recycled materials

The planning process is relevant when it comes to virtually any building project, but because of the many idiosyncrasies involved in sustainable building, the planning process becomes much more crucial. Previously in this series we’ve discussed the financial benefits and key elements of green building. During this installment I would to emphasize the importance behind the planning process and give you some ideas about how to approach the plan.

While it may seem elementary, there are several missteps that can occur causing your project to run off the tracks. Before you begin seeking a professional team to assist you with the build (which you most definitely will need), think about your own ideas, priorities and expectations; having a clear understanding of what you want will benefit you immensely when you begin interviewing potential builders, architects and designers. If you have the ability to draw, sketch something out. Or maybe you know of certain materials you want to utilize in your build – see if you can get a sample.

Also take into consideration the complexity of your project. Are you looking for a technologically savvy structure with the latest and greatest or are you more traditional? Browse the web for images that you like and use them when you meet with architects and designers. By doing some of your own homework, you’ll come to the table with a clear mind, great ideas and an edge when it comes to knowing price points for materials, labor, professional fees, etc.

Once you have some of your goals in place, start looking for a professional builder, architect and designer that have excellent track records for quality work that runs according to schedule. This information is basic stuff that you would want to know about anyone involved in your build; however, more in-depth questions you should pose might be:

• What kind of general knowledge do you possess regarding green building?

• What is your understanding of sustainable building and how do you implement your philosophy in your projects?

• What is your expertise with more unconventional methodology for green building, such as, water catchment basins and other sustainability techniques?

• Are you involved with other sustainable building organizations?

• Are your subcontractors knowledgeable of the principles of sustainability? • What projects are you working on currently?

• Can you furnish me with references and images of your work? Of course everyone is going to want your business, so keep your feelers out for those that are just telling you what you want to hear.

Discuss prices with the builder and make sure they give you straightforward answers – if they’ve been in the business long enough price points should be clear and concise. Ask if you can visit buildings that have been completed.

Additionally, if you are able to get information about current projects that are in the building phase drive by the location and see if it meets your standards. Remember, part of sustainable building is caring for the environment during the building process through recycling and responsible clean-up procedures.

Now, don’t go break any laws or trespass – but perform your due diligence. If anyone is wary of allowing you access to completed projects or those that are in the building process, I would steer clear of those individuals. When considering the architectural and design team for your project, look for someone that resonates with your concept and expands on your ideas with their professional opinion.

Additionally, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of LEED certification for green buildings and it would preferable if they were LEED Accredited. Some design teams can also assist you with meeting the appropriate qualifications for Federal Energy Tax Credits. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 offers many incentives for businesses and consumers, keep these tax credits in mind when planning your build. The Solar Investment Tax Credit, which is part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, includes an 8-year extension of the solar investment tax credit in both the commercial and residential sector and completely omits the monetary cap for residential solar electric installations.

As you can see, with the multitude of tax savings involved with green building, it is well worth your time and money to hire the right professional that will assist you with your project and help you obtain the tax credits that you are eligible for. During the planning/design process it is important that strategies of each “team member” are in alignment with one another. If strategies conflict, you could have a huge mess on your hands. In an effort to sum it up, the planning process should encompass innovation, partnerships, accountability for performance and collaboration through various disciplines. In my next installment we’re going to discuss information about LEED certifications. Until next time, go green! See more at www.acreageanywhere.com

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling... RAWHIDE!

Passive home solar design not only enables your home to "work", it allows you to use less to do more.

My green building architect friend Scott Kyle shared an article last week which embodies this philosophy, and is in line with our own thinking:

You don't need a bunch of systems stuff- if carefully chosen, less is more.

In Vivian Loftness's article Free-Rolling Buildings on GreenSource.com,

"More efficient technologies can help us to achieve a 30-percent reduction, but they will never get us to carbon neutrality. For that we need nature’s renewables—daylight, passive solar heating, natural ventilation, natural cooling. We need mechanical systems that are turned off as long as possible, buildings that “free-roll” through hours, days, months, and seasons."

I push down manufacturer prices to give you volume pricing for the passive solar house kits (homes designed by amazing custom architecture firms!), but everything is a huge investment and when having to make a choice between better but more expensive vs. cheap and poorly-made, your best bet is quality, every time.

This is especially true in systems choices. As our modern off grid house will depend upon energy efficiency, I have been researching the market for appliances that use little or no electricity.

Sometimes the choices I make will not be the most inexpensive, but I believe they will last years longer, even generations, certainly making them the longterm affordable choice. As I consider decisions I think 1. Invest in efficiency and durability but also 2. Do we really *need* all "this" (whatever "this" may be)?

One way we financially achieve systems purchases is by doing it in stages- each year we invest in one more thing, paid for in cash.

For Christmas last year I gave Handsome Hubby a... (drumroll) composting toilet.

Now that composting toilet is much more expensive than just purchasing "a toilet." (And what a wonderful gift, no? I got even with him for the year he gave me car parts.) But when you consider our freedom from having to dig pipes to hook up to a sewer, much less the fact that we won't be contributing to sewage... it's a good, long term, affordable solution.

