Eco Sound Builders Follow in Fathers’ Footsteps for Efficiency and Preservation

Most people dream of going to work everyday to do something they love. Ethan Korpi and Peter Robie of Eco Sound live out their passion each day by helping people renovate and build homes that are beautiful, high performing and earth-friendly. Ethan Korpi began Eco Sound Builders, LLC in 2007 with his father, Roger, and Robie joined the duo in 2009. With Roger overseeing operations in the NH Lakes region, Korpi and Robie are changing the way people think about homes here on the Seacoast.

A current project in Rye embodies much of Eco Sound’s philosophy, as their task is to retrofit an old home while preserving its historic character. Walking the line between preserving the old and embracing the new is what these guys do – it’s in their blood.

The father-son connection is obvious with Ethan, who has worked with his father on the construction site since he was a boy. With over 40 years in the building trades, Roger Korpi has undoubtedly passed on a great deal to his son. Perhaps the most tangible is Ethan’s dedication to honoring the historical value of a building. When Ethan was young, the family moved into a log cabin from the late 1800s up in Tamworth, near Mount Chocorua. Rather than tear it down, Roger worked with the structure, renovated it and turned it into a home for his family. “I guess you could say he taught me the art of building recycling; taking the best of a structure and working with it to make it even better,” explains Korpi.   

Ethan brings this perspective into his work on a daily basis. “If we are involved in a project and we can actually preserve something, that is a huge step for us in sustainability,” he says. And history repeats itself.

Peter Robie’s father has also played a role his chosen career path of restoration carpentry and high performance building.  Peter describes, “My dad was really into old buildings, renovating and restoring them, and I was always following him around, trying to do what he did.” Peter shares his father’s capacity for seeing the potential of a building –whether that means knowing when to put solar-thermal panels on a roof or how to insulate a home for peak performance.

The line between performance and preservation is a fine one that Eco Sound walks with great skill. It’s not effortless however, as Korpi and Robie spend significant amounts of time educating themselves and their clients on the latest and greatest innovations in the building industry. “The world of building science is ever-changing,” says Peter, “and back in the day, builders didn’t think about insulation the way we are now. We are forever educating and re-educating ourselves.  Gone are the days when a builder could just rest on his laurels with the basic knowledge of building – if you want to create the very best structure or the most beautiful and long-lasting renovation, you need to be in the know about a million and one ways to do that; to go above and beyond.”

Indeed, with today’s high oil prices, people are beginning to think critically about their homes’ performance. Peter and Ethan are passionate about people taking matters into their own hands, “Education is a huge thing. Some people think that high heating costs are just the cost of owning a home but they’re not. At least they don’t have to be,” says Peter. “If homeowners realized the way things could be, they would be demanding higher quality insulation, better windows and more efficient means of controlling their air temperature, because when they consider these things that are getting more bang for their building buck.”

So, why are most homeowners settling with the status quo? “We become detached from things like our heating bill during the summer or from the cost of gas when we’re not driving as much. We forget,” explains Ethan. Since this past winter was quite mild, this type of memory lapse might prove to be worse than usual. 

But both Robie and Korpi believe that as builders become more educated, consumers are beginning to join them in that process.  More and more home owners want a home that is not just beautiful but functional and efficient as well as healthy and safe.  Robie and Korpi have built a network of subcontractors they know and trust and rely upon the high performance building community around them. It’s not a big community but it’s an authentic one dedicated to lessening the building industry’s environmental impact.

To provide transparency and back up their green credentials, Eco Sound Builders have been certified green with the Green Alliance. This green certification, which has the building company with one of the highest scores in the organization, is a fully public document that allows any potential clients to view the full scope of Eco Sounds sustainability commitment.  “We are upfront about our approach to building,” adds Korpi, “we want to share this knowledge with as many as possible so ultimately folks will understand that all buildings can be high performance with a little planning and care.”

As Ethan’s father Roger prepares for retirement, this duo will continue to strive to live out the legacy they inherited from their fathers. Walking the line between the old and the new, they will continue to honor that which came before and embrace the innovations to come.

Learn more about Eco Sound Builders at www.ecosoundbuilders.com

Visit the Green Alliance at www.greenalliance.biz