Framing & Roofing

Recycled denim insulation is green for a number of reasons. The primary raw material we use in  Bonded Logic's UltraTouch insulation is post-industrial recycled denim. This is all the scrap and waste material from the manufacturing process of blue jeans and other cotton based textiles. This waste material is now diverted from the landfill and given another life-cycle by being transformed into UltraTouch insulation. This recycled denim is comprised of cotton fibers, which are a rapidly renewable resource and have a rapid growth cycle. UltraTouch is treated with a boron based solution for fire retardency, mold/mildew growth, and a pest inhibitor. The actual product used for this treatment is an EPA registered material and its toxicity is lower than average table salt.

The sustainability of UltraTouch continues with our manufacturing process, which uses minimal amounts of energy in comparison to traditional insulating products. Not only does Bonded Logic use considerably less energy to manufacture UltraTouch, but all scrap and manufacturing trim is re-introduced into the raw material supply creating a virtually zero waste process. All of Bonded Logic's materials and process combine to create thermal and acoustical insulating products that are not only high performing, but safe for the people and environment in which we live. 

You are right, steel framing is quite high in embodied energy. We really had a dilemma there. It’s one of those decisions that had to be made at the time of building. As we say in the show, wood is the better alternative, but because we are in earthquake country, we would easily have used as much wood as a conventional builder to provide the structural support required by our building codes. And we really wanted to infill the full length of the walls with bales for the best insulation. Also, steel was inexpensive at the time. The steel package cost me half of what the wood package would have. Now, however, the prices are quite comparable.

We could have done things differently if we had built a single story house in a less earthquake prone area. Then, we could have built what is called a load bearing straw bale house, in which the bales provide the structural strength and the use of wood is kept to interior walls and roof trusses.

My pocketbook and design sense got the better of my environmental concern on that day. When I do it again, I will try to do it better.

Although using wood wisely for framing is the preferred method in green building, for our home we chose steel because of its strength and span. There are also a number of green advantages to building homes with steel frames, including eliminating a number of toxicity problems for the occupants. Termites are a huge issue in California construction and present health issues. Pest control can be quite toxic. Luckily, termites don’t eat steel so steel doesn't require any chemical treatment at all to prevent against termites or any other wood-destroying insects. So that's just one more chemical we can eliminate from the environment, not just the indoor environment, but the environment for the workers and the framing crews and the people who have their hands on these products every day.

While preventing termite infestation and the toxic fumigation needed to eradicate them, steel-frame homes have another advantage: They're not going to be a breeding ground for mold.

One simple energy-saving choice for people living in warm climates is to choose a light-colored roof. Roofs are typically a dark color, often because they’re made out of asphalt. Dark colors absorb heat, so dark roofs can heat up the buildings, sometimes by as much as 30 degrees, especially in hot climates such as Arizona and California. By simply choosing a lighter colored roof, you can reflect enough heat to significantly impact your air conditioning bills, and the impact of all that extra energy consumption on the environment.

Think smooth. We joke about the merits of glass roofs (stone-throwers aside), but when we stop laughing and get serious, we’d have to say the best roofs for rainwater collection are metal. If your existing roof isn’t metal, don’t despair. Unless it’s flat and covered with tar and gravel (whoever invented this roof should be tarred and gravel-ed) or one of the old asbestos nightmares, nearly any roof can serve as a collection surface. It’s not the particles, like those that might be washed off composition shingles, that present the biggest obstacle; those can easily be filtered out. Rather, it’s the chemicals, like those used to treat wood shingles, that cause problems in water collected for potable use. Fortunately, activated carbon filters in combination with ultraviolet light can remove nearly everything except radio-active particles and, most inconveniently, lead.

Answer excerpted from Richard Heinichen's Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged, available on rainwater.org.

A green roof system is an extension of the existing roof, and not potted plants as many assume. The system consists of a special water proof and root repellant membrane, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants on top.

Green roof systems may also be modular, with the drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, interlocking grids or trays. These are good for areas where access could be an issue.

In North America, the benefits of green roof technologies are poorly understood, despite the efforts of several industry leaders. In Europe however, these technologies have become very well established. Cities like Chicago have launched a Green Roof Initiative, serving as a model for other cities.

Answer excerpted from Ask the Green Architect, Eric Corey Freed's column on greenerbuildings.com.