Thinking of Remodeling

As you begin thinking of remodeling your home, are you considering green remodeling options? There are seven basic ideas you may or may not have considered yet in relation to green remodeling.

1. Put energy efficienty at the top of your list. Weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors, replace old appliances and/or old heating and cooling equipment (and making sure all connections are tight), consider new windows with high-performance glazing, and improve the insulation in ceilings, floors and walls.

2. If you aren’t planning to Do-It-Yourself, ask for what you want when interviewing architects, designers, or contractors. Energy efficiency needs to be integrated at the beginning of a project, not added at the very end. This will also give you an honest idea of how much your project(s) will cost you.

3. Design with YOU in mind. You are planning to live there after remodeling right? Don’t design it to a magazine, but to your lifestyle. It’s your home, live in it the way it suits you!  One caveat to this, sales of homes can be affected.  Ask a Realtor that you trust for their input on remodels.

4. Is redecorating rather than replacing an option for some items? Before ripping out cabinets in bathrooms and kitchens, could they be refaced, repainted and new hardware put on instead? This is a very cost effective way of getting what you wantand being green.

5. Deconstruct rather than demolish the portions of the house you’re going to remodel. There’s almost no end to the materials that can be salvaged, including moldings, cabinets, appliances, light fixtures, and bricks. Reuse in a new way or different room, sell, or donate the old stuff. Check with our local waste management companies or recycling office (or Habitat for Humanity) for tips on what to do with used building materials.

6. Use safe and resource-smart building materials such as water-based finishes, interior paints with low- or zero-volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These emit fewer air pollutants than conventional alternatives. Also, use materials and products taht are durable and easy to maintain so you don’t have to replace them or spend time and money maintaining them frequently. Look for materials with recycled content, and use locally manufactured products when possible.

7. PLEASE don’t use wood from old-growth trees. Our ancient forests are irreplaceable, and they’re rapidly disappearing. If the lumber if free of knots and larger tthan 2 x 8 inches, it’s most likely from an old-growth tree. You might be thinking, “Well, it’s already cut down…” and while yes, it is, the more that is consumed (purchased) the more will be cut down to fill those empty shelves at the hardware store.  An alternative? Look for reclaimed lumber or wood that’s been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or a similarly reputable organization to have come from a sustainable managed forest.