This year, I will be purchasing the refrigerator and freezer. I have been looking at models that run on propane, and extremely energy efficient electric models that would tie in to solar power.

Regardless which choice I make, I am purchasing the smallest model refrigerator for two reasons:
1. less expensive and
2. our philosophy that really, since we will be buying from our neighbors farms / growing much ourselves seasonally, you really don't need the huge storage- much will be canned, preserved, then the refrigerator supplements/keeps what is used that week.

The freezer will certainly be larger, to hold meat seasonally acquired through friends' free range farms or hunting, but I may hold off on that purchase awhile as technology improves (although there IS a nice solar powered freezer I've had my eye on which could be stored in the shed).

In that same sense of evaluating what we "need" in systems, do we *really need* extreme heating and cooling? Thanks to the passive solar design of our house kit, thanks to the energy efficiency of the structural insulated panels (SIPs), our home will not have extreme fluctuations in temperature, or fast temperature loss/gain.

For heat, we installed radiant heat in the concrete thermal mass.

What about summer? I discussed this with Ron, our contractor... who, like I, wasn't concerned. I have never been a fan of air conditioning- heck, our air conditioning has been set to 80 for years, I just like to "take the edge off" of summer. I've always felt that when it's summer, you should be wearing summer clothes- light dresses, sandals... and often wondered about the health effects of working in companies where you must bring a wool sweater with you in August to work because the dial is set to "frigid."

By using a sun shade on the south side, overhangs in the architecture, and letting the cool air in at night while the hot air escapes through the clerestory windows... we expect to be plenty comfortable.

When evaluating systems, my constant question is "how low can we go?"

It will be interesting look back five years from now and whether our systems choices were indeed, too much or little. (I'm expecting them to be appropriate, as I've done much research, but I'm just saying...)

When I initially envisioned our own house kit, I had dreams of cooking over a wood-fueled kitchen stove which would also heat the house... I dreamed of masonry heaters and evenings spent huddled about its warmth with our children...

Instead, I realized I could be zero energy / more carbon neutral by giving up that nostalgic flickering flame, and achieving better, more evenly-distributed heat with solar powered radiant heat. Our solar cooker will help us supplement many tasks that would otherwise be done via baking / cooking. (You can see some of my early solar cooking experiments here. : ) )

How low WILL we go?

Here are some of the choices I've made: I have decided I really am not passionate about laundry. ; ) Why consume energy in a clothes dryer when you can air dry your clothes outside? (Heck, in winter I'll just hang them in the bathroom, actually, I could hang them anywhere as the floor is concrete! ; ) )

For washing clothes, I have decided to go waaaaaaaaaaaaay low tech, and low water (don't forget, we have no hook up to water, and the rainwater collection and filtration system has not yet been purchased):

Initially we will use (and then maybe not replace?) the Pressure Handwasher, because the Home Queen Wringer Washer is something I can purchase down the road but don't want to pay cash for now. It will encourage us all to not let laundry pile up, thus needing less clothes.

Handsome Husband makes a great point: In the army, they had to "clean" their clothes with a brush, without water. Now, I'm not going to get that rustic, but it certainly inspires me to make sure the "muck" is off the dirty clothes before washing them, therefore needing less water, cleaning better!

Handsome Husband: "I think frugality is fun in this life exercise. I don't see it as a limitation but as an adventure. It's about being conscious, and realizing you really don't 'need' much."

It's also reflected in our interior design.

Unlike a lotta "prototype" homes you see, we are reusing (mostly) thangs we already have and not asking for design handouts in exchange for "publicity." Like you, we have accumulated carefully over time our favorite things, that make a house a "home," that really reflects our family.

Because, like everything, we have carefully considered the future, over years of thrifting and reuse... we dream, we plan, we scavenge. : )

And make it fabulous.

From the second David Day's fabulous casa ti house kit design was laid before me, I have dreamed, imagined myself in my future home. Which bedroom will be whose? Where will the dining table go? How to furnish it?

(Luckily, for myself, an avid thrift-er, I have kept an eye out for good finds and amassed a basement full o' furniture over the years with which to trick out our prefab-ulous house. Here's an example of just a few o' the things I've collected & reused over the years!)

I have imagined all sorts o' frugal, crafty solutions for the interior wall. See, drywall just doesn't "do it" fer me; I like natural, I like patina, and, even the green alternatives for drywall were a little too smooth for me. (Watch out, there's Bryan Adams in them thar link!)

So when a friend on twitter messaged me that a historic college, Virginia Military Institute, had torn up it's maple basketball floorboards and was auctioning them on GovDeals.com, I *jumped.*

Let's just say... those salty builders bidding against each other had no chance. In the last 12 seconds, I swooped in and stormed off with over 5,000 square feet o' solid maple history.

So our casa ti interior will now be lined with beautiful, durable, historic maple boards, reflecting my passion for history yet maintaining a natural, modern design.

