Hello,
I have worked mostly with commercial LEED projects where FSC certified wood is calculated by percentage of total wood cost for the project. In reading through LEED for Homes criteria it appears that FSC wood is tracked in terms of percentage by weight or volume.
Is this correct for LEED for Homes? In other words, is it a matter of having 90% FSC by volume for framing and 45% by volume for flooring without regard for wood cost?
Thanks!
anastasia harrison
35 thumbs up
August 24, 2011 - 1:00 pm
Thank you for your comments, my experience too is in the commercial realm and this is so much different. NO tropical woods are allowed in a LEED H project unless they are FSC: it is a prerequisite! This door is not FSC, and it is my opinion is that it is reclaimed: it was ordered for one family, installed, and then deciced it was not what they wanted. The lumber company took it back ordered a new Mahogany door for the owners and took back the first one. It has been put into a junk pile to be sold off. It is my understanding that this would fall under 'reclaimed'. Although it is not 40 years old, I did not order it and it was previously in a different house. I just want to be sure we can use it because this non FSC tropical wood usage is a prerequisite. So the installation of one wrong door could blow all of this hard work!
Nadav Malin
PresidentBuildingGreen, Inc.
LEEDuser Moderator
839 thumbs up
August 24, 2011 - 1:58 pm
HI Anastasia,This is definitely a "gray area" that could be interpreted either way. I think you have a pretty good case that it should be accepted as "reclaimed", but, as you say, this is a prereq so you don't want to mess around. On a non-residential LEED project you'd submit a CIR to confirm. In LEED for Homes your best bet is to work with your LEED for Homes provider, as they are responsible for making the call. Ask them, and let us know what they say!
Ann Edminster
founder/principalDesign AVEnues LLC
LEEDuser Expert
9 thumbs up
December 28, 2012 - 8:48 pm
Christopher, you're correct; in LEED for Homes the % of the given building component is in terms of either weight or volume. In some cases (say, flooring), surface area is a reasonable proxy. Your Green Rater should be able to help you with this type of question, as will the Reference Guide.
Anastasia, depending on your Provider and Green Rater, either one might make this judgment call. If I were your Green Rater, I would say that if you can produce paperwork that backs up your claim, you're good, and I wouldn't feel the need to say, "Mother, May I?" to the Provider. But that's me.