Ridgeview Construction Spreads its Roots in the Lakes Region

By Craig Robert Brown
Green Alliance Staff Writer

ASHLAND - Ridgeview Construction doesn't just build a home, they build a sustainable peace of mind. With projects throughout New Hampshire and New England, owner Shane Carter offers quantity without sacrificing quality.

The Deerfield-based company has done extensive work throughout the Lake's Region already with builds in Gilmanton, Wolfeboro and Ashland. But Ridgeview's next big project in the area is a build off Squam River Landing in Ashland.

"That's a great community and we're really proud to be a preferred builder on that project," said Carter.

All homes at Squam River Landing will be built Energy Star compliant and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and National Association of Home Builders Green eligible. Each home will feature appliances that conserve water and energy use. The homes are designed to be affordable as other, expensive lakefront builds, many secondary homes for wealthy buyers, have priced-out large portions of the local community.

In an era where home-building has become an industry just like any other – profit-driven, factory-like, cost-effective - Ridgeview’s approach calls back to a time when quality, honesty, and teamwork were the mantras.

According to Carter, working with a like-minded crew to complete a home from start to finish breeds a sense of accountability. For the Squam River Landing project, Carter is excited by the team that came together to develop the site, especially Barry Gaw, the founding member of Sippican Partners, LLC and a LEED AP.

"We collaborate on the same frequency as far as I'm concerned," said Carter of Gaw. "He's great and really knows his stuff that way."

“You’ll see a lot of job sites where one crew left it a complete disaster for the next crew, and that kind of mentality just isn’t conducive to building a quality home and doing it with care,” he added.

It is precisely that care, camaraderie, and closeness that keeps Ridgeview’s schedule full; their testimonials and referrals beaming and proud.

From planning, preparing and positioning a home to utilize maximum solar gain through construction and clean energy solutions, all the way to kitchen remodeling, lighting, and putting the final coat of paint on the bedroom walls - Ridgeview offers sustainable options for nearly every aspect of the home-building process. In an effort to further bolster their green credentials, in 2008 Ridgeview joined the Green Alliance, a seacoast-based green business union and discount co-op.

Carter and Ridgeview’s commitment to sustainability further serve’s their anomaly status. Indeed, in an economic climate where “going green” can make the difference between making and breaking the bank, Carter has proven that, when it comes to someone’s home – their livelihood, in essence – going green can be an investment just as valuable to one’s financial future as the home itself.

“We love building homes – that’s a given. But the post-and-beam, or building a home start to finish, is the holy grail,” exclaims Carter. “Obviously we don’t get to do that all the time, in that it’s a bit more costly than traditional building, but there’s that real craftsmanship behind it, and it harkens to an era when home construction was revered and looked at with high esteem because it involved such wonderful skill. We want to bring the process back to that.”

To learn more about Ridgeview Construction, visit www.greenbuildernh.com

For more information on the Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz