We haven't posted in awhile. Construction decisions are coming fast and furious. We have been keeping notes and will share a few of them in the coming weeks. Here is what we learned about recycling drywall waste.
Upon completion of interior drywall, there was a mountain of drywall scraps. Though not as desirable as copper, drywall along with much of construction and demolition waste can be recycled. A quick review of our local Miramar landfill website reveals a link listing what can be recycled in SD and more importantly where it can be recycled.
http://citymaps.sandiego.gov/imf/sites/cdf/index.jsp
You are paid for some recycling and you pay for others; however, this cost is often less than if you had it taken to the landfill. The added bonus is, of course, the benefit of not adding to the landfill and a downright feel good attitude.
We sorted ours from the rubbish pile, loaded it into a truck, and delivered it to the collection site (EDCO in Lemon Grove). 1 ton of drywall was diverted from the landfill for $46.
The SD city website offers more ideas into jobsite recycling at their website. This link offers construction waste recycling ideas for all stages of a construction project.
http://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/recycling/cdmanage.shtml
If we were to do this again, more time would be spent planning for construction waste recycling as well as educating our numerous sub contractors. The good news……I have heard but not verified that come July 2008, the City of San Diego will require all construction sites to sort construction debris. How they will plan to implement and enforce this remains to be seen. As our contractor stated today, “Until they force us, we won’t change.”
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
To the Dump
Some of you may find it odd that Eric and I once had a date at the dump, but it was then that I knew he was the one. Seriously, for those of you that haven't been to your local landfill, it is quite the adventure. If you are not one to recycle or believe that as a society we are creating more trash than we know what to do with, you MUST go. There is a huge gaping hole in the ground that trucks literally back up into and dump out their garbage. Then it is flattened by heavy machinery, watered down and presto!.....out of sight, out of mind.
About half way into our green building process, Eric and I realized that no one (subs, contractor, etc.) was going to sort and recycle our construction debris. If we wanted it to happen, we had to do it ourselves. It took several days to sort the pile of trash in our front yard into metal, cardboard/paper, glass, and clean wood. The rest went into the dumpster and will eventually end up in land fill. I would estimate we brought down our trash weight by 1/3 to 1/2 of what it would have been...a huge savings in dump costs as well as better for the environment.
The bulk of our recyclables was clean wood which is put through a huge machine and made into wood chips for landscaping. It took several attempts at the recycling center to learn the process. On my first trip, they said I had painted wood (not good). On my second trip, they wanted to call haz mat because I had some pressure treated wood (also not good). On my subsequent trips I was given the okay.
Clean wood, as defined by San Diego, is not painted or treated (varnished or pressure treated) but it can have nails. I have to admit, I like going to the dump, as do our kids. There is something therapeutic about throwing large pieces of wood onto a huge pile and watching them shatter. It is even cooler to know that we will be back in a few months to retrieve that same wood in the form of wood chips. The cycle of life......
Monday, March 17, 2008
Lessons Learned
We just finished month 5 of the remodel process and this last month has brought a lot of joys as well as a lot of thorns. Let's start with the good stuff. I was able to locate all of our brick needs (about 2,300 of them) through Craigslist.
Our first score was from a woman who was re-doing the hard scape of her 1960's home here in San Diego. She was ditching her brick and putting in concrete. So there I was at 6 am ready to load a whole lotta old brick (which almost matches our current chimney perfectly!) into our truck. The contractor at that site did most of the work for us AND since he lived near us, agreed to drive a load to our place in his 1 ton truck. See, not only is going green good for the earth, it promotes community! He was as happy to see all the brick go to a new home as I was to receive it.
Our second score was getting brick veneer for all of our columns. It was brand new, but a guy had a ton of overage so he agreed to sell it for about half its value. Turns out he is installing a drip irrigation system and doing a native landscape....I may come back to ask him some questions when we enter our landscape phase.
