The art of bartering and other finishes

Remember the friend who dug up our palm tree? Well, they just gave us 5 solid wood interior doors that had been sitting in their backyard for a year. We are now going to be able to frame out our door jambs to fit them perfectly. This is a small part of the process of sustainable living--reusing what is already there. Of course, I love it because it is free! And now, onto the other finishes we have selected for our remodel project.

Finish selection for us occured from the start of our design process with the architect and continues today. Our contractor is helping us a lot now and it can be quite overwhelming. When you are going green, it takes more time to find exactly what you need. It can also mean compromising what you need to what is available. For example, we are desparately looking for used brick for our front porch. I know that there are tons of families in my community that have piles of bricks in their yard that they don't know what to do with. Somehow I need to connect up with them. I am using Craigslist as my primary source, but am also talking to people putting the word out that we are in need of brick. The brick we end up with may not look exactly like our existing brick chimney.....do I really care? If I do, then I may need to purcahse some from a supplier. The same is true for our existing red oak floors. Somewhere in San Diego is a pile of used red oak looking for a home. I just have to track it down and that takes time. So I start looking NOW in the hopes of securing it before I need it.

Here is a list of some of the materials we will be using in our house. I am including the website if I have it.

• Bamboo flooring for new floors
  

It is a renewable source. Be careful that the bamboo you buy is matured enough and from the moso species. This is what I have been told, at least. We are getting ours from Calibamboo because not only are they local for us, but they have the best prices on quality bamboo. http://www.calibamboo.com/

• Kenmore appliances

I think that pretty much all appliances these days are energy star efficient. We are lucky enough to have a Sears Outlet in town with returned or slightly scratched appliances so the prices are quite reasonable. Don't forget to check if your state or city has rebates offered! It could save you hundreds of dollars.

• Paperstone countertops
  

There are a few manufacturers of recycled paper countertops (like Richlite), but we ended up with this one. From what I understand, they take recycled paper and mix it with resins to make an extremely durable and solid surface. We may also end up doing our master bathroom vanity with this since concrete is TOO expensive. http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/

• Ultratouch insulation

This is such a cool innovation. It uses scraps from denim jean production to make the insulation. It has great R values and no VOC's. The only drawback is the cost---about 1/2 more than regular fiberglass insulation. http://www.bondedlogic.com/ultratouch.htm

• HardiePlank siding and facia
  

You've probably seen this stuff all around and didn't know it was green. It is fiber cement siding and we are actually (if we can afford it) going to use the Color Plus version which has a baked on color. That way we reduce the need for painting now, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, etc. http://www.jameshardie.com/

• Solar panels
  

We still haven't made a decision on which company we are going to use, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that we only need 8-10 panels max. to go "off the grid". That will only cost us from $9-11 K (depending on who we go with) after rebates. We have tried really hard to reduce our comsuption of electricity and I guess it is paying off. The panels I am leaning towards are Sunpower because they pack a little more per panel and they look......HOT! http://www.sunpowercorp.com/Products-and-Services/~/media/Downloads/for_products_services/SPWR205_DS.ashx

• Fiberon composite decking

We are using this for our front and side deck. We may also use it for our rails and posts in place of wood. This particular decking seems to be the most durable because they use recycled milk jugs instead of recycled plastic bags like the other major brands. This is what I was told at a home show by one of their reps, however, I couldn't find that information anywhere. I also think their Tropic series decking looks the best. It is actually cheaper than the other major brands. http://fiberondecking.com/

This list isn't exhaustive, but it is what we have decided on so far. We still need to research tankless water heaters and heat pumps. Check back later for more information as it comes!