A non-green builder uses the stores are their storage house. When they need something they go to the store and buy exactly what they need. But a Brooklyn green builder gets their material from dumpsters, other job sites, fellow contractors, and the street. You never know what you will get or how much. And it …
Here is a great example of why I love New York salvaged wood over the crap new wood that comes from god knows where. Salvaged wood is better because it is: saved from the overflowing landfill does not cut down a new tree is ‘harvested” locally from buildings already dried out and won’t shrink or …
So with the understanding that any experiment should be undertaken with the proper materials. I set out and found a large supply of computers and harvested anything I could use, before they were sent off to be melted down. (Or crushed) After 7 hours of unscrewing, unclipping and moderate finger jabbing I end up with …
LED lighting is not a new idea. It is only in the last few years or so that the technology’s efficiency and efficacy surpassed CFL and HID lighting. This makes it hard to find cost effective lighting replacement, without large upfront cost. But at Eco Brooklyn we are passionate about improving the energy efficiency of …
I’ve gone a couple weeks without finding cull or used sheet rock. Not wanting to wait any longer I painfully, regretfully, and sadly went to Home Depot and bought new sheet rock. It is rare that I buy new material like that. Now it is a strange feeling. It is so easy. Go to store …
I’m happy to say that NY is an exception to the rule that using wood isn’t green due to the Gotham Forest we have here: millions of board feet of old growth lumber sitting in the frames of old buildings just waiting to be harvested and reused. I simply have to drive around to dumpsters …
There is a gut renovation going on accross the street from our green show house. It is a classic renovation where a lot of money is being spent and not much thought going into how it is done. The owner is getting reamed with prices IMO. A couple weeks ago there was a dumpster full …
Example of Green Building How NOT to build Green Read More »
We are renovating the facade of the top floor with similar slate that was there before. It is called Pennsylvania Black diamond cut. It actually looks grey. PA Black is a little softer than other slates but still great stuff. We bought our slate from Doug Cochran at Reclaimed Roofs, Inc. Doug is a good …
Here are some example of the green cabinets we are considering for the Brooklyn show house. They are made by Nexis 3 from reclaimed wood and without any VOC adhesives. The style is modern. This particular wood might not be the wood we use for our cabinets since it depends on the wood available at …
We wanted some siding for a wall we built. So we used some 100 year old joists. We took the joists and cut them into long strips. Then we sealed them on both sides so they don’t warp. Then we put them onto strips that we had attached to the wall. This way there is …
