Articles tagged “Green Home Renovation”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

How to Reclaim a Window By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Feb 13 2009 Windows are made of fragile, fragile glass, and they can easily end up getting smashed in by a baseball, a stone or even a smaller window that somebody threw during a fight. Use your putty knife to remove the metal track. Once the stops are out, you should be able to remove the lower sash. + READ MORE

Pick the Best Flooring for Air Quality By Sara Novak IN Home & Garden Feb 12 2009 We all know that certain types of flooring are better for the environment. But what about our air quality? What about the air that we ingest inside, where we spend 90 percent of our time? Next time you're picking a floor take into account what the flooring does to the air you breath. Check out these choices that both improve your standing with Mother Earth and clean up the air inside your home. + READ MORE

How to Reclaim a Garbage Disposal By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Feb 9 2009 Last week, I wrote a post called "How to Reclaim a Kitchen Sink." In the article, I briefly cover removing a garbage disposal in order to remove the sink. + READ MORE

Water Heater & Lighting By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Feb 9 2009 The water heater accounts for twelve percent of your home's energy use. After you've sealed your thermal envelope and have the right insulation for your home, you should green your water heater. Then, take a looking at your lighting. + READ MORE

Set Your Green Home Energy Priorities By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Feb 9 2009 Math has an order of operations that helps people come up with the correct answer. You can use an order of operations to green your home's energy use. In order to do the most good, you will want to focus on the areas where the most energy is being consumed. And once you've established which areas use up the most energy, you can neutralize the most problematic areas first and then tackle the smaller problems later. Not only will this save you money, it will also reduce your carbon footprint. + READ MORE

Ask Steve Thomas Anything (About Your Home) By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Feb 6 2009 We've all watched the nail-pounding, green-as-grass, home-fixin? action on Renovation Nation. We've seen walls torn down, carpets ripped asunder, solar panels mounted and energy efficiency increased. And Steve Thomas has been there at the center of it all with a warm smile, a skillful hand and his brain full of green renovation knowledge. Now you can access that knowledge without the aid of a psychic by simply asking Steve. + READ MORE

Students: Encourage Your Schools to Go Solar By Josh Peterson IN Work & Connect Feb 6 2009 Schools are quite large, and, therefore, have an immense carbon footprint. Think of how many kids the air conditioners must cool in the summer and heat in the winter. My high school didn't have air conditioning. They weren't going green, just broke. With a slow economy, our already wounded education system can?t afford to upgrade to green technologies. They often have to make due with inefficient air conditioning and outdated insulation. Don't fret. There is something you can do about this. + READ MORE

What is the Insulation In Your Attic Made Of? By Seth Leitman IN Home & Garden Feb 3 2009 What Is The Insulation In Your Attic Made Of? The two most popular types of insulation that are in your homes are fiberglass and cellulose fiber. In my house, we use fiberglass batts. Fiberglass comes from glass that has been crushed and packed into these things called batts. + READ MORE

How to Reclaim a Kitchen Sink By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jan 30 2009 In my experience, the only people who remove the kitchen sink are cartoon characters trying to be funny. Most humans, however, don't remove their kitchen sink when moving out of or abandoning a home. I've seen a few sinkless houses in my days, ransacked by vandals who probably sold the metal sinks for scrap. Sinks are going to be one of those items that are ripe for the architectural salvaging. Here is how. + READ MORE

How to Install a Low Flow Shower Head By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jan 29 2009 Everybody likes showers. They are a great place for singing, especially if you are a horrible singer. There is something about the shower that makes even the worst set of vocal pipes seem almost passable. Speaking of pipes, the shower accounts for a fifth of the water usage in our homes. + READ MORE

Save Energy With Motion Sensors By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jan 28 2009 You can save energy with motion sensors by rigging them to your lights in low-trafficked areas of your home. They won?t save as much money or energy as replacing standard light bulbs with energy-efficient ones will. Most people who give a hoot have already made the switch or are making the switch to CFLs anyway. + READ MORE

To Block... or Not to Block Crawlspace Vents during the Winter? By Eric Leech IN Home & Garden Jan 28 2009 Should you block your crawlspace vents? This is a very common question. Especially in areas that have both a reasonably hot summer and fairly frigid winter. There is not much question that in general these vents are a needed and necessary part of a well maintained home. These vents are placed within the crawlspace to allow the moisture that builds up underneath to have an escape route. + READ MORE

Jodi Says: Sometimes Auctions Can Be Pretty Rough By Team Planet Green IN Wrecklamation Jan 28 2009 Auctions are extremely dynamic. That's what I love about them. That's what I hate about them. They can switch on a dime, great bidding one moment, great begging the next. Some auction days, you're the bird, and some auction days... + READ MORE

Green Glossary: Rammed Earth By Mickey Z. IN Home & Garden Jan 28 2009 Rammed earth, according to Molly Edmonds at HowStuffWorks.com, starts with ?a plywood structure that provides the outline of a wall ? already in place.? From there: ?A cross-grade, or mix, of soils is rammed into the walls, either by hand or machine. When everything is packed tightly, the forms are removed, and what's left is a solid, stable wall. Builders ram and repeat until the entire house is built.? + READ MORE

How to Reclaim a Toilet By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jan 26 2009 Rarely are there toilets unique and precious enough to pack up and move with the other furniture and possessions. Maybe if someone installs a waterless john, a low-flow model or some sort of Omni-Flush 6000 8-in-1 Toilet of the Gods, you?d remove it and take it to your new home. + READ MORE

Adding or Upgrading Your Attic Insulation Will Save Energy and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint! By Seth Leitman IN Home & Garden Jan 26 2009 Why You Need To Add Or Upgrade Your Insulation Now. The United States Department of Energy (USDOE) says adding insulation to your attic is one of the best ways to make your home comfortable year-round. + READ MORE

Weatherstrip Your Doors and Windows for Under $20 By Josh Peterson IN Home & Garden Jan 22 2009 Heat can escape from your house in many unexpected places, through electrical outlets, attic entrances and furnace flues. It is more likely, however, to sneak out of the likely places like the doors and the windows. You could replace your door with an extremely expensive insulated door or have state-of-the-art windows installed, but that would cost you tons of money. An easier way to reduce heat loss is with weatherstripping. + READ MORE

Ten Ways to Green Your Home for Under Ten Bucks By Lloyd Alter IN Home & Garden Jan 21 2009 When Josh did his post on 5 ways to green your home for under $ 100 I thought that's no challenge, how about for under ten bucks? How about, like, free? So here are a few ideas. + READ MORE

Trash or Cash: Onyx Sink (Video) By Team Planet Green IN Wrecklamation Jan 21 2009 Jodi has found a custom sink made of onyx with 24-karat gold leaf, worth $5,000 at retail. This item could make a fantastic centerpiece in a bathroom, if Jodi can get bidders interested. Will she get a deal or find... + READ MORE

Total Wrecklamation Episode: The Little Jodi that Could By Team Planet Green IN Wrecklamation Jan 21 2009 Little does she know it, but Jodi is about to take on her toughest auction to date. The home is being completely remodeled so the brand new cherry wood master bathroom, fireplace mantels, flooring and entire kitchen are on their... + READ MORE