Now for the bad news.....we've got mold and a lot of it. Eric and I had a sit down with our contractor about what was within his control to manage and what wasn't (remember our roof has been off for 5 months now). As it turns out, we are tearing down all of our existing plaster walls due to water damage/mold. It totally sucks, but we all agree that it is better to deal with it now than downstream. It is setting us back a few weeks, but in the end it is the right thing to do. Note to future remodelers: Never, I repeat never, take off a roof without securing the existing home beneath it. And try not to remodel during the rainiest season ever!!!!! The mold is making our "green" remodel take on a whole new meaning.
More bad news......we have had a series of thefts. It seems par for the course in this area, but it still stinks. They have taken (as in cut out) plumbing copper pipes, windows, and electrical copper wiring. We've had a put in a claim to our insurance company and notify the police. There isn't much you can do unless you catch them in the act. In case you weren't aware, addicts have been recycling copper for decades. The only problem is it wasn't theirs to begin with. My brother has offered up his son and a bb gun to protect the property...thanks Tom.
That is about all the negative I want to write about because it gets depressing. Eric and I continue to enjoy this whole process and try to keep our eyes on the prize. Don't sweat the small stuff, right??? Next post will highlight our trip to the dump. I'm serious.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
It's Hot, It's Cold
This is a view of the front of the house. We have added a front porch and some very craftsman-like posts. Notice the lack of roof.....and think about all the rain that has DUMPED on San Diego the last few months. Total Murphy's Law. Although the plaster walls in the existing house have taken a lot of water, we are hoping we don't have to replace with drywall. I guess this is one of the downsides of not tearing down everything and rebuilding.
I wanted to focus on HVAC systems and green building. There are certainly a lot of options out there, but I only have researched a few of them. Radiant floor heating is supposed to be the most efficient and best for the environment, but unfortunately for us it was not really an option. We have a lot of existing flooring that we aren't re-doing and the cost to put in radiant heat is not within our budget. The option we went with is to use two electric heat pumps. They are meant for moderate climates (hello, San Diego), are Energy Star approved for their efficiency and as a bonus for us....they are electric. Since we are putting up solar panels to generate our electricity....viola! Check out this link for some suggestions on heating and cooling. http://www.energystar.gov/
Okay, just a few more points and this exciting topic will be over. Zoning is a great way to make things efficient. We chose to get two heat pumps instead of one so that we could "zone" our heating needs. We have a split level house and the thought of heating the entire house when we only need a portion of it heated made no sense to me. After SEVERAL discussions with our HVAC contractor, we opted for two heat pumps. One provides heat to the bedrooms and upstairs and the other to the living space and downstairs. The other viable option for us was to get individual heat pumps for each room. It would have cost a bit more but honestly, vanity kicked in. I just couldn't accept the aesthetics of room heaters. I applaud those of you out there that have taken things a step further than we have.
My second point is the importance of which model you choose once you decide on the type (i.e heat pump, furnace, etc.). Each brand name sells various models and not all are created equal from a green standpoint. It is essential to look at the heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) for the heating component and the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) for the AC component. The higher the number the more efficient it is. Go as high as you can afford as it will mean savings in the long run.
Third, look at the refrigerant that the unit uses. R-22 has been used for decades and is being replaced with R-410a as the latter is not an ozone depleting source. Check to make sure the model you choose is compliant with new regulations that will take effect in the next few years.
And last, most HVAC contractors are not hip to the green movement. This is based on interaction with our HVAC guy whom I assume is pretty typical. It was cool to see him get the fact that efficiency was important to us (as was not having R-22 in our home surrondings). You may have to be persistant and have more discussions than you ever thought possible, but it is worth it in the end. Good luck!
