We are grateful that Slegg Building Materials is a Presenting Sponsor for the 2019 Eco Living and Home Tour! Slegg’s General Manager on Salt Spring, Curtiss Maude, and local Slegg employee Julian Diggins answered our questions about green building. You’ll enjoy their interesting responses!
What kinds of trends in the green building industry do you get asked about? According to Julian, the trend is shifting toward tiny houses, off-grid living, solar, and high efficiency projects. Customers are requesting higher efficiency insulation, more eco-friendly yet durable products for decks, docks, siding, and gardens. Julian added, “We have been building our knowledge base regarding green options and energy efficient systems to better support the needs of our fellow islanders.”
What kind of green products do you stock or have to order? We learned a lot by asking this question. What an incredible list! We were told that James Hardie siding and steel roofing are by far the most common green building products that Slegg sells due to their low maintenance, fire resistance, and eco-friendly manufacturing. Julian explained, “More and more, people are moving away from using wood and vinyl on their homes to reduce the need for repairs and maintenance as well as to reduce fire risk and lower insurance costs.”
He added, “We also have easy availability of composite decking products, among which, MoistureShield has taken the lead in the eco-friendly department. Made up of 95% recycled content including plastics from grocery bags, 4L milk containers, and construction pallet wrap and includes a warranty on the full life of the deck even underground or underwater that can be transferred once to new ownership. We have also moved away from green treated lumber of which the treatment can seep and leech into nearby plants causing health risks when used around food gardens. We now carry MicroPro Sienna, an ‘environmentally preferable product’ that can be used above or below ground and does not interact with vegetation. It requires just as much pressure to release the treatment as it does to infuse it into the wood.”
Julian told us that he lives off grid and is constantly on the lookout for new science and technology related to energy production and storage as well as energy efficient building practices with the goal of being self-sustained with a minimal footprint. That makes him the go-to person at Slegg Building Materials for your off-grid or green project questions..
He added, “If we don’t have it, we can get it. If we don’t know, we can find out.”
Have any changes in the building codes affected what people want you to sell or what you sell? Curtiss explained that he has seen some changes in window requirements with more to come. Because of the new building codes coming down the pipe, he has seen orders for which people were going over and above, knowing that in the near future it would be code. He gave an example of skylights: “Our standard stock skylights are double pane. I recently ordered some triple pane skylights for a customer because they understood the value in spending the extra money to go over and above.”
For over 70 years, Slegg has worked to become the first stop for all its customers’ building needs. Slegg has been on the job site or helping out around the house, whether it’s a contractor working on a large-scale project or a DIY weekend warrior. With 11 locations across Vancouver Island and access to a large variety of vendors and stock, Slegg is proud of its roots and knows the hard work and dedication that goes into every one of its customers’ projects.
Buy your tickets for the Eco Living Tour at Salt Spring Books or online at Eventbrite. The Tour takes place on July 28th from 10am to 4pm. Maps will be available at Salt Spring Books in the week before the Tour.