Gristmill Builders shows it is possible to build robust and efficient homes using reclaimed materials
As a child, Brendan O’Reilly, Owner of Gristmill Builders, enjoyed playing in the ruins of the gristmills that once formed the economic heart of his hometown – Flourtown, Pennsylvania. It is with the image of those strong, durable structures of his childhood in mind that he established Gristmill Builders in Stowe, Vermont, in 1992. Long before sustainability gained traction, Brendan was already dedicated to creating high-quality and eco-conscious homes that would positively affect the lives of their owners and those of the people around them.
“Prior to founding Gristmill Builders, I worked as a forest ecologist and biologist. Operating around the US’s northeast, I would collaborate extensively with
developers on large land-clearing projects, taking care of the ecology and the forestry aspect of the sites. Passionate about the sustainability and ecology side of my work, I eventually realized that if I genuinely wanted to make a change, I would have to take the reins and be in charge of my own projects. With significant experience in building homes acquired during my college years, I decided to combine my expertise in sustainability and construction to create Gristmill Builders. By doing so, I aimed to offer a more conscientious approach to homebuilding,” Brendan shares.
Sustainable projects
From this solid base, Brendan diversified and grew the company’s capabilities to undertake both residential and commercial projects. “Interestingly, we built the first large commercial net zero building in New England that was fully financially sustained without the need of public funding. We constructed our first net zero project in 2013 when the concept was just becoming popular. This project was an all-electric 15,000 square foot building designed to serve as our headquarters, which we shared with other office spaces on different floors. Named the Energy Mill, the building combines solar power, geothermal, and solar thermal systems to function without any fossil fuels.
“Furthermore, we developed the Richmond Creamery in Richmond, Vermont, a former brownfield site that we transformed into a sustainable apartment commercial building. It has a solar garage and solar on the roof, making it fully net-zero in terms of electrical components. However, it does rely on a small amount of natural gas to supply hot water, a decision we made due to the high solar energy requirements for water heating. In making such choices, I believe there is a delicate balance to strike, as producing solar energy can generate carbon emissions, and the infrastructure for gas water heating was already present. After conducting a life cycle analysis, we determined that utilizing a small amount of natural gas for hot water was the most suitable option for the building,” he says.
Brendan sheds more light on the various elements Gristmill Builders takes into consideration to lower the environmental impact of its projects. “Our operating philosophy is to maintain a local economy by trading with local businesses. This way, we reduce travel distances and minimize the resources used for our work, except for wood sourcing and metal workers, as there are no steel mills in Vermont. Still, building materials and methods can cause a lot of harm to the environment. To address this, we strive to approach construction in the most conscientious way by ensuring the building envelope’s efficiency, sourcing materials locally, and understanding the impact of our choices. By educating ourselves and others about the consequences of material selection, processing, and transportation, we create buildings with a reduced carbon footprint. Even solar panels have a carbon footprint and life cycle, which is why we truly emphasize sustainability in every single aspect of our projects,” he informs.
Balanced philosophy
There are several projects exemplifying Gristmill Builder’s focus on locally sourced materials, one of which Brendan tells us more about. “Recently, we completed a house in the mountains where we used locally sourced or reclaimed materials for the exterior siding, even though it was a very expensive home. While there were limited reclaimed materials available for the project, we still prioritized constructing the building envelope in an energy efficient manner. We made a conscious effort to incorporate some of the same materials inside the home as well. Despite it being fairly large, the home has a relatively low energy footprint, comparable to smaller homes with efficient energy usage.”
By staying true to his background in ecology and incorporating sustainable elements into his homes, Brendan has established a thriving business model poised for continued success. He reveals the combination of factors that have contributed to the longevity of Gristmill Builders. “It took a lot of hard work, persistence, diligence, and creativity. As a business, we need to remain profitable, and not all clients are willing to pay for sustainable practices. Thus, balancing our philosophy against client preferences and assessing how far we can push sustainability without losing a project or customer is crucial. Additionally, embracing a specific niche has been vital to our success, as our projects stand out with a uniqueness that other companies lack. An example of how we distinguish ourselves is that we were one of the first companies to make extensive use of reclaimed material in the homes we build. As we do many spec projects on our own, we have the freedom to choose how we execute them, which enables us to use a lot of reclaimed materials.
“From the beginning, I found reclaimed materials a cool alternative and started incorporating old doors into houses, using items from the salvage yard, such as fixtures, doors, and certain finishes. Moreover, we use components like siding we have taken down from buildings we dismantled, especially old barns as many of them are sadly coming down in Vermont, mostly due to neglect or removal by property owners who do not appreciate them. These situations offer great opportunities to repurpose the beams, siding, and other reclaimed materials that carry their own ancient wisdom and bring a unique energy to the project. In cases where the homeowners appreciate and embrace this concept, we can apply it to custom homes as well,” he informs.
In the mountains, Gristmill Builders has just completed a house highlighting the success of this approach. “All the siding outside was sourced either locally or from reclaimed materials, even though it was an expensive home. The building envelope was also efficiently built, as with most of our projects. Even though this home is fairly large, it consumes energy as efficiently as some smaller homes,” he ends.
www.gristmillbuilders.com