Eco-Friendly Remodels

Three home makeovers that exemplify how going green can benefit the environment and add value to your home

By Taylor Arnold

These days more and more homeowners are turning to green remodeling as a way to kill two birds with one stone: add value to their homes and reduce their carbon footprints. To start, simply remodeling an existing home rather than building a new one is already a step in the right direction—it conserves resources, avoids waste and ultimately helps to raise other property values in the neighborhood. Then, once you’ve decided to remodel, there are plenty of easy and affordable ways to go green with the makeover. To boot, green homes are increasingly sought-after by homebuyers, when you’re ready to sell.

Are you in? Here are three Triangle-area green remodels to inform and inspire you.

A Kitchen in Time for the Holidays

Contractor Dan Brady is no stranger to a kitchen remodel, so when a couple wanted to fast-track the renovation of their kitchen in time for the holidays, Brady and his team at A&D Construction Services were up for the challenge. The clients wanted all-new cabinets, countertops and energy-efficient appliances.

“The clients told us they had talked to a few other businesses and their quotes all came back with 4- to 6-week timelines to receive the cabinets,” Brady explains. “We were able to sit down with them and explain our timeline of 18-20 days max.”

The new cabinets arrived ready to install 4 days later. Upon completing the cabinet install, Brady turned his attention to the granite countertops. “Within 15 days our clients were cooking in a brand new kitchen,” Brady says. “So from the time we first spoke to them, 16 days later we were completely finished with the job. We even stuck around on the final day to help them install their new appliances.”

The benefits of renovating in a shorter timeframe are two-fold: the homeowners enjoy reduced operating costs, while the contractors have less exposure to the airborne volatile compounds that can come with a longer home renovation. And remodeling is ultimately green by design in that it uses existing space to achieve the desired result.

Key Green Elements
• Refrigerator by LG, www.lg.com/us/kitchen/refrigerators 
• Dishwasher by LG, www.lg.com/us/dishwashers 
• Gas stove by Viking, www.vikingrange.com 
• Oven and microwave combo by LG, www.lg.com/us/microwave-ovens

Ranch Revival

When Jeff Wiblitzhouser and his team at Paradise Found Construction were hired to transform a 1960s ranch into an updated and energy-efficient home last year, the homeowner’s goal was to sell the property as quickly as possible in its very desirable Raleigh neighborhood. “Rather than demolish these older homes to make way for larger homes with larger carbon footprints, renovating them to provide updated design trends while increasing their energy and water efficiency and indoor-air quality provides an opportunity to bring younger families into these older neighborhoods, giving them new life and raising property values,” Wiblitzhouser says. “The cost savings in energy and water usage lowers the cost of ownership of these older homes, making them even more affordable and attractive.”

Because the home’s kitchen and baths dated back to its original construction, the original electrical and plumbing fixtures were still in place, along with the cabinets and door hardware—and lack of insulation. But after 8 weeks of renovation, Wiblitzhouser equipped the home with energy- and water-efficient features including updated EPA Energy Star-rated electrical fixtures and appliances, EPA WaterSense toilets and plumbing fixtures, CFL lighting, upgraded insulation and air-sealing measures and rainwater harvesting. The home also boasts natural hardwoods with a zero-VOC clear-coat finish, next-generation porcelain tile and zero-VOC carpeting and paints.

This whole-house remodel was the first-ever green certified remodel to be entered into the Wake County HBA’s Remodelers Tour in the Spring of 2012, and it was the first-ever green certified remodel entered into the Wake HBA’s Remodelers Star Awards in the summer of 2012. It earned a Star Award for the Best Green Certified Remodel, and it sold within days of being listed.

Key Green Elements
• Sherwin-Williams’ zero-VOC paint, www.sherwin-williams.com 
• Norwood Masterpiece zero-VOC carpet, www.norwoodco.net
• Moen EPA WaterSense-rated plumbing fixtures, www.moen.com
• Bona Naturale zero-VOC clear water-based hardwood floor finish, www.bona.com

A Healthy Kitchen

Prompted by water damage due to a leaky dishwasher, the owners of a North Raleigh home called on Paul Toma and Dawn Hintgen at Common Ground Green Building to give them a full kitchen makeover. “They have a young daughter and were especially interested in putting healthy, eco-friendly materials back into their home, as well as supporting local businesses when purchasing those materials,” explains Hintgen, a green-kitchen designer and co-owner of Common Ground Green Building.

The original kitchen had a peninsula with low-hanging wall cabinets above it, dividing up the kitchen and eating area and blocking light from the kitchen. “Our main design goal was to open that area up and transform the awkward eating area that they didn’t use into a family hangout space for homework and crafts that felt like part of the kitchen rather than blocked off from it,” Hintgen says. “We also brightened the space by using a fresh and light paint color.”
This green remodel included the installation of a number of eco-friendly upgrades, including flooring made from recycled poplar wood, backsplash tile made from more than 40-percent recycled content and zero-VOC paint. “Not once did we have to leave our home due to fumes, like our friends recently had to when they had their floors done,” homeowner Jenny Kroboth says. “We go to bed happy knowing we have a beautiful kitchen, and it’s healthy for us and the environment.”

Key Green Elements
• Cabinets by Executive Cabinetry, built with formaldehyde-free plywood and finished with water-borne paint, www.executivecabinetry.com
• GREENGUARD-certified Cambria quartz countertops, www.cambriausa.com • Backsplash tile by Florida Tile, www.floridatile.com
• Mythic zero-VOC, nontoxic paint, www.mythicpaint.com
• LOOX LED under-cabinet lighting by Hafele, www.hafele.com

(source link: http://trianglehomeimprovement.com/eco-friendly-remodels/)

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