Monday, January 14, 2008
One person's trash is another person's treasure
Hot damn! We just found about 1,000 sq. ft. of red oak flooring from a friend (yeah, the same friends that gave us their old doors) who pulled it out of an older home locally and never used it on their own house. They had all the best intentions to do so, but it didn't work out. They have been storing it in a neighbor's garage and by happenstance learned that we were in need of some salvaged wood flooring. It was a perfect fit with our existing floors so all we need to do is refinish everything together!
I am so amazed when stuff like this happens. There is a demand.....there is a supply. The hardest part is getting the two parts together. So, I have decided that I am going to put up a sign at our remodel site that gives this url in the hopes that I can find more things we need for the house as well as build up excitement about green rebuilding. Next post will likely be about HVAC stuff. Yahoo!
I am so amazed when stuff like this happens. There is a demand.....there is a supply. The hardest part is getting the two parts together. So, I have decided that I am going to put up a sign at our remodel site that gives this url in the hopes that I can find more things we need for the house as well as build up excitement about green rebuilding. Next post will likely be about HVAC stuff. Yahoo!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Lights, camera, action!
If you haven't switched over your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL), now is the time. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, one year ago neither did I--but Eric was hot to get the old ones out of our house. Slowly but surely he started doing it covertly and I never even noticed the difference. I had always thought that anything fluorescent = bluish glow = ugly. I am now realizing that not all CFL's are the same. Some are better than others.
The New York Times just ran an article that tested a few of the more popular brands. n:vision by Home Depot, TCP Spring Light/Soft White and MaxLite SpiraMax fared better than most. Still, not all of our lighting is CFL because let's face it, old school light bulbs (called incandescent) put off the best looking light. What I encourage you to do is try out some CFL's here and there and see what you think. You'd be surprised. The cool thing is that they use 70% less energy and last 6 to 10 times longer than old school bulbs....WOW! Of particular note is that there is mercury in CFL's so they shouldn't be put in regular trash. Hmm, not so green afterall, right?Here is a link to where you can "safely" recycle CFL's. http://epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/univwast/lamps/live.htm
Back to our remodel-- we have the typical 1950's house where everything was done by task lighting so the only ceiling light we have in the whole house is the chandelier. Since we have vaulted ceilings in our main living area, we have decided to use cable system lights to run along our beams. They use halogen lights which is considered a form of incandescent light. Luckily, halogens are more efficient and last longer than the traditional incandescent light bulb. Listed in order are different types of lights available in order of efficiency.
The New York Times just ran an article that tested a few of the more popular brands. n:vision by Home Depot, TCP Spring Light/Soft White and MaxLite SpiraMax fared better than most. Still, not all of our lighting is CFL because let's face it, old school light bulbs (called incandescent) put off the best looking light. What I encourage you to do is try out some CFL's here and there and see what you think. You'd be surprised. The cool thing is that they use 70% less energy and last 6 to 10 times longer than old school bulbs....WOW! Of particular note is that there is mercury in CFL's so they shouldn't be put in regular trash. Hmm, not so green afterall, right?Here is a link to where you can "safely" recycle CFL's. http://epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/univwast/lamps/live.htm
Back to our remodel-- we have the typical 1950's house where everything was done by task lighting so the only ceiling light we have in the whole house is the chandelier. Since we have vaulted ceilings in our main living area, we have decided to use cable system lights to run along our beams. They use halogen lights which is considered a form of incandescent light. Luckily, halogens are more efficient and last longer than the traditional incandescent light bulb. Listed in order are different types of lights available in order of efficiency.
Light-emitting diodes (LED)
Fluorescent
Halogen
Incandescent
What I am taking away from my research is that not all lighting is equal. Try to get the most efficient lighting you can, but understand halogens are probably going to be part of the equation in order to get the type of lighting you need for various areas (kitchen, reading etc.). We are using CFL's in floor lamps, pendants, table lamps and the exterior of the house (along with motion sensors), but are using halogens in our ceiling. I haven't talked about LED's at all because it is hard to find LED lighting for anything other than under kitchen counters or outside lights. If you do find it, it is extremely expensive. Hopefully in the next decade we will have some major breakthroughs in LED lighting.
