We needed some slate to repair an existing slate wall on the top of the green show house. One consideration was using a slate look alike that is made from recycled materials. But then I discovered there is a thriving community of people who salvage old slate from homes. They have merged into the “green” […]
I’ve put pex tubes between joists under the subfloor. that is how my radiant guy designed it. The whole theory that as long as you contain the heat it will get to the room eventually etc. I also couldn’t put them above the floor due to a low ceiling. Since then I have realized the
Adding a Concrete Sub Floor Heat Collector Read More »
Before: After: In the renovation of the green show house we are exposing as much brick as possible instead of building walls over it since the greenest building is no building. But the walls were not intended to be seen and a lot of them are in bad shape. The normal thing to do is
Avoiding Chemicals Read More »
“High End Apartments”, “Luxury Condos”, “Exclusive Properties” These are terms that have been thrown around a lot over the past couple years as developers and buyers got more and more caught up in the real estate frenzy, constantly looking to make fancier buildings. What Luxury Really Mean? But what did “luxury” really mean? More than
Redefining construction Management “High End” Read More »
When we went into contract for the property that is currently being built as a green show house it was during the “normal” financial times of March 2006. No storms were on the horizon and everyone was still giddy from the constant rise of funding and property prices. Our plan was to do what we
The process of building green is different than normal building. There are new considerations to include in the mix. Here is an example. Solar PV is a smart choice in NY I think. NY gets a lot of sun and although a Californian electrician might scoff at it, most NY professionals think it is a
Solar Panels, An Example in Green Considerations Read More »
Finding an architect who can draw up plans to your liking is not easy. A good architect has a combination of the following things: Can draw to meet DOB code Can draw in a timely manner Understands spacial relations and how they effect people Understands passive solar gain and cooling Is creative Designs around your
22 2nd Street Plans Read More »
We have a floor with a high ceiling which means we can lay the pex tubing on top of the subfloor instead of hanging the tubing beneath. The pex tubing takes up valuable space and you can only lay it on top of the subfloor if you have the ceiling height. Having the tubing on
Sound Proofing and Heat Transfer Subfloor Read More »
I took a cool course where they discussed energy in buildings. Here is the pdf of the slides. It contains lots of cool info: How to calculate your house energy usage Types of heat transfer Stack Effect in your house Wind Effect Building Envelope R and U value Water usage Electric Mixing valves Lighting Motors
Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings Read More »
I had an in depth talk with the lead technician who makes Cel Pac, one of the cellulose insulation manufacturers. I was discussing with him the topic of dense packing cellulose so that it does not settle and leave air pockets in the top of the walls. They suggest packing it to 3.5 pounds per
Applying Cellulose Insulation Read More »
