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.
In the ongoing quest to recycle and structures for use as live/work spaces, these train cars have followed the lead of re-purposed shipping containers and are now being transformed into permanent living structures.
Our interview with Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care was eye-opening and he left us with 3 invaluable lawn care tips that we wanted to highlight again.
His primary mantra sounds like common sense but is more difficult to achieve than you realize and that is to, fight weeds with a healthy lawn, not by spraying herbicides. It's so much easier to just dump chemicals on a lawn rather than take a little time and patience to help nurture your lawn the natural way.
1. Cut your lawn half an inch higher than you usually do (one or two notches on your mower wheels) and notice how much greener it gets, how fewer weeds there are, and how much less water it needs.
We're always inspired by entrepreneurs who see an opportunity that aligns with their passion and dive right in. Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care fits that description and has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a finalist in their Emerging Entrepreneur of 2009 contest.
Launched in 2006, Clean Air Lawn Care has become the nation's leading full-service sustainable lawn care company. Dedicated to using clean electric and biodiesel powered equipment for lawn mowing and landscape maintenance that is run on renewable energy. Their electric equipment is charged during the day by solar panels mounted on our trucks and overnight with wind power. For an industry that he calls the "dirty frontier" they are about as clean as you can get.
Kelly took the time to answer a few of our questions about the lawn care industry as well as offering some awesome tips for taking care of your lawn. He's also does a great job of convincing us to re-evaluate our stance on synthetic lawns.
C&H: What's your background and how did you get into the clean lawn business?
Kelly: I grew up in Walla Walla, WA and had my own one guy mowing operation with about 25 clients. I've always enjoyed the work - especially the immediate satisfaction of seeing your efforts in the finished product. I went off to Boston University and got a masters in Econ, but also picked up a bachelors in Environmental Analysis and Policy. After 8 years as a retail stockbroker in Fort Collins, CO, I was getting a little bored and so I started Clean Air Lawn Care out of my garage mostly for fun. I got lucky and business took off, I sold my brokerage business, and made the decision to go big with Clean Air. Clean Air is what I would call the wedding of my high school job, my environmental interests, and my experience in business.
Close loop water systems are sustainable and a major step in water conservation.
Ecologist Brent Bucknum, principal of Hyphae Design Lab in Oakland, California, shares the ABC's of re-routing a home's waste water (greywater) to sustainably irrigate gardens and other green spaces. He takes us from his live/work space in Oakland to several residential sites around Berkeley that feature greywater systems in various stages of completion.
[via Dwell]
The bulky solar panels used to be your only option when considering harnessing solar power. You either had to have the proper roof space or ground space to place these panels
Two new companies are integrating photovoltaics into smaller and more aesthetically pleasing roofing materials such as terra cotta roofing tile in the Southwest and gray shingles of NE cottages.
Here are two of the leading manufacturers:
Exploring alternative energy sources is an important issue our society is facing but as a homeowner what can you do now to reduce your energy bill and possibly even get off the grid?
Solar power is one of the more common sources of alternative energy but another natural source albeit more difficult to harness is wind.
The OldHouseWeb explores the reasoning behind wind energy as a viable alternative and if it is right for you.
If you don't plan on moving anytime soon the cost-benefit to wind energy is a favorable ratio.
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.
Although there are many factors at play when it comes to toxic materials that have been used to build homes, some of these materials have originated from China (Drywall to be specific). But you can't blame the Chinese for investing in alternative energy as their government continues to sink millions into solar energy and Chinese entrepreneurs are also investing heavily in the manufacturing of solar panels.
According to the New York Times, "Chinese companies have already played a leading role in pushing down the price of solar panels by almost half over the last year."
Is America being passed up by the Chinese in the solar industry? Not if Obama can help it but its doubtful we will ever match the production levels that the Chinese can maintain.
November 6, 2009 | Comments ()