Fluorescent
Halogen
Incandescent
What I am taking away from my research is that not all lighting is equal. Try to get the most efficient lighting you can, but understand halogens are probably going to be part of the equation in order to get the type of lighting you need for various areas (kitchen, reading etc.). We are using CFL's in floor lamps, pendants, table lamps and the exterior of the house (along with motion sensors), but are using halogens in our ceiling. I haven't talked about LED's at all because it is hard to find LED lighting for anything other than under kitchen counters or outside lights. If you do find it, it is extremely expensive. Hopefully in the next decade we will have some major breakthroughs in LED lighting.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Holiday Blues
It is mid-December and we are now 2 months into the project. I am amazed at how much I am learning and have realized how much I've screwed up, from the green build viewpoint. At this moment in time, there is a dumpster in our front yard filled with green waste, an old dishwaher and garbage disposal, wood, and whatever else was on the job site. I am so embarassed I can't bring myself to take a picture of it for the blog. That dumpster is going straight to the landfill. It wasn't sorted and won't be recycled and I feel horrible. If I could only have some time and a huge truck to take the stuff to a recycle facility myself, I would. Or would I?
I think this is the guilt that fills most of us, but not enough for us to actually do anything about. So, instead I blog and hope that others after me will be more pro-active. In my defense, I also advocate for the city to streamline its policies so that it makes doing the right thing convenient. Currently in San Diego, you have to call and make an appointment for a Sat. visit to bring in your atypical trash (like dishwashers, old monitors, metal, et.al). If you've got old copper, however, that is EASY to get rid of because it is worth money. Sometimes it is even stolen from your site (don't ask!). Eric took our old cooper piping to a private recycle facility and made $84.00. But, even the private sector makes recycling difficult. They would not take anything else we had even though there website said they would. There, have I justified myself enough?? I feel less guilty already. ;-)
A teaser for my next post......lighting. I bet you never thought that could be more than a few lines. Just wait............
I think this is the guilt that fills most of us, but not enough for us to actually do anything about. So, instead I blog and hope that others after me will be more pro-active. In my defense, I also advocate for the city to streamline its policies so that it makes doing the right thing convenient. Currently in San Diego, you have to call and make an appointment for a Sat. visit to bring in your atypical trash (like dishwashers, old monitors, metal, et.al). If you've got old copper, however, that is EASY to get rid of because it is worth money. Sometimes it is even stolen from your site (don't ask!). Eric took our old cooper piping to a private recycle facility and made $84.00. But, even the private sector makes recycling difficult. They would not take anything else we had even though there website said they would. There, have I justified myself enough?? I feel less guilty already. ;-)
A teaser for my next post......lighting. I bet you never thought that could be more than a few lines. Just wait............
Monday, November 26, 2007
More doors and windows
So, there is a salvage store in downtown San Diego called Architectural Salvage. We are so fired up because we found the most perfect front door there for a a fraction of the cost of a new solid oak door. And this one has beveled glass! It is perfect for our Craftsman redo.
