My passion for creating things with my own hands goes back to the period when I lived in my native country Romania, where being a musician and not being able to afford the instruments I wanted, I would carve my own from pieces of wood. Later on, while in Canada I discovered the pleasure and satisfaction of remodeling my own surroundings, thus getting into construction and design.
When I moved in New England in the fall of 1997, I came across one remarkable man, a builder with an impressive eye, creative instinct and big heart. That man is Gilles Michaud, one of my life teachers who encouraged me on my path. I enjoyed working with him as a finish carpenter (and much more) until fall of 2001 when we moved to the Hilltowns of Massachusetts and started my own construction company: “Welcome Home Green Building” out of my desire to respond to the urgent need of “greening” our ways of life. Being more in harmony with Nature, instead of going against it. This is why I eventually came to consider the high efficiency and conservation potentials of Passive Solar and High Thermal Mass complemented with Masonry Stoves as the first step in the design process.
MASONRY HEATERS are a special interest to me since I grew up with them and represents a self reliance and off-the-grid alternative in addition to being more efficient and providing a healthier ambiance than most other conventional systems.
Based in Western Massachussets, we are a deliberately small and flexible company dedicated to a more natural and sustainable design. We believe that satisfying our quest for beauty, elegance and comfort, doesn’t have to come at the expense of our natural habitat. We think that time had come that each and every one of our actions ought to be in harmony with the ecosystem supporting life on our planet.
We believe in: – REDUCE, - REUSE , – RECYCLE
- Creating smaller and compact plans with multiple uses,
- Using structural elements as finishes,
- Optimizing material use.
- Creating open concept, multi-use living spaces that allows for self-ventilation, therefore minimizing the use and expense of HVAC systems.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS: – We strive to create healthy spaces, free of man-made toxins, free of electro-magnetic fields, by avoiding ozone depleting or global warming producing materials, toxic chemicals, products that support bio-contaminants such as mold, fungus and bacteria.
BEING LOCAL: - By giving preference to locally manufactured materials and local labor which translates in less transport energy, and by being involved in local organizations that promotes sustainable practices in all aspects of life. On this regard I am an active member of Worthington Sustainability Committee.
DURABILITY/ LONGER LIFESPAN
– Using high quality, long lasting products,
- Designing in a way that the materials involved are protected from natural elements and premature damage.
Materials used in construction represent a significant percentage of total consumed resources; and more, when they are toxic, they affect the quality of the indoor environment and our own health. When materials used are not sustainable and renewable, our finite resources are depleted. By selecting natural, healthy and sustainable building materials we give a helping hand both to nature and ourselves.
