Matt Senecal reflects on 30 years of building energy-efficient homes
PHOTO: AMY PARADYSZ
By Amy Paradysz
Senecal Construction Services, LLC, a sustainably focused design/build firm that has built hundreds of houses in Midcoast Maine, has been evolving right along with the green building industry for the past three decades. We met up with company founder Matt Senecal at one of his recent projects in Brunswick to reflect on where he’s been and where he’s going as he celebrates this milestone.
It’s been 30 years since you founded your company at just 20 years old. How did you become interested in energy-efficient design?
I grew up in Bath, and my high school Earth Science teacher Mr. Nichols taught a course on energy-efficient home building. I was already involved in construction, working side by side with my father. But this class made me aware of the simplicity of green building and that it was the right thing to do.
How is green building simple?
We all have the sun available. Just looking at the house behind you, notice that the house is positioned toward the sun rather than to the road. The windows are inviting the morning sun on the eastern side, and the sun will track all that way around to the south. And then we insulate [the walls] to an R-value of 40—well beyond the building code requirement of R-25. If the sun is out, they won’t need lights on, and the heat will not come on even on a cold winter day. The sun will heat that whole house. It’s a pretty simple equation: proper acclimation (that is, placement on the lot to take advantage of solar) + a well-insulated and sealed building envelope = utility savings.
Do the homes you build typically use solar?
Some do. First, we concentrate on getting the energy required to heat or cool the home down to a minimum. I recommend good acclimation and insulation before solar panels. Our houses are net-zero-ready, which means that when the owners choose to use solar, the home will reach net-zero. This home we’re at today will be getting solar in a couple weeks, and they’ll produce more energy than they’ll use in such an efficient home. The house is bright and airy, has a clean flow of air, is low to no maintenance and maximizes natural privacy. It’s a really healthy home.
What is your home like?
Twenty-five years ago, my future wife showed me a magazine photo of a house. I told her I could build it for her—and asked her to marry me. It’s almost 5,000 square feet and has about 19 roof lines. I don’t use most of that space, and it’s difficult to take care of. I’m hearing more and more homeowners saying they don’t want to be owned by their homes. Many people are realizing that they need less. At the same time, I’ve learned to build in a smaller space. As owner of a marine interior design/build business for the past 14 years, I’ve designed quarters for ships crews and figured out how to use every inch. My goal in designing my next home is to be 2,000 square feet or under, which will allow all the current activities of my larger home. It will be super insulated, with less roof lines—maybe even one simple pitch—and it will use materials that need little to no maintenance, such as charred wood siding.
“I want to build long-lasting, energy-efficient homes on a smaller scale to be able to make a dent in the housing shortage here in Maine.”
Is that more compact design style where Senecal is headed?
Whatever we build, we build it to the highest energy standard that we can. We’re still building some large houses when that’s what our clients want. But I’m really excited about a project we’re launching this fall: Essential Dwelling Units, or EDUs—trademarked, by the way—that are 15 feet by 57 feet and are very space efficient.
They’re bigger than tiny homes but small enough to be moved. We’re using the compact design techniques we used on ships. If we have a bed, why not raise it off the floor and have drawers underneath? If we have steps to get to the bed, why not have drawers in the steps? Why not have a fold-down desk? We have tables in four sections so that on the rare occasion when you have 10 people over for dinner your coffee tables become one large table. I want to build long-lasting, energy-efficient homes on a smaller scale to be able to make a dent in the housing shortage here in Maine. I mean, we have employees who are paid well but can’t afford to live in the town they grew up in. We need lower-mortgage energy-efficient homes. I want to build these EDUs in clusters with common garden areas. I’m excited and hopeful. We have staff dedicated to this. It’s a mission.
How does striving for sustainability affect choices about materials?
We want to use low-maintenance materials. And we want to use native materials, like eastern pine, which can be low-maintenance if installed properly. I chuckle when I hear about bamboo flooring being sustainable. It’s a great material with fast growth, but it’s not sustainable once we ship that across the ocean.
How would you say the construction industry has changed since you stared in this field?
The biggest change I’ve seen in the industry is that of the consumer and their awareness of the benefits to building sustainably. As for Senecal Construction, though we’ve done some green builds from the beginning, everything we’ve done for the past 20 years has been energy-efficient or net-zero-ready. I don’t need to sell people on building sustainably anymore.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the green building industry?
Read Fine Homebuilding and Green & Healthy Maine Homes. Ask questions. Develop a relationship with a mechanical engineer. When I’m not sure about something, I don’t guess; I consult with experts. We have 15 staff members, and, beyond that, we have many long-term collaborations. On any given day we have up to 30 carpenters in the field. And we all keep learning as the industry evolves.
Learn more about Senecal Construction Services: senecalconstruction.com
This article appeared in the Fall 2024 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
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