Almost forgot to talk about our window selection. I researched this a lot. Most companies produce low e/ dual paned windows and that is what makes them "green". We found a smaller company called Sierra Pacific that make windows on par with Marvin (for a lot less!) AND the bonus is they own their own forests so they control the ENTIRE process of producing a window. They claim to follow ethical practices in reforesting, etc. etc. The windows aren't FSC certified, however, Sierra Pacific is monitored by their own industry through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This is the only window company I have found that does anything close to sustainable practices. Check them out. http://www.sierrapacificwindows.com/index.htm
If you have any questions about my posts, please add a comment. For example, it just occured to me that most may not know what FSC means. Well, it is a true 3rd party that assesses companies (who produce wood products) for their standards and practices in regard to sustainability, treatment of indiginous peoples, community relations, etc. etc. So, if this is important to you, make sure that the flooring you buy is FSC approved. More information is available at http://www.fscus.org/faqs/what_is_certification.php
Almost forgot to talk about our window selection. I researched this a lot. Most companies produce low e/ dual paned windows and that is what makes them "green". We found a smaller company called Sierra Pacific that make windows on par with Marvin (for a lot less!) AND the bonus is they own their own forests so they control the ENTIRE process of producing a window. They claim to follow ethical practices in reforesting, etc. etc. The windows aren't FSC certified, however, Sierra Pacific is monitored by their own industry through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This is the only window company I have found that does anything close to sustainable practices. Check them out. http://www.sierrapacificwindows.com/index.htm
If you have any questions about my posts, please add a comment. For example, it just occured to me that most may not know what FSC means. Well, it is a true 3rd party that assesses companies (who produce wood products) for their standards and practices in regard to sustainability, treatment of indiginous peoples, community relations, etc. etc. So, if this is important to you, make sure that the flooring you buy is FSC approved. More information is available at http://www.fscus.org/faqs/what_is_certification.php
Friday, November 9, 2007
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.
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
- 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!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Pre-construction
For all of you who are going to do a build or remodel, the first step is finding an architect. I actually found ours through the AIA website http://www.aia.org/architect_finder/ which has a search engine where you can specify certain criteria. I was amazed that in the city the size of San Diego there were only a handful.....well, less than a handful of architects that did residential work that were LEED certified. Because this is a new field, I also found that there weren't a lot of seasoned professionals who had the experience as well as the knowledge of green materials. We were lucky and hired one that worked out well. Which is important because it has been my experience that architects are the experts on green materials and not contractors.....probably because contractors are admittedly slower to change with the times.
I decided that the best way for us to move forward (and quickly) was to educate myself about green materials. And so I did. And I am. This is an on-going process. The best way for me to learn about all the different products out there was to see them up close. I found out that several cities have what I would call "Green Depots" where they are mini-showrooms with sustainable goods from roofing options down to bed linens and everything in between. Staff at these places are always helpful and passionate about what they do. They have samples to take, price information, referrals and lots of advice. Of course, there isn't one in my city...that would be too easy. Thank God for the Internet. I do most of my research via my laptop and have found this site to be one of the best as far as materials go. http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/
I have been to a few showrooms--Living Green in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and Originate in Tucson. If you have one near you I urge you to go and visit. You will be surprised at how much stuff is out there as well as how much you like it!
One of my rants, though, is that because eco products are so new, there is not a lot of information on how well the products do over time. For example, we are going with a recycled paper countertop surface called Paperstone, but will this surface look good in 10 years? No one I have talked to has had it installed for that long...a few years at best. I guess when you want to be a pioneer, you take a certain risk. Well, so be it. Paperstone it is. Check it out! http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/
I'll have more on the materials we have chosen for our project on a later post. I wanted to move into the idea of deconstruction (reversing the order of the building process in order to maintain the integrity of the pieces) versus demolition (get it out by any means necessary). Unfortunately for us, we ended up with more of a demolition route rather than a deconstruction route, but I have learned a lot along the way.
Apparently there are deconstruction companies out there that will recycle or salvage EVERYTHING that you are getting rid of--metals, wood, windows, hardware...everything. My brother just did this in Arizona and I know that the tax savings almost makes the cost of it a near wash. So, look into it.
