Northwoods Custom Builders GREEN POLICY

As a custom builder, we cannot control all of the products that our clients wish to use in their
projects. We can however take a common-sense approach to selecting products and
practices that are earth friendly.

Here are some brief examples:

1.        We use manufactured “I-joists” for our structural applications. I-joists are made with
wood by- products from fast growing aspen. Replacing the 2x10 and 2x12 that requires the
harvest of old growth timber.
2.        All of our heavy timber for our “timber-frame” projects come from salvaged “yard
trees” cut as nuisance trees by arbor service companies. Many times our timber can come
from the trees that are cut for when clearing the project site itself.
3.        We have an “open-dumpster” policy. We let our neighbors, friends, and friends of
friends know that they are welcome to salvage products from our dumpsters- after all, the
purest form of recycling is using someone else’s discarded items!
4.        We strive for zero landfill. All recyclables are separated from our dumpsters. Including
cardboard, metal, concrete and plastics. The scrap wood is stripped of nails and ground to be
sold to Minnesota Power to be used in their clean burning generators. The ash from that
process is then sold to local farmers as fertilizer. We are also researching a practical way to
ship our scrap carpet and pad to a plant that uses bi-products in manufacturing a tile backing
product- much like cement board.
5.        Lastly, we educate our clients about choosing earth-friendly products. This can be done
simply by choosing local products (eliminating the pollution and cost of shipping and
supporting the local economy). Most manufacturers have stepped up and placed their
statement of green on their websites. And we research these statements for our clients-
guiding them to the most eco-friendly building solutions.

It is Northwoods Custom Builders statement that it is possible to build beautiful, functional
and cost-effective homes in the “market-driven” economy while preserving the natural
world for our grandchildren and many generations to come.

                                                                                    -Jon Rowray
                                                                                     CEO, Northwoods Custom Builders Inc.

Northwoods Custom Builders, Inc.
Construction, Remodeling, and Restoration.
License #20320050

Green Policy