You're getting closer to finishing your LEED project and cutting corners may be tempting to you or your contractors. LEED Pro's Ari Meisel has tips on how to stick with the green materials that were originally specified.

Sometimes when you are working on a construction project, especially when you are getting near the end, it can be easy to break with green specifications and use products or materials that don't quite measure up.

Unfortunately, VOCs or volatile organic compounds do have a place and make certain products perform very well. It can be very tempting to stop using a low VOC paint that requires an extra coat or two and just run to the nearest hardware store and get regular paint to finish up that last wall or room. It is imperative when you're working on a project going for LEED certification that you don't let anyone give in to “VOC temptation” because it can ruin your chances of getting a particular credit. You'll find this risk becomes even greater with adhesives. Let’s say in the middle of installing flooring using a special low VOC adhesive that had to be ordered the installer runs out and wanting to finish the job on time, runs to the nearest store and gets the regular stuff. You have to document every adhesive you use for a LEED project and if one tube is not VOC compliant you don't get the credit.

So the two main ways this becomes an issue is either you run out of a compliant material or you have a contractor who is not familiar with green building methods and decides to fall back on their own, more familiar methods. There are some simple ways to deal with these issues. Not having enough of a compliant material is a simple enough problem to tackle. Plan better and when you first stock up make sure that you have more than you think you need by at least 15%. That should prove to be a safe enough buffer and of course if you don't use it all up, it will be good for the next job.

The problem of contractors wanting to stick with the materials they are use to also has a simple solution but it's not as easy to implement. You have to set very clear parameters during the bidding and hiring process and make it very clear to contractors that ANY material they use on a green building project will have to be approved in advance. If they know what they are in for, they understand the importance of maintaining consistency, and you make sure you stay on top of and approve appropriate materials, everything should run smoothly.

Photo: One of the buildings in Meisel's award winning project, Watermill Ateliers, nears completion along David's Lane and Montauk Highway in Water Mill. Photo courtesy of The Hamptons.com.