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Reclaiming Our Roots

Reclaiming Our Roots published on 4 Comments on Reclaiming Our Roots

Reclaimed Home is going back to its roots! After moving back to Brooklyn, where space is an issue, we stopped collecting larger salvaged items for reuse. Well, it’s time to expand again.

Starting a tiny home based business was a breeze. Starting a small business with a team is a bit more challenging. But you know what? It’s important that we do this now for a variety of reasons.

Saving building materials from the landfills. Mother Earth is screaming for help. Tons of demolition rubbish goes into dumpsters every day.

Presenting restoration options for folks of all income levels. We’re going through some rough economic times. Why shouldn’t everyone have the same access to beautiful architectural details and furnishings for their dwellings?

Preserve our history! Old homes are being torn down to make way for new construction. Historic details are discarded of during renovations. The skilled craftspeople who created these materials are long gone. Let’s give their work a second life.

Here’s what you can do to help us achieve our goals. If it can be recycled, please don’t throw it out! We’ll take reusable materials off your hands. If you’re doing a renovation or know of someone who is, contact us before you allow your contractor to destroy house parts and throw them in the dumpster. We’ll carefully remove the items for you so someone else can make use of them.

It will save you demolition fees. It will save you disposal rates. Most importantly, it will save our planet from overflowing landfills.

You can email us by hitting the “contact” link at the top of the middle column. We thank you and Momma Earth thanks you.

 

 

 

Sustainable Surfaces

Sustainable Surfaces published on

I’m loving the look of Torzo Sustainable Surfaces, but even cooler than that is what their product lines are made from. Post agricultural recycled sorghum, sunflower hulls and hemp? Yeah, they use post industrial recycled fiberboard and chip board too, but it’s way cooler to say “Look at my hemp floor.” now, isn’t it? I mean, let’s get our priorities straight.

Torzo products aren’t 100% green. It’s tough to be fully green when you want a countertop or floor to last. Depending on the product line, 25%-50% of it is acrylic resin. The good news is that the resin used is manufactured by Torzo’s parent company, an Oregon based, family run, woman owned business.

Looks like Stone Source is the only place that carries Torzo locally.

 

 

Recycled Sukkahs

Recycled Sukkahs published on


Sukkot begins tonight. For those of us unfamiliar with this Jewish holiday, it just means that alternate side parking rules are suspended this Thursday and Friday (Woot!). Sukkot is the shed holiday. Yeah, NOW you know what I’m talking about!

According to Rabbinical code, the sukkah (shed) cannot be located under trees, Stars must be visible from the roof, which  must be made of material that is cut from the earth. For a better explanation, please visit the Babak Bryan website. They are the guys who created the Fractured Bubble sukkah above. The bubble is not really made from recycled materials, but rather invasive species that were picked from local wetlands. The design won People’s Choice in 2010’s Sukkah City and I love it too much not to include it.

Each image links to more info on that particular sukkah.

Past Sukkah post.

 

 

Fun DIY Projects with Wood

Fun DIY Projects with Wood published on

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Yesterday we covered some plastic DIY projects you can do around the house. Today it’s wood! Inspirations from the Solar Decathlon.

Isn’t that inscription on the deck a lovely idea? It can be done on decks, siding or just about any old piece of wood you have around your house.

There are a couple of ways to go about the writing. You can burn it in. Remember those wood burning instruments we all had as kids? (If you’re over the age of say, 35?) Well, that technique is called pyrography. Thing is…do you really want to go out and buy that tool now? Perhaps you have a Dremel or router around the house. If so, then you can carve the letters out then stain them any color you want.

First you’ll want to line it up properly with a straight edge. Tape a stencil down and trace the outline. No, you don’t want to leave the plastic stencil there to be burnt or cut. The rest of it ain’t rocket science. You can figure it out.

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Check out that cool shower base. You know what? I’m not even telling you to make it yourself. You can probably buy shit like that at Ikea and plop it right down. I just like it, is all.

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I’m not quite sure if this is recycled shipping pallets or a piece made from scratch. Either way, it gave me the idea to do it with shipping pallets. A while back, I thought I’d be really cool and build a bunch of stuff made from the reclaimed wood of pallets. Well, it was crazy trying to take all the slats apart. So why bother? Just cut them down and build stuff out of them that way.

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I’m feeling the love towards the bark! Ok, so bark siding is pretty pricey to purchase if you can’t find a tree that it’s coming off of. But I’m not talking about residing your whole home with it. Perhaps a 4×4 framed square to use as a cork board? Or as a backsplash in the your kitchen? An entire wall behind the bathroom sink? A line of bark shingles instead of chair railing? The possibilities are endless.

Green Day Today, NYC

Green Day Today, NYC published on

Green Day in Union Square today! Psyched? Start lining up now for the time of your life!

