Principals

Michael (Mike) N. Trolle
Principal

Mike brings 15 years of experience in residential construction and development to the table. He is passionate about building the best homes that traditional craftsmanship integrated with advanced building science can produce. Since 1998, Mike has studied with leaders in the field of residential building science and green building in order to stay at the cutting edge in the field. In addition, he holds a masters degree in American literature and an advanced business certificate from the UCONN MBA program.

In 1999, Mike built the first American Lung Association Health House in the state of Connecticut. In 2003, he built the 2004 HOBI award-winning home for the best energy efficient and healthy home in Connecticut. More recently, he managed the gut rehab of two antique homes along with the construction of two new homes on a small site in downtown Ridgefield for a local developer. These four homes are modestly-sized and are among the first speculative homes in Connecticut built to achieve high performance and to incorporate many sustainable building products.

Mike is licensed as a new home contractor, home improvement contractor, and real estate broker in Connecticut. He serves on the Affordable Housing Committee in Ridgefield, where he lives, and is a member of the Connecticut Green Building Council and the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association.

Christopher (Chris) T. Trolle, P.E.
Principal

Chris is a licensed professional engineer (PE) in Connecticut and New York with over 20 years experience in construction management; project estimating; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems design; and energy-use assessments and audits. As a result of this work, Chris has developed a keen grasp of advanced building science principles that allows him to resolve unusual problems and to educate others on the building and how its many systems interrelate.

In addition to residential project management, Chris is assisting builders and homeowners in his capacity as both a licensed engineer and a certified HERS (Home Energy Rating System) rater, providing ENERGY STAR® ratings for new homes in New York and Connecticut. This diagnostic and evaluation work provides Chris with a unique perspective on the problems and opportunities associated with both new and existing homes in the region.

Chris is an ASHRAE member (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers); NSPE member (National Society of Professional Engineers); and a member of Building Performance Contractors Association of New York

Andrew (Andy) Engel
Principal

Andy Engel has worked in residential building since 1979, starting as a carpenter and eventually becoming a general contractor. In 1996, Andy hired on with Fine Homebuilding magazine as an assistant editor, leaving there in 2004 when he was its executive editor. His chief editorial interests at the magazine were home energy and trim carpentry. Because Fine Homebuilding afforded him the chance to work with the country’s leading experts in both fields, he compares his time there to a graduate level course in building.

Since 2004, Andy has combined his passions to work as a freelance writer, home energy consultant, and occasionally as a carpenter.