Contractor Tips: 10 Ways to Remodel Greener
Push past the hype and learn what really makes a renovation kind to the earth and easy on your wallet
Let's get to the nitty-gritty of what it means to remodel green. Being green starts long before you think about where you want to put the tub, and the effects last into the future long after you're gone. Remodeling can be a wasteful process. The least we can do is proceed thoughtfully.
These 10 tips will help get you past the hype and "greenwashing" surrounding environmentally conscious remodeling.
These 10 tips will help get you past the hype and "greenwashing" surrounding environmentally conscious remodeling.
1. Start with an existing house. Obviously you can go out of your way to break this rule, but when you remodel, you are reusing an existing structure. Both building and remodeling are wasteful processes. But by remodeling, you are creating less waste, using less energy and putting your money into more labor than materials, which helps support your local economy. A side benefit of not building new: Existing buildings are more likely to be close to established infrastructure, trees and cool old neighbors with lots of stories.
2. Be mindful of scale. As Sarah Susanka teaches us in The Not So Big House and other books, a well-designed space does not need to be huge to serve our needs. If you can remodel your existing home to do more instead of moving to a larger home, you save energy, reduce waste and often increase happiness.
3. Think about the future. Before you pick up a hammer, think about possible future needs, too. The bathroom pictured here includes a sleek grab bar for safety that doubles as a soap dish. The homeowner didn't need a grab bar at the time but knew that she would need one eventually, as this is her forever home.
The more we remodel with all ages and potential uses in mind, the less likely we are to remodel in the future. The less we need to build, the greener we'll be — and that's coming from a builder!
Learn more about universal design
The more we remodel with all ages and potential uses in mind, the less likely we are to remodel in the future. The less we need to build, the greener we'll be — and that's coming from a builder!
Learn more about universal design
4. Manage light and heat. Solar panels won't always make for a smart financial investment, because of the time it takes for them to pay for themselves, but the sun's direct light and heat are free, with no investment greater than a little forethought.
Bring daylight into your home, and it will lift your spirits for more reasons than the reduced electrical bill. Sunlight brings heat with it, too. Remodel your home to take advantage of the sun when you want it and keep it out when you don't.
Adding reflective roof coatings, installing tubular skylights and creating thermal mass are just a few ways to work with the sun.
Get Your Light Right for a Healthy House
Bring daylight into your home, and it will lift your spirits for more reasons than the reduced electrical bill. Sunlight brings heat with it, too. Remodel your home to take advantage of the sun when you want it and keep it out when you don't.
Adding reflective roof coatings, installing tubular skylights and creating thermal mass are just a few ways to work with the sun.
Get Your Light Right for a Healthy House
5. Waste not, want not. Before you think about the elements of your remodel, think about where you can take the waste produced during the renovation. Construction and demolition account for roughly a third of all residential and commercial waste, but the majority can be recycled. In Philadelphia Revolution Recovery sorts all construction waste and diverts 75 percent from landfills — a number that is growing as new markets and technologies emerge. If you can't find a use for your construction waste onsite, and you can't donate it to an organization like Habitat for Humanity, try to find a construction waste management firm in your area that can recycle it. It doesn't have to cost more or be more work. I often use commingled Dumpsters from Revolution Recovery, and the company does the rest. It doesn't add to our costs at all.
6. Watch what you breathe. A lot of attention in green building materials goes into reducing off-gassing. You should use low- or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, sealers and caulks. Look for products that don't contain formaldehyde.
Paying attention to moisture levels in the house is just as important. Baths and kitchens must have good exhaust fans to reduce carcinogens in the air (mainly in the kitchen) and moisture that can lead to mold (necessary in both the kitchen and bath). Use a timer switch in the bath or a fan with a humidistat so the fan stays on long enough to do the job.
7 Ways to Improve Bathroom Air Quality for Better Health
Paying attention to moisture levels in the house is just as important. Baths and kitchens must have good exhaust fans to reduce carcinogens in the air (mainly in the kitchen) and moisture that can lead to mold (necessary in both the kitchen and bath). Use a timer switch in the bath or a fan with a humidistat so the fan stays on long enough to do the job.
7 Ways to Improve Bathroom Air Quality for Better Health
7. Take advantage of incentives. Natural gas may cost less these days, but energy costs change, and you don't want to be stuck with an energy hog when rates go up in the future. Utilities and the government offer incentives, often in the form of a substantial credit, toward the purchase of high-efficiency equipment. In some areas this can make up the difference in cost between standard equipment and that with a higher efficiency, which will allow you to start saving right away.
8. Buy local. If you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint, shop local businesses for your remodel. A green material looks a lot less green when it has to be shipped across the world to your house.
Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that makes for hard, beautiful floors, but if your bamboo floor was shipped from China, a greener option may have been wood floors from your home state.
Don't underestimate the impact a personal touch from a small family-owned business can make on your remodel. Here in Philadelphia my go-to tile shop isEarthstone Tileworks. The store has a curated selection of gorgeous tiles, from inexpensive but interesting stock to handmade gems, and my clients always find something they like there. And the owner's input on layout can make an installation shine.
Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that makes for hard, beautiful floors, but if your bamboo floor was shipped from China, a greener option may have been wood floors from your home state.
Don't underestimate the impact a personal touch from a small family-owned business can make on your remodel. Here in Philadelphia my go-to tile shop isEarthstone Tileworks. The store has a curated selection of gorgeous tiles, from inexpensive but interesting stock to handmade gems, and my clients always find something they like there. And the owner's input on layout can make an installation shine.
9. Salvage, salvage, salvage. Salvaged materials get a lot of hype these days, and prices are going up accordingly. If you think creatively and leave yourself enough time for the search, you can find the right materials for many aspects of your remodel without buying new. Salvaged pieces don't have to look a certain way, either. This house has a variety of salvaged materials for a distinctly modern look.
10. Make it beautiful. There's no telling what tastes will be like in the future, but in my experience, a space that is well designed and well executed with quality materials is much less likely to be remodeled — even if it doesn't match the new owner's taste. A beautiful space can even change a homeowner's taste! The greenest thing you can do with your remodel is create something that people 100 years from now will treasure.
This doesn't mean being conservative or stifling your own taste. Something that takes your breath away has the best chance of survival, and the goal of a green remodel is to make something that lasts.
More: Top 10 Home Remodeling Don'ts
This doesn't mean being conservative or stifling your own taste. Something that takes your breath away has the best chance of survival, and the goal of a green remodel is to make something that lasts.
More: Top 10 Home Remodeling Don'ts