“Love the home you’re in,” is the latest “homeowner trend.”
Slow real estate sales of existing homes and frozen new home construction influence many families to upgrade or add on rather than buy new. Now that we’ve likely seen the worst of the downturn, homeowners may see what a smart choice their remodel was – financially and environmentally.
Green Home Remodeling
Your priority with a remodel is to create a beautiful, healthy home where everything works. But it’s also important to make sure it’s a green remodel.
Why?
The National Association of Home Builders Research Center says that remodeling typically generates more waste per square foot than new construction. The demolition process is the big waste contributor. So plan carefully and make sure you reuse as many existing components as possible.
How else can you “green” your remodel?
Susanna Schultz at Ecohaus, a Seattle, WA-based, completely green home improvement company, says to consider the long-term impact on the environment when choosing your remodel components.
“When we select our products, we research the entire lifecycle – from harvesting and manufacturing, to performance and longevity, through disposal. We look for third-party certification, salvaged, or recycled materials,” Schultz says. The company also looks for durable products that last a long time, and she says many of their materials will outlast their conventional counterparts.
Ecohaus carefully considers how products can be diverted from the landfill. “Our carpet tiles can be turned into more carpet tiles, and our decking can be turned into mulch,” Susanna says.
Low VOC vs. Toxicity
Because zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paints have been crowned the kings of green remodeling, many people mistakenly believe that VOC-free paint or finish is also low in toxins. However, “VOC” and “toxin” are not synonymous.
VOCs are counted and regulated because they cause smog. While some of these compounds are considered hazardous, many VOCs are not toxic to people at all. Likewise, there are non-VOC toxins in paint that are harmful, but are not counted by the EPA. So it turns out a paint can be zero-VOC, but can still contain toxic chemicals.
Green Home Design
More than just the eco-effects of the products you buy, a green remodel can have an ethical purpose. By considering the health effects of the products you surround yourself with, and by supporting a fair lifestyle for the workers who created your products, you’re doing your part for a sustainable future.
Ecohaus gives special consideration to the impact of a product on human health. “We look for materials that are as low in toxins as possible for the people making the material, as well as the people living with it,” Susanna says. “Many adhesives and finishes contain harmful toxins that can cause poor indoor air quality and lead to problems like asthma, allergies and ‘sick building syndrome’. We offer alternatives to these products, and people feel the difference.”
Green Building Products
Your purchasing choice impacts the whole creative cycle of that product. Ecohaus takes this choice very seriously. “We strive to find socially responsible, sustainable companies to work with. We look for products that make it possible for people to lift themselves up while managing their resources responsibly,” Schultz says.
They choose to pay a fair price for wood from certified forests to incentivize the local people not to slash and burn their resources. They also work with family owned businesses and local providers in the Pacific Northwest.
If you’re looking for green building products and sustainable manufacturers for your green remodel, Susanna offers the following recommendations:
- FSC Certified Wood Products – because of the Forest Stewardship Council’s holistic and strict approach to eco-system management, we know that these products are sustainable, even if they come out of tropical jungles far away
- Marmoleum Natural Linoleum – because it is super tough, vinyl free, and won’t off-gas dangerous chemicals into the space where it’s installed
- Green Fiber Insulation – because they make it out of old newspapers (saving raw resources) and it still manages to be incredibly flame resistant
- Our Butcher Block countertops – because the butcher blocks that we carry come largely from windfall and salvage, and they’re compostable when you’re finished with them!
- The Caroma Profile Toilet with Washbasin – because it is a WaterSense dual flush toilet (0.9 gallons per flush average) with a sink built in to the top so that hand-washing water gets used to flush the toilet, instead of pristine drinking water.
For more information about green home remodeling, read our article on green building products.
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