GrowNYC presents NEW GREEN CITY in Union Square Park for NYC’s largest annual green event. (Sorry, Green Day fans. I know that was mean.)

2011’s family-friendly event features government agencies, non-profits, entrepreneurs and community & corporate partners at the forefront of environmental stewardship, education and awareness.

10am-6pm. Go learn about recycling, rainwater harvesting and more! Hello, there’s a scavenger hunnnttt!

Solar Decathlon. And the Winner Is…

Solar Decathlon. And the Winner Is… published on 1 Comment on Solar Decathlon. And the Winner Is…

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It’s not often I get a fun AND informative expense paid weekend. Once again, thanks to the Plastics Make it Possible campaign for inviting me along to the Solar Decathlon in DC. I was honored to be included among such bloggers of awesomeness as Jetson Green, Dwell, Shawna Coronado and Ugly Duckling House .

The weather wasn’t exactly cooperative, but we struggled through it like troopers. The first home we toured with Brooks Utley was the Caltech Compact Hyper Insulated Prototype or CHIP. I’m not gonna lie. The interior was nice, but this house was alllll about the exterior for me. Anything that looks like a space ship is fabnificent in my book. The CHIP does not have any insulation, not because they are from sunny California and don’t need it. It’s because that funky puffy “siding” acts as the outsulation, a word they are trying to get into the dictionary. CHIP’s skin is made of heavy-weight (24oz/yrd) recycled white vinyl. White was used to reflect as much of solar radiation as possible, reducing cooling load. The “siding” is highly durable and waterproof.

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Florida International University also had an impressive exterior. Their perFORM[D]ance House has layered walls designed to protect the house from undesired elements. Check out their website for energy performance on the walls and windows. It’s the louver system I want to discuss. The PVC and aluminum panels shade and protect the house as well as provide hurricane protection. Looks a bit nicer than the plywood or duct tape people were using here for Irene, no?

University of Maryland First Place in Solar Decathlon

The winner of the 2011 Solar Decathlon was the University of Maryland with their Watershed project. They best utilized sustainable design for running the entire house.

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Check out the home’s control panel with an easy button thrown in for good measure.

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The dehumidifier is a work of art. The Innovative Liquid Desiccant Waterfall (LDW) system was developed by Maryland’s 2007 LEAFHouse team. A high-saline solution absorbs humidity from the air as it falls through back lit plastic “jellyfish”. It’s beautiful AND smart.

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My personal favorite was New York’s Parsons School of Design. Not because I’m partial to NY (I am). Not even because I thought the house had the best overall design. It’s the story behind it that I fell in love with. The EmpowerHouse is a Habitat for Humanity home and of all the houses we toured, this one felt like a HOME. It’s probably because the lucky family who are inheriting the house were there on hand. Their photos were on display. This was actually someone’s home and I got a little verklempt when I met them.

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My own honorable mention and the winner of the People’s Choice Award is Appalachian State’s Solar Homestead. Whereas some of the entries felt a bit cramped, this home had space and style. Once again, it was the exterior that blew me away.

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The modular porch with outbuildings is kept dry by a bifacial PV canopy that acts as a net zero energy source for the home. The technology allows each 195 watt panel to collect sunlight bounced from below as well as above.

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But honestly, the had me at the bark siding. Yes, this is durable and water resistant as long as it’s not sitting in a flood zone. The bad news is that it’s expensive.

Tomorrow I’ll fill you in on some other innovations I saw and easy DIY techniques we can steal for you kids to try at home. The bark included. Yum!

 

One Word. Plastics.

One Word. Plastics. published on


The 2011 Solar Decathlon is THE big green deal going down in DC at the moment. Reclaimed Home will be heading down there in….oh, a few hours…to check out the green scene. Thanks to Ogilivy Public Relations and their client, The American Chemistry Council aka Plastics Make it Possible for sending us (Yeah, I’m dragging the hubby) all expenses paid! Carfare, hotel, *swanky cocktails and dinner….the works.

Oh, but the best part of course, is we get to cover the Decathlon. Not only that, but we’ll have our very own celebrity tour guide. Brooks Utley, that smiley carpenter from HGTV’s “The $250,000 Challenge” and “Designed to Sell” will be on hand to show us how plastics make it possible (How do you like how I incorporated that?) to make our homes more energy efficient.

The U.S. Department of Energy is the force behind the Solar Decathlon, which has been a biennial event since 2002.  Collegiate teams compete to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and visually appealing. The winner is the team that blends all of these principles together in the best way.

There will be loads to report once I actually go to the event, but in anticipation, I’m gonna guess how these showcase homes will use plastics.

