Doing Things Differently
Green building is not mainstream. The systems and habits are not in place. Doing a green job is part construction part education part experimentation because once you start thinking off the grid there are very few reference points to guide you.
I had a plumber walk out of my job today before even giving a bid. [...]
Adding Solar gain and recyclables to Facade
Above: Facade with planter and recycled joists.
Originally the top facade of the building had a lot of rotted wood. And there was a great view. So in the heat of the summer I tore down the wall and planned on adding a wall of glass. It would have been magnificent.
But then as the cooler [...]
Wood Flooring courtesy of Corcoran
Only in USA are dumpsters so full of wonderful stuff. And you can’t get fancier than a Corcoran dumpster. There is one in front of the Corcoran condos on President St in Carroll Gardens. I had the good luck to check them out today and found 1000 sq.ft. of once used wide plank maple flooring!
The [...]
The Costs of Recycling
Above Pic: “ugly” wood that I use for everything from studs to window frames.
Recycling is a great way to reuse materials and save money. It is important to keep in mind the extra costs of recycling.
If you get the materials for free, say from a salvage, that is a great starting point. It beats paying [...]
Soundproofing between floors
After some research we noticed that one of the most effective ways to reduce impact noise between floors was to put a recycled tyre product between the floor and sub floor. It creates a vibrating cushion that absorbs the impact, thus deadening the sound.
The only problem is that this product is costly. And costly is [...]
Insulation Has Arrived!
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).
So obviously insulation plays a huge part ini green building. Green building typically insulates a [...]
Salvaged Wood
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.
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Recycled Wood Floor
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.
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Recycled Steel Studs
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).
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Fly Ash isn’t flying
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 [...]