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 [...]]]>

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 weather came I came to my senses and realized the large window was on the north side. To have it would be a huge heat drain on the house. I basically made a colossal mistake. This is green building 101.

So I took the windows I had already bought for the space and put them on the south side of the house. This creates a very powerful passive heating element as the sun pours into the house and heats it. Solar gain to the max.

Then I was faced with doing something with the gaping hole on the north side. Some of the old slate had been broken when we took down the wall so we had a problem. We didn’t have enough slate to built it back nor could we buy similar stuff. Do we take down the rest of the remaining slate and replace it or what? Taking it down is so not green.

So I decided to get a little artsy and use the slate we have for the lower part of the facade. For the upper part we are going to create siding out of salvaged wood joists. We are going to shape it in a “V” shape and at the base of the V we will put a large planter that will collect the water from the siding above it.

The planter will be made of two triangular sides attached to the facade to create a harmony of triangular shapes with the larger triangle formed by the siding.

Even though the planter box will be very well insulated and one of its three sides will be against a heated house we will use plants that don’t need sun or warmth since the cold winds can be harsh up there. Water probably won’t be an issue since we’ll use water retaining materials in the earth.

The planter will help insulate the north wall, provide greenery, allow us to recycle old joists and keep the existing slate. This is a great example of green building.

Pre Construction:
The truly green thing would have been to repair the damaged wood and leave the windows as they are in this picture. But in the heat of renovation we got these grand ideas to make a wall of glass. Being in an environment you love is green to but not at the expense of wasted energy when you can have just as nice windows but on the south side….

And so we tore the facade off:

But then we realized our mistake and tore the south wall down to put the already ordered windows there. The sun shines in wonderfully making a fantastic space and heating us up. In the summer this heat can be a problem so we plan on having good passive ventilation, blinds, and solar panels above the windows that will also act as awnings when the sun’s angle is high in the sky during the summer months. During the winter months the sun’s angle will be low enough to pass under the panels.
The south opening:

Despite the cost, the fiberglass frame part I LOVE. I think this is the way to go. I really love them and once they are nicely painted and repaired I will be very happy with them. When it is [...]]]>

I paid a lot of money for fiberglass windows for the Brooklyn Green Show House.

Despite the cost, the fiberglass frame part I LOVE. I think this is the way to go. I really love them and once they are nicely painted and repaired I will be very happy with them. When it is cold outside you touch the frame and it is almost warm, meaning it is not letting much of the cold in or heat out.

The above photo shows us installing the windows. On the right you can see one installed.

Unfortunately fiberglass windows are expensive. And there are no local fiberglass window manufacturers in Brooklyn. As a Brooklyn green contractor local materials is important to me.

For the past two jobs we have actually suggested the client go with locally made vinyl windows. They are very affordable, locally made and as of late I have disliked vinyl less.

The lower floors of a brownstone are dark so I like light floors to maximize the light.

To become a contractor in NY you need to pay fees (aprox $800), buy insurance (aprox $9,000 plus), fill out a lot of forms and take a test.

Making sure your contractor [...]]]>

Eco Brooklyn Inc. is “Licensed – Bonded – Certified – Insured” as a home improvement contractor in the State of New York.

To become a contractor in NY you need to pay fees (aprox $800), buy insurance (aprox $9,000 plus), fill out a lot of forms and take a test.

Making sure your contractor has a license and the proper insurance is a good place to start when looking for a builder because they have had to jump through a lot of hoops to get there.

But don’t just take their license as proof they can do the job. References help a lot. Another good tactic is to start with a very small job to test the contractor out.

And they need to know Green Building. Anyone who doesn’t build green today will have to do a lot of expensive retrofitting down the road because in the future green building will be the only acceptable kind of building.

I’ve called around and it is still very new. A lot of the [...]]]>

Fiberglass as a building product has been around for years but there were some hindrances to using it in window frames. I don’t know the specifics of why but the hurdle has been overcome and more companies are making fiberglass windows.

I’ve called around and it is still very new. A lot of the sales reps haven’t even gotten company training or even seen samples.

But there is no doubt in my mind that fiberglass windows will become the norm.

Fiberglass is made from sand basically. It is glass after all. Fiber glass. So it has all the great qualities of glass:
Does not expand/contract
Lasts for years
Great insulator
Relatively ecological to produce (as opposed to vinyl windows for example which is plastic)

Here is the laydown:
Aluminium:
good: ecological, not expand/contract, no maintenance, lasts
bad: doesn’t insulate

Wood:
good: looks nice, insulates, ecological
bad: high maintenance

Vinyl:
good: insulates, low maintenance, lasts, affordable
bad: not ecological

Fiberglass:
good: insulates, low maintenance, lasts, ecological, not expand/contract
bad: ?
So fiberglass carries all the good qualities of aluminum, wood and vinyl without the drawbacks.

The only thing it lacks is the nice feeling of wood. But in my opinion that nice feeling fades over the years when your wood windows start warping, cracking and peeling. Unless of course you maintain them every year, which costs money, time and energy. Nothing comes without a price, except for happiness which is priceless and comes from within in abundance if you let it…..

But I loose focus….

Right now fiberglass windows are more expensive than the standard vinyl window but this is more a volume issue and not a material issue. To make fiberglass is very cheap. What is expensive is making the molds for the frames. Once the demand increase I suspect the price will also drop.

In terms of pricing they hover around the price of a good wood window. For example I am pricing out windows for 22 2nd street and got the following prices:

Home Depot has Jeld Wen which I would take over the better known Anderson or Pella. Jeld Wen is a VERY old company with solid quality. And priced much better. But NOT fiberglass. They priced me at around $9,000 for high quality aluminum clad windows with wood interior. Good stuff and good price. But not fiberglass….

Home depot could probably get me the chepest vinyl for about $7000 so it pays to go a little higher for aluminium/wood. Vinyl is bad for many reasons unless of course it is what you can afford and then it is very, very good. Everything and everyone has a purpose.

Fibertec priced me $12,000 for fiberglass white inside and standard color outside. Sam at Fibertec is really good with quick response. The windows however will take 7-8 weeks since they custom make every one.

Modern Way Lumber in Brooklyn priced me $18,000 for Bonneville windows which are great quality. But pricey and not fiberglass.

Marvin and Comfortline do Fiberglass. I am waiting, and waiting, for Allied Building Products to get back to me with a price on that. Still waiting….as luck would have it they just called as I write this and promise pricing tomorrow.

So the range so far is $9,000 to $18,000 for good quality Low E argon etc windows with Fibertec being in the middle at $12,000. Not the cheapest but they are fiberglass. I do think that fiberglass pays off in the long term. The windows will last longer, not cost anything for upkeep and save money on heating. In the long run they are the cheapest. Really the greenest choice.

Fibertec Fiberglass Windows in a living room