Old homes are not the only ones likely to be contaminated with lead paint. Any home built before 1980 should have it's interior and exterior paint tested for lead. The older the home the more likely a significant amount of lead was used in the paint.
In the mid-19th-century lead was used extensively by the more wealthy homeowners. So if your old home is of better construction and condition it could be more likely toxic. Children are much more susceptible to lead absorption and the consequence is irreversible brain damage.
Lead can be absorbed via fumes but also from paint chipping off and going into the soil or floors. This lead can be picked up in dirt and toys and ingested by children unknowingly.
Lead is most dangerous when sanding and scraping are going on. This ambient lead hazard is caused by lead particles hanging in the air and can be inhaled or settle on skin and clothes.
Jetson Green has tipped us to BuildingGreen's Top 10 list of green building products for 2009. They breakdown their choices with a brief description, why it's green and what level of LEED credit relevance it's been awarded.
One of our favorites is the Pozzotive Plus CMUs and Concrete Brick from Kingston Block.
Pozzotive Plus concrete masonry units (CMUs) and concrete facing brick are manufactured using up to 30% post-consumer recycled glass as a portland cement substitute and an average of 50% post-consumer recycled masonry aggregate from local sources in the Northeast. The recycled glass pozzolan (with the tradename Pozzotive), made by Empire Resource Recycling, LLC, is ground to about 15 microns (a finer powder than portland cement) and used in place of the cement, saving about one ton of CO2 for every ton of cement replaced.
Pozzotive Plus CMUs have been made with up to 90% recycled aggregate, though 50% is typical. Compared to conventional CMUs and brick, Pozzotive Plus products require less energy to produce, are stronger, and have greater moisture and chemical resistance, according to the company.
Replacing your homes windows is no small undertaking, either in time or money. The two major players in replacement windows are Pella and Andersen Windows. Both types of brands of windows are widely available so where do you start when comparing the differences between the two window giants?
Calfinder has put together a great side-by-side comparison between Pella and Andersen Windows. They breakdown selection, features, materials, eco-friendliness and cost.
This helpful graph is easy to read and a great reference.
We see and read a lot of home improvement books. It's helpful to get off the web sometimes and read paper (gives the eyes a rest).
We just had a chance to go over a new home improvement book that's geared towards women called Marie's Home Improvement Guide. It's written by Marie L. Leonard who runs her own home improvement business which gives her a solid foundation from which to write this book.
Out initial impression of books targeted to women is poor. Many times the focus is too much on what women can and supposedly can't do instead of going through a real project with less focus on gender but more on how to use the correct tools the right way to finish a project. One example is her recommendation to ditch the 16oz. claw-hammer for a 7oz. which is more than enough weight for household chores and you'll be less fatigued during and after your job. There are more great tips like these as well as common project HowTo's and easy to decipher illustrations.
Temperatures have fallen across the country and many of you have already cleaned up your fireplace and started using it on a daily basis. The quest to find decent wood to burn is easier for some than others. We've picked up a lot of free wood from Craigslist but the quality often hasn't been so great.
Why not take advantage of the available square footage in your basement and not just leave it as a storage room. By finishing out a basement or at least insulating it, you'll be able to enjoy more of your home as well as save energy.
One Project Closer went through the process of selecting basement insulation and they considered all of the major options including fiberglass, wet cellulose and spray foam.
They chose closed cell spray foam: While closed cell spray foam is slightly more expensive than other methods, it offers high R-value with the best mold resistance. Given that we've invested thousands of dollars in radiant floor heating, we believe that the higher cost is justified and would recommend this method.
When building or remodeling a home the interior doors are often an afterthought but they shouldn't be. Cheap doors on a quality built home suck! But investing a limited budget into solid wood doors isn't always the smart choice.
We've followed this debate on Home Construction Improvement regarding hollow-core vs. solid wood interior doors and while there are some basic advantages and disadvantages to both.
Solid Wood Doors
+ Solid wood doors are great for sound dampening, insulating properties, damage resistance and value to potential buyers.
- Solid doors certainly have benefits but they also cost approximately 50% more, they are heavy and more prone to shrinkage and expansion due to temperature and moisture changes.
If you're short on time, money and effort but still need covet a new tile backsplash then it looks like SIMPLEMAT is for you. It literally adheres to your current backsplash of tile or wallpaper and your done! Without grout there's no mortar, mixing, or mess.
They also have kitchen countertop applications as well.
Fall is always a great time to bring out the candles. The warm flicker softens any room or outdoor area. ShelterPop highlights some make your own candle projects and our favorite are these diy hanging lanterns from Craftynest.
iPhone apps for the remodeling and diy enthusiast are plentiful. There's an app to pick a paint color and an app to level a shelf but we recently got a handy new app that is more educational than gimmick. This app from Double Dog Studios is a reference guide for wood and contains full screen samples and detailed information for over 50 different varieties. It's a standalone application that doesn't require an internet connection so you can access it at the lumber yard or design store.
We've had a chance to check it out and we really dig the educational reference pages that explain the types of cuts (quarter sawn, rift sawn) as well as the very helpful "wood" glossary for those not in the industry. But one of the most helpful features we found was their listing of sustainability of wood types from secure to moderate and threatened. A must for any green builder or customer who is conscious about the materials they are going to buy.
