a little bit ...” well, that’s the challenge and the opportunity. He sees any building as an educational tool demonstrating, for instance, how to capture what’s provided by nature in forms of solar and wind energy, natural lighting, landscaping and geothermal heating and cooling, to name just a few considerations.
Talking with Terry, one realizes he cares as much about his clients as he does about the homes he designs for them. He’s working with clients who, he says “are in it for the right reasons: they care about the end result.”
He’s interested as well in what his clients bring to the table, and he knows there are very knowledgeable people in the area who want a home that reflects their values and concern for the environment. Terry says his ideal clients are “open-minded, willing to live the non-typical lifestyle.” He, in turn, is open to what the homeowner can teach him, and he has the training, technical skills and experience to get their ideas built. Terry and his clients understand that concern for the environment “is not a fad, it’s the right thing to do, and we’ve known about it for years.”
He uses the LEED USGBC Green Building Rating System as a guideline, but not always with rigid adherence. His designs are highly energy-efficient and built with local materials, but not all of his creations will be LEED-certified. For instance, one LEED guideline requires procuring materials within 500 miles of the site, using local materials whenever possible. He cares whether the materials are of sustainable and renewable sources, and he feels that it sometimes is more environmentally sound to procure materials from farther afield. That ensures that not only the transportation of materials is considered but the process of manufacturing and fabricating as well.
Terry is convinced it’s possible to live lightly on this earth. He spent 45 days in the desert in a 400-square-foot tent with nine other guys who, together, produced only one small bag of trash in a week. He learned he didn’t need a lot of space or all the stuff that fills a home. So, rather than trying to create more square footage for his clients for the least investment, he works with them to design for their actual use. They may spend more up front for less house, but ultimately they’ll enjoy the scale and efficiency of the home all the more, knowing it’s built for their true needs, that it reflects true life-cycle costs and that it will be environmentally responsible. His clients may work within a budget, but they want as much spatial and energy efficiency as possible and are willing to live green, outside the norm. Terry is ready to oblige them.
If you would like a highly efficient custom-built home you can be proud of, Terry can design it and Cedar Creek Homes can build it. Call 260.432.5533.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 21 March 2008 14:53 )
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