1. Solar Panels. Hello! This IS the Solar Decathlon after all!

2. Decking. Composite material made from recycled plastic is a favorite durable deck “lumber” used in place of wood.

3. Carpeting. Yes, there are manufacturers who make carpets out of recycled plastic!

4. Insulation. Ah-a! Foam instead of fiberglass. A lot less itchy to install. KnowwhatImsayin??

5. Piping. PVC is to code in many parts of the country now. Easier to work with than cast iron.

6. Small Appliances. Try finding an electric can opener or coffee maker without some plastic on it.

Ok, I listed the obvious stuff.  I’m looking forward to seeing some real live recycled plastic innovations tomorrow! Will report back next week.

* I made up the swanky part. Could be a 40 of Colt for all I know.

 

Reclaimed Lumber Shipped Nationwide

Reclaimed Lumber Shipped Nationwide published on

We usually try to stick to local reclaimed wood resources but new advertiser Reclaimed Lumber (see link on the sidebar) has a warehouse in Pennsylvania. That’s local enough. Plus, they do ship nationwide.

The wide plank pine shown in the above photo is $5.95 per square foot. That’s not bad! The website says that shipping should cost less than $250.

One can get lost on the site. There’s all sorts of reclaimed flooring, including pine and oak from barns and wine barrels. But flooring is just the start. There’s paneling that’s not your grandma’s 1970’s wall paneling. Ceiling panels, reclaimed wood furniture, beams, frames and slabs. It’s the go-to source for reclaimed wood in any form.

You can buy and sell barns on the site. No sh*t! And old log cabins!

Kind of makes me wish I was restoring an old country home.

Reclaimed Building Materials, NY

Reclaimed Building Materials, NY published on

We’ve posted local reclaimed lumber resources here before, but the list keeps growing. Before checking out any of these pricey places, be sure to have a look at Craigslist first to see if anyone is giving away materials they don’t need. It happens.

Need recycled bricks? Chief’s in The Bronx sells used bricks and cobblestones.

Here are a few reclaimed wood and flooring companies to check out:

Antique and Vintage Woods. Upstate.

Restoration Timber @ NY Design Center

Cornerstone Salvage. NYC

And don’t forget this Coney Island boardwalk wood!

2011 Building Brooklyn Awards

2011 Building Brooklyn Awards published on

Last night the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce honored 13 construction and renovation projects that “enrich Brooklyn’s neighborhoods and economy”. Since Hubby works on the “Newtown Creek Waste Water Facility” Skanska project that won in the Civic and Institutional category, I got to attend the 2011 Building Brooklyn Awards.

There were two honorees of the evening. Deb Howard, Executive Director of Pratt Area Community Council and Jed Walentas, Principal of Two Trees Management Company were recognized for their achievements.

Winners were rewarded not only for design and building but for completing projects within or under budget and bringing jobs to communities. Architects, Engineers, Developers, Builders and Contractors were all recognized as integral parts of each project.

Some interesting winners:

184 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg won for Adaptive Reuse. The 1915 Cass Gilbert building was headquarters of Wild Turkey bourbon manufacturing. The redesign of the 340 unit now-residential building was redesigned by SLCE and SLADE Architects and features an interior courtyard .

The winner of the Education category went to Pratt Institute-Myrtle Hall. This is Brooklyn’s first LEED gold certified academic building.

Erasmus Hall High School won for Historic Preservation. (My dad’s high school: Woot!) This NYC landmark is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Architect Charles B.J. Snyder increased light and air to the interiors of the Gothic structure.

Mixed Use winner was Brooklyn Ecopolis on Warren Street in Cobble Hill. The acceptance speech was most interesting to me because it wasn’t a bunch of industry people standing up there, it was a female nurse. Ecopolis is a family owned, built and operated project. The building houses a sustainable cafe on ground level and a non-profit sustainable resource center on the second floor. The owners live on the residential floors above. This is a LEED Gold project.

If you’re a Brooklynite, you can probably guess the Open Space winner. Brooklyn Bridge Park, of course! Piers 1 & 6 represent 18 acres of the 85 acre East River park. 6,000 to 8,000 people visit on weekdays with up to 12,000 on weekends. When there’s an event, the number rises to something like a gazillion. (author’s guestimate)

The Affordable Housing win went to The Domenech in Brownsville. Common Ground Community developed a 72 unit LEED silver-certified building devoted exclusively to the needs of the chronically homeless and low-income seniors. The complex features a courtyard, natural light and central heating and cooling systems.

Please check out the other wonderful winners and nominees on the Chamber’s website.

