Comments on Green (Kitchen) Remodeling

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area we do a lot more remodeling of existing homes than building new ones. This is because we are "built-out" in cities and suburbs that line the Bay. Remaining building lots in these areas are few and far between and usually on steep slopes requiring expensive engineering to build a house.

Developers pounce eagerly on flat sites such as the closed Alameda Naval Air Station, or Hunter's Point shipyard in San Francisco; even though toxic cleanup is required, because homes in the immediate Bay Area bring such premium prices. That's not going to change no matter what happens with the economy.

Extensive remodeling of existing homes has been going on here since the 80's, and I'm sure it will continue into the foreseeable future.

Some people actually buy obsolete homes in desirable areas (for millions of dollars) and tear them down to build a dream home.

What does this have to do with "green remodeling" you say? Well, a lot.

Green building is really a lot easier than green remodeling because you start with nothing when you build. So building with green materials and methods will result in a green home. How green depends on the materials and methods, but green.

When you remodel, you are starting with a structure that is obsolete. And in many cases, the remodel will only target part of the structure - for instance, the kitchen. So, even though you might choose bamboo cabinetry, cork flooring, Energy Star appliances, and all the other accouterments of a truly green kitchen; your green kitchen will still be mired in a not-so-green house.

What to do?

I suggest starting your planning for a remodel, any remodel of your obsolete home, with an Energy Audit and report.

This excerpt is from Green Building Advisor's page on Green Remodeling Projects

"An Energy Audit includes inspections and tests to assess moisture flow, combustion safety, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and durability.

An energy audit becomes a roadmap for smart repairs and helps organize improvements into sensible order. When renovations are to take place in stages, as the budget allows, an energy audit ensures the most pressing problems are taken care of first."

Never before has the technology or knowledge been available to assess your home as a "system". It's here now.

My husband and I recently contracted with Recurve (formerly Sustainable Spaces), of San Francisco, for an Energy Audit.

We were planning to replace our furnace and attic ductwork. So it seemed to be a logical move. But I highly recommend an Energy Audit before undertaking ANY remodeling work on your home, because the roadmap that the report provides should be incorporated in everything you do on your house from now forward.

In our case, Recurve gave us a very different picture than the furnace guys who gave us estimates a couple of years ago. Our new furnace is quite a bit smaller than the ones they were quoting, and our ductwork is different too. Yet we are far more comfortable than we have ever been in our home. That's because our Energy Audit told us that our home needed some major sealing attention, and we did that as part of the furnace and ductwork project.

No more drafts! And in chilly foggy South San Francisco, that's AMAZING!

Recurve also suggested our Metlund Hot Water D'MAND System. A product of which I was entirely unaware. I LOVE it and it saves a whole lot of water. I will also specify it for all of my clients henceforth. I gush about it in a previous post.

With an Energy Audit in hand you will be prepared to make your home truly green over a period of years, with every remodel you undertake.

You will also be cutting your impact on the environment in manageable steps.

It is so worth the small cost.

Do it today.

To see some green remodels on the Green Building Advisor site click here.

For a view on "Five Things You Can Do Right Now to Cut Your Utility Bill", as well as a treatise on "greenwashing", from Matt Golden, President of Recurve and a member of the advisory team at Green Building Advisor, click here.

Peggy