Cummins Construction Company Profile

he subject of Green Building can be confusing, notes Colette Cummins of Cummins Construction in San Francisco. People can say this or that product is "green," but if you ask them what it means, they can be stumped. For Colette Cummins, a member of Build it Green for 3 years, "green building" is more than just buying sustainable hardwoods or using recycled materials; it's the center of her approach to designing and building, and it's also a part of her business philosophy and her life's work.

Green From The Ground Up
When Colette approaches a new project—whether it's a kitchen or bath remodel or a room or deck addition—she helps her clients focus on the long term sustainability of every part of the job. Certainly, Colette works with the most environmentally sensitive materials, like EverGrain or Trex composite decking or gorgeous recycled glass countertops from Vetrazzo. But additionally, she and her clients will often choose to reuse and recycle pieces that are already in place—like cabinets, doors, or other building materials—and they'll often work with solar photovoltaics or solar water heating. Colette is especially fond of the new lightweight concrete flooring with hydronic heating elements that go right into the floor as it is being poured. With these radiant floors, energy efficiency and air quality increase markedly because heat isn't being blown through the air. Colette also works with the least toxic materials available: she doesn't use any products (paint, carpeting, glues, etc) containing formaldehydes or other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and she doesn't use fiberglass insulation materials.

This "green from the ground up" approach means that clients of Cummins Construction will have access to the most sustainable building materials for their projects, but also, they (and their families and pets) won't be exposed to harmful chemical out-gassing while their project is underway. The only perceived downside, as Colette explains, is that people think Green Building is more expensive, "Certainly, you can choose very expensive sustainable products, but you don't have to. As for the idea that it's more expensive, I don't agree. If you build it right, these projects will last forever and they'll be low maintenance, so you won't want to rip them out after ten years. For me, sustainable building means that it will last a lifetime."

A Country Approach in a City Atmosphere
Colette grew up on a farm in Ireland's County Westmeath, and visited America as a member of a Gaelic Football League (it's an Irish form of football, somewhat like soccer and rugby). She travelled to Australia and New Zealand and throughout the U.S. before settling in San Francisco. Originally, she trained to be a refrigeration technician, but found that her love was really in the building trades. Colette worked in the trades and studied for her contractor's license, and opened Cummins Construction in San Francisco in 2005, "This is definitely what I'm supposed to do ... it's just natural for me. I grew up building things on the farm, and I still love to build now."

Colette has also worked to stay on top of all the new developments in sustainable building; in addition to her membership in Build it Green, she has completed a 9-month training program with the Sustainable Building Advisory. "For me, quality work, satisfied customers, and sustainable, lasting projects are the focus. I'm committed to being green, staying green, teaching people about sustainable building, and becoming more green as time goes on. I'm careful about everything I do, and everything that goes into it. That's what makes me happy."

---Karla Rutherford
Staff Writer
The Prime Buyer's Report