Hey Eco-Geeks!Solar Wireless Chargers

Hey Eco-Geeks!Solar Wireless Chargers published on

Guest Post

So there’s this most recent direction running along side our attraction with the most desirable wire-less accessories [1], and it’s how to best maintain their battery packs 100 %. With lots of the modern pads and tablet pcs, mobile handsets, and lap tops the only typical headache is the most handy alternative to have them charged up. I began wondering what normally I would undoubtedly undoubtedly do with some of these various units and now I ask myself what I’d do without them. I even worry every night whether I have all of them on their proper wires and charging up for the day ahead.Continue reading Hey Eco-Geeks!Solar Wireless Chargers

Renovating on a Tight Budget

Renovating on a Tight Budget published on 1 Comment on Renovating on a Tight Budget

If your renovation is costing more than you paid for your house, something is wrong. You shouldn’t have to sell your first born to update a home. Sure, there are certain large ticket items you wouldn’t want to skimp on….roof, windows, facade, boiler, structural. But semi-skilled work? Come on.

As you know, I’m a big advocate for DIY. If you put in the sweat equity, you can be save yourself in the vicinity of $40k. I came up with that estimate by comparing DIY input to that of an unskilled day laborer at $125 per day over the course of a year. My own skills are superior to a guy you pick up at Home Depot, so my own estimate is probably double that. Obviously you wouldn’t quit your $200k per year job to do it, but as a freelancer earning bupkas, I was able to put in the time. My husband who put in a lot less time because he actually has a full time job and does earn something, probably saved us even more while only working on the house on weekends. That’s because he has mad skills.

Before I go into materials, just a few thoughts on other ways to save on labor. Painting and demolition parties, barters, hiring apprentices to high end contractors and of course picking up day laborers.

Materials range from free to high end. Since this has the words “tight budget” in the post title, guess where I’m going with this?

FREE

It would be a fun experiment to try to do an entire renovation free of cost. But nothing is ever free. It would take tons of time and probably cost more in fuel than trying to buy locally. But here goes…..

1. Craigs List. Go directly to the “free” section. You may find anything from sheetrock scraps to clawfoot tubs. People measure wrong, decide to use something else or may want to recycle what they are ripping out.

2. Freecyle.org Sign up for the group to gain access to a nationwide network of recycled goodies. IMO, it sounds a whole lot better than it is. When I signed up, I couldn’t believe the audacity of some people. One of the requests I saw was for a minivan for someone with 8 kids. Hello, maybe you should stop having kids if you can’t afford a van! But I digress. You can post your own needs, search for what’s out there and offer up what you no longer want.

3. Dumpster Diving. Oh yeah! I’m talking dumpsters parked outside of a renovation, obviously. Better still, find the fixer uppers that have just closed, contact contractors and demolition guys to see if they’ll give you the head’s up. No, they won’t be happy, but one or two of them might not think it’s great to stick everything in the landfill. You know, those sensitive contractors.

Almost Free

1. Craigslist. This time search “materials”.

2. ReStores. Located throughout the US and Canada. Run by Habitat for Humanity, these shops take donations from the public and sell the items at a fraction of the cost. They have everything including the kitchen sink. Paints, cabinets, light fixtures, furniture….

3. Build it Green. I saw a coffin in here once. If you live in NYC, this place is just as good as any Restore since the closest ReStore is in Mt. Vernon. BIG is a huuuuge warehouse in Queens. They have new and used studs, wiring, cabinets, doors, windows, appliances and more. Do keep in mind that items like plywood, sheetrock and studs go quickly as these are basic to any renovation.

4. Salvage! There are antique architectural salvage yards all over the planet. Although you might sometimes find a bargain at Olde Good Things or Demolition Depot, they are not for the shallow pocketed. My two local faves: Eddie Hibbert in Clinton Hill and Vaccaro’s in Gowanus. I’m talking antique french doors for 20 bucks and marble mantels for less than $400. *They may need work.

5. Overstock and Closeouts. Every now and then, manufacturers need to get rid of some clutter. There are samples, irregulars and dead stock taking up space. They don’t always post it online, but I’ll give you a for instance. I once found the mother load of concrete tiles, countertops and sinks on Craigslist. Get Real Surfaces in Poughkeepsie was having a sale to get rid of dead inventory. I made out with enormous boxes of tile for $10 per box. They were probably worth about $20 per square foot.

6. Ebay. Did you know that you can buy faucets, toilets and tools on Ebay? Yep, it’s all there!

7. Overstock.com. Sometimes good for faucets, shower and light fixtures, tiles…it kind of depends on what they have that week. Hit or miss.

Upscale. Low Budget

Green Demolitions. Buy what the millionaires got tired of looking at. Top shelf appliances (think Viking, Sub Zero) and cabinets for a ton less than what you would pay new. These aren’t completely inexpensive, but it’s a good deal for what it is!

PS: Side effects may include saving the planet while saving your pocketbook.

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