The best I could do was salvage some items that we were not using and find them new homes. I did this for our old water heater, refrigerator, cabinetry, washer/dryer, stovetop, several windows, fixtures, built in mixer (very retro), stove, and our palm tree. A friend dug that up and it is now sitting very pretty in front of their house. Another great source for donating materials is Habitat for Humanity ReStore. http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx They are located all around the US. You can also shop there! (Some of them do deconstruction as well.) Craigslist was another valuable asset as I was trying to get rid of items. People will take just about anything and reuse it. Here is another link to look into for the reuse of some of your debris. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP/Construction.asp
Think about reusing some of the things in your existing house in your new design. We are going to reuse flooring, garage doors, cement pieces from the driveway (for pavers), and older windows (we'll put those in the garage). We also decided to try and keep our footprint relatively the same and not create a McMansion that we really didn't need. I didn't even want build a new garage, but I lost that battle with my husband :) And that is part of the process too. Obviously not all of our choices are green. We just aren't ready for that yet.
Some may argue that our green remodel is more of a "sea foam" color--a little light around the edges. My argument back is that we are doing what works for us and we will continue to challenge ourselves. Bottom line to me is that anything you can do to help save the planet is better than nothing. In this phase, you just have to be creative as you are gearing up for the start of construction. All your existing stuff has to go somewhere....let's try to keep it out of our landfill.
I decided that the best way for us to move forward (and quickly) was to educate myself about green materials. And so I did. And I am. This is an on-going process. The best way for me to learn about all the different products out there was to see them up close. I found out that several cities have what I would call "Green Depots" where they are mini-showrooms with sustainable goods from roofing options down to bed linens and everything in between. Staff at these places are always helpful and passionate about what they do. They have samples to take, price information, referrals and lots of advice. Of course, there isn't one in my city...that would be too easy. Thank God for the Internet. I do most of my research via my laptop and have found this site to be one of the best as far as materials go. http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/
I have been to a few showrooms--Living Green in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and Originate in Tucson. If you have one near you I urge you to go and visit. You will be surprised at how much stuff is out there as well as how much you like it!
One of my rants, though, is that because eco products are so new, there is not a lot of information on how well the products do over time. For example, we are going with a recycled paper countertop surface called Paperstone, but will this surface look good in 10 years? No one I have talked to has had it installed for that long...a few years at best. I guess when you want to be a pioneer, you take a certain risk. Well, so be it. Paperstone it is. Check it out! http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/
I'll have more on the materials we have chosen for our project on a later post. I wanted to move into the idea of deconstruction (reversing the order of the building process in order to maintain the integrity of the pieces) versus demolition (get it out by any means necessary). Unfortunately for us, we ended up with more of a demolition route rather than a deconstruction route, but I have learned a lot along the way.
Apparently there are deconstruction companies out there that will recycle or salvage EVERYTHING that you are getting rid of--metals, wood, windows, hardware...everything. My brother just did this in Arizona and I know that the tax savings almost makes the cost of it a near wash. So, look into it.
The best I could do was salvage some items that we were not using and find them new homes. I did this for our old water heater, refrigerator, cabinetry, washer/dryer, stovetop, several windows, fixtures, built in mixer (very retro), stove, and our palm tree. A friend dug that up and it is now sitting very pretty in front of their house. Another great source for donating materials is Habitat for Humanity ReStore. http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx They are located all around the US. You can also shop there! (Some of them do deconstruction as well.) Craigslist was another valuable asset as I was trying to get rid of items. People will take just about anything and reuse it. Here is another link to look into for the reuse of some of your debris. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/RCP/Construction.asp
Think about reusing some of the things in your existing house in your new design. We are going to reuse flooring, garage doors, cement pieces from the driveway (for pavers), and older windows (we'll put those in the garage). We also decided to try and keep our footprint relatively the same and not create a McMansion that we really didn't need. I didn't even want build a new garage, but I lost that battle with my husband :) And that is part of the process too. Obviously not all of our choices are green. We just aren't ready for that yet.
Some may argue that our green remodel is more of a "sea foam" color--a little light around the edges. My argument back is that we are doing what works for us and we will continue to challenge ourselves. Bottom line to me is that anything you can do to help save the planet is better than nothing. In this phase, you just have to be creative as you are gearing up for the start of construction. All your existing stuff has to go somewhere....let's try to keep it out of our landfill.
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