Now lissen here, you crafty VMI alumni or lovers of reuse: I am not going to need 5,000 square feet o' boards. Certainly I can find ways to use it all, but if anyone is interested in adoring the history and natural beauty of this maple in their own home, direct message me. : )

If you are making eco-friendly changes in your home, you are probably noticing the repetition of natural colors and their calming effect. But what if you want to jazz it up? Decorating with tile is one way to add color, and to personalize space. Now there are many eco-friendly choices in vibrant colored tiles. The floor, the ceiling, the wall, even outdoor pathways, can all be decorated with eco-friendly tile. My favorite is the tumbler pathway see here.

The recycled glass is laid in pathways where you would commonly see rock, bark mulch, brick, etc. The effect of the colored glass is a look of motion, adding the illusion of movement to an area. Tumbled glass is softened and safe for children and pets. It is available in 3/8'', 1/4" up to the size of a half dollar. Sample packages are sold in 5 lb bags. Bedrock Industries doesn't use pigment in addition to its use of 100% recycled glass. Indoor flooring gets vibrant with crushed glass mosaic tiles, too. Recycled glass tiles and other eco-friendly flooring is available on www.ecofriendlyflooring.com.

The designs you commonly see in kitchens, bathrooms, and around fireplaces are mapped out for you in a concept design section of their web-site, www.sandhillind.com. Sandhill, uses a low energy method to produce it's 100% recycled glass tiles. They have field tile priced per square foot, Mosaics and specialty pieces. The great colors and textures available in eco-friendly tile are an inspiration for decorating projects. Adding colored tiles to lighting fixtures, frames, borders, pots and coffee tables can really make it pretty, and personalize your space.

This is what happens when my husband goes away... he really does keep me sane, you know.

Until recently, I could brag that our office only used *at the most* three reams of paper a year.

And then the children went on a drawing binge.

It's driving me bonkers- on one hand, I cringe, "Don't waste paper!!!" then cringe at myself: "How dare you call their artistic pursuits wasteful?" So I stack the drawings in a corner, guiltily...

Today I was pondering over how to finish our casa ti interior. I've always envisioned it with sleek, organic, simple plywood, which I thought would look really good with the more industrial concrete flooring. But I like to consider all options, and even published a post on how to make SIPs stew.

And then I thought... "Why not recycle those drawings?"

They are mainly scribbly ink drawings on notebook paper left over from college days, or grabbed from our office shelf. So the overall effect would be clean, white, but with scribbles and occasional bursts of color... I could easily attach it directly to the SIPs walls, then maybe minwax / beeswax it once hung... just for... fun!

I still see the end result eventually being plywood... but to in the meantime reuse the paper / childrens "art" for our house? Fantastic!

My hands have been on this keyboard for 100s of hours now, researching these last details of our house. Since most of the materials, applications and fixtures are not normally used in residential applications, I've had to swim through oceans of information to find these items with the help of my architect. Jan says that most of the residential norms are crap, so we HAVE to research every little corner and crevice for the ultimate THING. Most of the stuff we want has primarily been used in the commercial sector or green building, and as Ted says, it's because those things are built to last and simply are better (sigh!)... so here we go, I am freakin' tired, but am grateful that the Internet was invented in my lifetime.

First, insulation. Yes, we are using SIPs for most everything. But because our 2nd story cantilevers (overhangs) out above our pool, we have to use something other than our beloved SIPs. So, Ted suggested using batt on the floor of our 2nd story overhang to save money, but now I want to look at this natural fibre insulation that's safe, environmental because their made with post-industrial waste (recycled blue jeans!) and they are good quality for not too much money. The advantage is that even though they are more expensive per square foot ($0.39/sf batt insulation vs. $0.89-1.09/sf natural fibre insulation), you will save in labor costs because batt has to be stapled in and handled with care because of the itch and fiberglass irritation. This stuff can be put in by hand and don't need to be stapled in, so they are quickly installed and safe to handle as you can see with the baby below.

I found this company:
Bonded Logic at http://www.bondedlogic.com/

I couldn't resist posting this adorable photo:

Then on to ventilation ducts. We learned of a system that removes humidity from our bathrooms that can be planned with fewer punctures through our roof because they share the same vent to the outside. They are quieter & better designed so that you can control 2 or more bathrooms with the same ventilation duct....MORE HERE

Broken concrete recycled into a wall on a residential street in Albuquerque: this wall was laid up with some mortar, but it could have been laid up dry. The material works really well for retaining walls, also. It's attractive, cheap, and easy to work with (for someone with a strong back).

This particular wall really wasn’t laid up that artfully – the joints aren’t staggered as well as they probably should have been, and it’s not so level – but still, I think it looks good. It’s certainly functional. And, there’s no shortage of broken-up concrete – it's readily available.

I had a big pile of broken-up concrete that sat for a l-o-n-g time before I found someone to lay it up into a low retaining wall. My neighbors weren't very happy about this part of the process!