HEALTHY
HOMEWORKS REMODEL - Gaylord
Addition
To
learn more about how you can "green" your home,
go to our Green
Resources page.
Environmental
Building Practices |
| Minimized
the footprint on the land by building over
the existing structure. This improves the ability of the soil
to filter water, reduces damage to existing trees (especially
west side shade trees) and healthy landscape as well as eliminates
concrete. |
| We
designed the addition to orient toward the
sun and shade. Since the footprint was established we were
only able to add more windows to the south side (with deep
over hangs) and have more windows on the west than ordinary
since the shade is so expansive on this side. |
| Salvaged
material as much as possible. We saved for reuse the
existing “old growth” rafters and used them for the new ceiling
rafters as well as reusing the existing brick to extend the
chimneys. Most doors and trim on the main level will be reused.
|
| Recycled
as much material waste as possible. All metal,
pop cans & bottles, copper pipes, cardboard boxes and solid
lumber scraps were recycled. (We wish there were someone to
accept the shingles for recycle like there is in the east.)
The woodpile by the dumpster is all the solid lumber waste generated.
|
| All
floor joists and 95% of the roof framing are built
with engineered wood joists and beams. More than half the sub
floor and all roof sheathing and wall sheathing is OSB (oriented
strand board.) These materials are created from fast growth
trees of small diameter (often aspen trees.) In addition, some
of the floor joists are framed with 24” and 19.2” centers as
opposed to standard 16” centers. |
| Interior
walls (2x4’s) and exterior walls (2x6’s)
were framed 24” on center with 2 or 3 corner studs (not the
standard 4), no trimmers on non load bearing walls and block
scraps for wall connections. We also only used a single top
plate on non-bearing walls. This saves not only material but
allows from a much better insulation job. |
| Half
of the sub floor and all of the exterior
sheathing were provided by Weyerhauser since they use
a low-phenol formaldehyde, which will reduce the amount of “off
gassing” inherent in the building products. Most of the construction
glue used was made by Franklin Titebond and is solvent-free
for the same reason. |
| The
lower pitched roof requires less material than
steep pitches while the deep eaves are both structural and finish
material. |
| The
roof shingles are made from recycled tires
and covered with slate granules. Not only have numerous tires
been kept from the landfill, this roof is also completely hail
proof, lowering insurance rates and reducing unnecessary landfill
use replacing roofs due to hail. |
| The
existing deck is made by Choice-Dek from recycled
milk bottles and recycled post industrial juniper trees. The
deck framing was made from ACQ treated lumber (no copper arsenic). |
| The
siding is a concrete based stucco panel with
a 50-year warranty that holds paint better than wood. The trim
boards were made from similar material or from a recycled wood
product. All doors are paint grade masonite doors with finger
jointed jambs. (No hardwood, especially mahogany is used.) |
| The
sheetrock is made from 100% recycled paper
and will came from a local plant where the heat generated in
the manufacturing process produces the electricity for the locals
(It might have come from a plant in the east where the gypsum
is 100% synthetic (not mined) coming from the exhaust of utility
coal plants. Gypsum was the surprise by-product of the more
stringent pollution requirements “forced” on the utility industry
creating a new profit center and reducing the cost of sheetrock.
|
| All
interior trim is MDF (medium density fiberboard)
material made from wood scraps. If interior air quality were
the top objective we would use finger-jointed material. |
| The
closet shelves could have been built with wheat
board, a very new product that will soon be used in cabinets,
furniture (maybe interior trim.) This product comes from the
annually renewable wheat stalks left over after the wheat harvest.
(This did not occur due to supplier problems but is available
to you now.) |
| Carpet
is wool since it is bio-degradable and lasts much longer than
standard carpet. It cleans better and produces less off-gassing. |
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