Here in Amherst, we're starting to see signs of the ground thawing after a long winter. While we might still be dealing with some rainy days, Graphite Studio is excited about the projects on the horizon that will develop with the arrival of spring. Our amazing builders are gearing up to bring warmth and light into these stunning homes.
We're sending you all bright, hopeful vibes as the season shifts, and we look forward to sharing more exciting updates with you soon. Thank you for being a part of the Graphite Studio family!
Warmly,
Andrew and the Graphite Team

Graphite Science: Insulated Wall Assemblies

Every job we do involves a wall. What do we think about when we think about wall systems? 𝙇𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨.

𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨? To save heat in our buildings. High R-value walls help us save increase comfort, save money, and save the climate.

𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙞𝙧 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮? Some insulation off-gasses volatile chemicals you do NOT want to inhale.

𝘼𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜? To keep the drafts from moving through our walls and stealing our heat (or cooling)

𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩? Of course. Some walls are created with simple and available materials, which are very cost effective. Expensive or hard-to-find materials increase the cost of building good walls.

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮? What’s easy to build is less expensive to build. Simple walls, based on widely understood construction methods, are cheaper walls.

𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨? Some materials used in walls (and roofs) are detrimental to the climate, and make our climate crisis worse, not better. Other materials lock up carbon in our buildings, storing it instead of allowing it to increase damage to the climate.

Project Highlight: Pike Place

A delightful new single family home designed in collaboration with our good friends at Garland Mill, who also built it. An all-electric home on a hillside near Franconia, NH, it’s super-insulated and air tight, with generously-sized triple-glazed windows to keep the heat in while letting in the outdoors. Downstairs, an open plan for lounging and entertaining. In the basement, space for some epic North Country ping pong matches. Upstairs, enough bedrooms for all the kids to stay and celebrate summer and winter holidays. A dog-trot breezeway links the garage and house, providing a perfect place to pile up skis or bikes. Completed in 2023, in time for ski season! Photography © Fletcher Manley.

𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍: 2022 to 2023

𝙇𝙊𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉: Franconia, NH

𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙅𝙀𝘾𝙏 𝙏𝙔𝙋𝙀: New Build - Single Family

𝘽𝙀𝘿𝙍𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙎: 4BDRM

𝘽𝙐𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙀𝙍: Garland Mill

𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙎: Riverbend Design

𝙎𝙔𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙎 & 𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝙎: Triple Glazed Windows, ERV, Heat Pumps

𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙂𝙔 𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂: All Electric

𝙋𝙃𝙊𝙏𝙊 𝘾𝙍𝙀𝘿𝙄𝙏: Fletcher Manley @fletchermanley

Project Progress: Newfane Hill

At Newfane Hill Owl’s Head Builders is knee-deep in a kitchen renovation, along with a new covered-porch and garage. This project will address some big issues - surface water, car space, outdoor storage - while energizing the first floor with a new mud space and kitchen and a collection of large windows to give these birders the sense of living right up in the trees. We are excited to see the amazing work coming to life in a few weeks.

Project Progress: Phoenix Nest

Great progress this week at Phoenix Nest! The roofing membrane is getting placed, the Blueskin air barrier installed on the exterior of our double-stud walls, and the Sublime windows are standing by for delivery. Soon we’ll be dried in! Seems like yesterday Mathes Hulme Builders were tilting up walls and setting roof trusses. Despite this winter’s epic snow, they're making remarkable strides, and even … running a little ahead of schedule? (No, don’t jinx it!) Huge thanks to Adam and crew for their dedication.

March 2025