Your Greatest Value

Mountain Sun Design and Mountain Sun Builders work seamlessly together with you to provide:

The greatest value for you money in design, materials,  health, systems, durability and long-term energy efficient performance. Leadership  through the design an construction process	Education for you to be able to make informed decisions. Support for valuable “Return on Invest” details so that you select the best systems and materials according to your budget and values.

Return on Investment (ROI) – Our standard process is to energy model your new home design to determine the forecasted energy loads.   Within this model we can enter and compare:

Mechanical system options, Substitute different grades of insulation, Alternate wall systems, window types, lighting systems,	Alternative energy such as PV panels or Solar hot war panel, Provide real-time comparisons of energy consumption.

We use this information to provide cost estimates for these upgrade options.  These cost and performance values can then presented in a 1-20 year term relative to payback. You can then evaluate and make the most informed decisions to achieve the greatest value for your money…. The best ROI! Our goal is to incorporate items that have quick ROI’s such as 7 years or less as compared to conventional home’s systems and materials. 

Make the best decisions financial now instead of paying more and more later with nothing that can be done easily to reduce your consumption.

Tax Credits, Rebates, Incentives-We stay on top of the current: Federal, State, Power Utilities, and manufacturer offered credits, rebates or incentives.  There are tremendous financial incentives now offered that will provide you additional financial benefit to select upgrades that are outlined in the ROI section above.   We are experienced in building projects that have received:

Federal alternative energy tax credits up to 30% of installed cost, Federal $2000 tax credits, Idaho Power Energy Star $450 certificate rebates

Consumption of Materials- Many of the systems and materials we build with save you in material costs. We can save you money by designing to the manufacture’s standard sizes or by using SIP panels or ICF foam blocks for walls systems that have virtually no waste.  This is in contrast to a typical wood frame home that has waste typically exceeding 25%. Additionally, we provide detailed architectural and structural drawings, and specifications from which we generate exceptionally accurate “take-offs” of materials.  This means that we order the right amount once, creating no returns, and the typical multiple trips to the lumberyard!

Healthy and Environmental - The products, materials and systems that we provide come with or experience and our scrutinizing values that create a healthier and more environmental home for you and your family.  We use only healthy paints, stains, adhesives, etc.  These products lead to improved indoor air quality.  Additionally, we install passive radon mitigation systems, can  provide Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV’s) that efficiently introduce  and exhaust fresh air to your home.

We also offer products and materials that are from environmentally managed forests, reclaimed projects, or made with recycled content. Together we can create your home to be as supportive of you and the planet  as you desire!

Energy Efficiency -We are experienced in design and building ENERGY STAR, LEED for Homes, and HERS certified homes. It is these above code standards that have raised the energy efficiency bar for how a home will perform.  The key difference to a code based home is that these standards assure through inspection, testing and verification that your home will perform at least 15% better than a current standard home.  We can provide a detailed energy summary outlining what your electricity and natural gas bills should be based on the average Americans operation of your home in this climate and at this specific location. Think about it like a forecasted MPG for your car but instead and operating cost estimate for your home.  Additionally, we can outline how much energy can be provided with PV Solar panels or Solar Domestic Hot water panels so that you can make energy efficient decisions as outlined in the ROI section.

As you can see we specialize in designing and building the house of tomorrow today!  All of the items outlined above are integral to our design and construction process.  We can provide limited services or support you with “Full Services”; possibly creating  the first “ Net Zero” energy home in the Wood River Valley! WE can do it together!