Responsible Component Homes

Now more than ever manufacturers, builders and homeowners are migrating towards energy efficiency and green building practices. Currently green homes incorporate environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the building and development process to minimize environmental impact. The design, construction, and operation of a home must focus on energy and water efficiency, resource efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality, and must take the home's overall impact on the environment into account.

Efficient Building Practices Modern technologies in the Component home industry make it possible to create a superior product using better performing components than you could achieve in the field. Homes that are built under the factory roof never experience moisture, the root cause of mold and mildew. Factory built homes also produce less material waste because we maximize the usage of all raw materials through our design and production planning, leaving very little scrap. The PBS factory is organized in a horseshoe style and we use low-pressure air-pad system to hovercraft or move our modules through the manufacturing process. This system allows us to adjust to current conditions within the factory flow for alterations in the production schedule. Our factory is equipped with high output energy efficient lighting and the air compressor system used for production and module movement is the most efficient of it's kind. Efficient building practices also extend into durability and lifespan because Component homes are constructed stronger than stick built because they must survive the assembly process, delivery and crane ride into their final resting place.

Energy-Efficient Features High performance lighting systems are a standard in each Component home because nearly 20% of household electricity is used for lighting, and our Energy Star qualified fixtures use one third less energy than traditional lighting. PBS designers are available to assist our builders and their homebuyers in integrating many aftermarket components that the homeowner may need, including: Active and passive solar energy, solar water heating systems and other technologies. We can design and manufacture your home with the necessary "up fit" for the builder to quickly install the additional components.

Insulation in the home is one of the most important components of energy efficiency. PBS uses Nuwool, a blown-in cellulose dense-pack insulation. Nuwool is an engineered energy-saving insulation that is composed of 85% post consumer recycled newspapers and it offers superior thermal and air infiltration properties. Cellulose dense-pack insulation provides up to 40% savings on the homeowners heating bill compared to conventional insulating materials like fiberglass. Nuwool cellulose insulation has been treated with a fungicide that makes it resistant to mold growth and a fire retardant that makes it resistant to fire. In addition to using the dense-pack insulation PBS practices infiltration air-sealing in each module. This step helps create a tight home and eliminates air leakage and promotes a better whole house envelope. Door and window headers are insulated and solid foam blocks are used to insulate the floor rims. All homes must pass an in plant Thermal Bypass Inspection and modules are randomly scanned with an infrared camera.

PBS also offers several high performance wall systems that result in less thermal bridging by reducing wall studding and/or offering an exterior insulated skin. PBS measures wall performance beyond the rating system that is listed on a bag of fiberglass insulation. This is known as Whole Wall Thermal Performance and reflects how all the design and all the components in a wall work to give a total R-value. A typical 2x6 wall may have a batt insulation of R-19 and the performance rating may only be R-12. Our performance rating system allows us to build walls with a performance rating of up to R-32 in a sidewall, and this level of efficiency is unheard of in the Component home manufacturing industry.

Water-Efficient Features
Fixtures and appliances such as low-flow showerheads, faucets, and toilets, and ENERGY STAR dishwashers and washing machines all conserve water and many of these items can be installed at PBS to satisfy the builder's customer. PBS uses PEX tubing and can provide a "home run" manifold system to reduce hot water loss. All domestic hot water lines are insulated. Low flow and dual flush toilets and low flow faucets are also available options. PBS can also provide engineering and partial piping for grey water recycled systems.

Independent testing (HERS) has shown that Preferred Building System Homes on average are 48% more energy efficient than today's code built homes. This 2,600 square foot home tested 55% more efficient and is estimated to use only 600 gallons of LP per year.

Resource-Efficient Features
Resource efficient features are important to the
homeowner and typically are managed by the builder. Things like home size, orientation on the lot, and floor plan layout-are made in the design of your home and development of the lot. The house orientation and design should take advantage of natural daylight to reduce lighting needs, and should use strategies to reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. Working with builders, architects and their homeowner we can produce a high quality component that works well with the building lot, while maximizing the natural resources you have available. A green home should contain renewable materials, including rapidly renewable wood species such as bamboo, and recycled-content materials in carpets, and tiles that are available through our factory. PBS offers many different home styles that when carefully planned can offer you a lifetime of comfort and enjoyment and still maintain that level of environmental conscious that a homeowner desires.
Preferred Building Systems uses an all-wood open web floor truss system that is finger jointed and glued with a low VOC glue that eliminates the metal plates. The engineered strength of triangulation uses solid sawn lumber to its maximum capacity and creates natural voids for electrical and plumbing components. These natural voids speed the production process and the use of trusses reduces the need for milling of old growth lumber typically used for solid wood floor joists. PBS uses the Advantech floor-sheathing product that is produced with sustainable fast growing tree species and "GreenGuard" adhesives. PBS uses engineered finger jointed studs that are straighter than traditional studs and the process of attaching the sheetrock delivers a straighter and better quality wall system. This eliminates the waste typically associated with warped and twisted studs that must be discarded. The finishing touch on our Component home components typically consist of moldings and trims that are produced using medium density fiberboard or finger-joint wood products that are environmentally conscious.

Indoor Air Quality Features
PBS uses high efficiency Panasonic bath fans with programmable timers and vented kitchen range hoods to ensure proper exhausting of stale, moisture-laden air from your home. All paints are low-VOC compliant. All of our adhesives are low-VOC and most meet "GreenGuard certification for Children and Schools" Heat recovery ventilation systems are optional. Optional whole house vacuum systems also contribute to the air quality in your home Low-VOC flooring and recycled/recyclable, renewable flooring is also an option to have shipped with your home.

Preferred Building Systems (PBS) is a leader in the Responsible Component Housing market, employing the latest technologies and systems to produce an energy efficient and green Component home component. PBS is a subsidiary of the LaValley Building Supply family of businesses and focuses on prefabricated Component and panelized homes for their builder customers. LaValley has been in the prefabricated component business for over 45 years manufacturing wall panels and roof trusses. In 2007 LaValley completed construction on a factory that builds energy efficient Component homes.

Each one of our standard home components that we build is shipped Energy Star compliant from the PBS factory.

While many manufacturers advertise and promote green building - yet struggle to deliver on the promise, PBS can actually deliver a NAHB or LEEDS Silver or Gold Green Built home right from the factory. Builders and their homeowners can then complete the home, with instruction from the factory, to achieve the highest rating available for their particular project.

Preferred Building Systems is committed to Responsible Component Housing and understands the need to actually produce a high performance Component home that is healthy to live in and uses natural resources wisely. We are constantly researching and developing new and better ways to conserve energy and produce a superior product to what the industry is building. Finally, high performance stick-built homes have a competitor, with the next generation of Component homes from Preferred Building Systems