While the ideas behind living green may not be exactly brand spanking new, it’s become the new buzz word with lots of terms batted around along side it: sustainable design, eco-friendly, organic, recycled. Green is everywhere, so much so that knowing exactly how to go green can be a little confusing. And going green is definitely a good thing but it’s a lot like a diet: short term binging will help to a degree but only by incorporating green habits as a part of your lifestyle will the long term benefits really have an impact.
For our renovation projects, we are always looking for ways to incorporate existing elements into the new design. When this is possible, there is often a cost savings associated with it but not always. The quality of the existing parts is important to consider and we try to maintain a good balance between the cost benefits of working with what’s existing and getting to a design that works well for the Owner. When we say a house has “good bones”, the existing structure and layout of the rooms generally need only minor modifications to work within the new design. Not every project can begin so easily. Some need more help than others. But no matter how big or small the renovation project, every new piece that is added to the mix is an opportunity for making the house green.
As the construction winds down over the final few weeks, let’s look at the
- Reuse the Foundation: The footprint of the house is the same with the new area added on the second level. This minimized the disturbed area and limited run off and erosion. On the existing First Floor, the circulation paths were reworked and rooms were opened up to improve the flow and increase the sense of space, openness and light without increasing the square footage.
- New Mechanical Units: The existing heating/cooling units were more than 15 years old and ready for replacement so it was an easy opportunity to replace with new, high efficiency units. We zoned the upstairs with its own smaller unit to handle the increased cooling load for even more efficiency. Both the HVAC units are on programmable thermostats making turning the temp down at night a no-brainer.
- New Window Units: Not only do the new units now meet the building code requirements for egress in the bedrooms, they replaced the old, leaky vinyl units that came with the house twenty years ago. The wood clad units that we chose from Jeld Wen are beautiful and tight, will let in more natural light and significantly reduce energy loss particularly in the winter.
- Insultation: Where once the insulation was little to non-existent at the main floor and walls, it has been added. The new second floor walls of the house are framed with 2x6 studs allowing for a higher than required R-value batt insulation made with no formaldehyde. Over the whole house we also now have a vapor barrier, another step to reducing energy loss.
- Recycle: Wherever possible, what was removed from the house was recycled. Our builder, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity recycled cabinets, doors, sinks, faucets, light fixtures, hardware and more.
Check back soon for the second part of our list where we'll take a look at the "green" finishes and final touches we chose for the house.
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