One company on the cutting edge of homebuilding in Vermont

Ace McArleton has always been a maker. Since he was young, the co-founder of New Frameworks in Essex Junction, Vermont, knew he wanted to work with his hands. Many of his family members worked in factories in the gear manufacturing and automotive industries, and he saw the fulfillment that came from a hard day's work.

"At the end of the day, it's so satisfying to have created something that didn't exist before," he says. "And to do it with your hands and your heart and your creativity."

Starting out in the trades, Ace apprenticed as a mason. He loved the work, but he remembers coming home with rashes and burns on his forearms from the different materials he was working with all day. It turned out he wasn't alone: Most of his crew had a similar experience. "When I saw the toll that the work was taking on the people I worked with, I thought, 'there has to be a better way."'

The quest for a better way set Ace down the path that would become his life's work. He wanted to stay in the trades, but in a way that didn't sacrifice his health or the health of the people living in the spaces he built.

In 2006, Ace co-founded New Frameworks, a worker-owned design-build company based in Essex Junction. He envisioned it as a place for workers with non-traditional identities to join the trades, to prioritize learning and curiosity, and to build homes in a more sustainable way.

In the beginning, New Frameworks focused on learning how to use natural materials in homebuilding. They supported the local economy by sourcing timber and straw from Vermont foresters and farmers. The team built timber frame homes and experimented with straw bale walls, wood chip clay walls, earthen floors, and more. Over time and with trial and error, they gained a wealth of knowledge about how to build healthy and climate-friendly homes.

Now, almost 20 years later, New Frameworks is applying the best of their learnings to create what they call a "lifecycle solution." Their prefabricated and custom-built homes are created by healthy craftspeople using locally sourced materials that sequester carbon dioxide, which helps to not only slow, but reverse climate change. “Our buildings can be a part of the solution,” says Ace.

New Frameworks has been a member of Efficiency Vermont’s Efficiency Excellence Network (EEN) since 2015. The EEN is a network of Vermont contractors who provide services like new construction, electrical, HVAC, and more.  Efficiency Vermont provides free technical training for network contractors, and a space to share learnings that help advance energy efficiency best practices in Vermont.

New Frameworks' worker-owners have participated in extensive professional development offered through the EEN, including training in building science, durability, and various building practices. "The EEN is a training home and a community home," Ace says. "It's a place to be challenged professionally and also to provide challenges to others. It's a professional community that we're really lucky to be a part of."

Jacob Deva Racusin, New Frameworks' Co-Founder and Director of Sustainability & Building Science, says the EEN has been integral to the company's growth. By putting into practice what they've learned, New Frameworks is on the leading edge of residential new construction in Vermont. "The EEN doesn't monetize or profit off new construction," he says. "They help build confidence that contractors are following best practices for energy efficient buildings, and that they're held accountable as part of a professional network."

New Frameworks is committed to providing housing solutions that help Vermont address the dual challenges of climate change and the housing crisis. It's estimated that Vermont needs 30,000 to 40,000 new homes by 2030 to meet demand. Building pre-designed modular homes can speed progress toward that goal. New Frameworks' prefabricated Casitas are built in their Essex Junction facility and then installed on-site. Each home uses straw bale insulation, which has a much lower carbon footprint than traditional fiberglass. The total cost of each Casita is known upfront, so customers don't have to worry about volatile building costs.

Each Casita is highly energy efficient and employs cutting-edge building science to minimize its carbon footprint. Homeowners experience those benefits in several ways. "Energy efficiency improves comfort in their home," Jacob says. It also reduces their annual energy bills, sometimes substantially.