We are inserting the salvaged poly iso insulation board into the top floor ceiling of the house between the joists. All the joists have been sistered with “new” salvaged joists. You can see the bolts holding them together. We are packing four layers of poly iso board, making it an air tight R 36. The …
There are a lot of radiant heat companies out there. The abundance can be confusing. We have found that certain stores offer the best of certain products. Here is an example for an order form from one of our vendors:
Green Building is like life: it is all about energy. How you control it, who has it, where it is flowing, and where it isn’t flowing. You control the energy and you have a great house (possibly a great life too). Insulation Part of Green Building So obviously insulation plays a huge part ini green …
Eco Friendly Insulation Has Arrived for Green Building! Read More »
The Department of Buildings wants me to show the state of the sidewalk before and after the job so that they can determine if I have to redo it. To do this I had to get an architect’s survey which costs $3000. To redo the sidewalk would cost me $1000. So I’m forced to spend …
At the beginning of this job I had to buy my salvaged wood from Fine Lumber in Williamsburg. But now that the local job sites know about my project I get most of my wood from them. Here you see a nice selection of old cut prime wood. That’s my daughter.
I have relationships with the contractors in the neighborhood. These oak floors were perfectly fine but the owner wanted to replace them with cherry wood floors. Instead of put them in the dump I got them. The lower floors of a brownstone are dark so I like light floors to maximize the light.
These studs were on their way to the dump until I intercepted the contractor and he let me take them.. I’m using them in the cellar where they will be in touch with the ground and where in the past there have been termite problems (thus no wood studs).
On the 2nd street project we are doing a lot of underpinning and laying a concrete slab in the cellar. This requires a lot of concrete. Cement uses up a lot of energy to produce and creates a lot of CO2 Substituting up to 50% of the cement with fly ash is considered a more …
What is Fly Ash? Why Its Called Fly Ash isn’t flying Read More »
Because my architect and I did not see eye to eye we had to part ways, which meant he had to pull his application with the DOB. That would have been fine if my new architect kept to his schedule. But he didn’t and I didn’t get new plans submitted to the DOB before the …
If you ever want to get that nice chaotic third world feeling then go hang out at the Department of Buildings. The Brooklyn one is good but the Manhattan one is even more insane. It goes a little like this. Lets say you want a tracking number to pull a work permit. Simple enough. Go …
