If you build green brownstones you build homes that don’t breathe without help. A green home is a well sealed and insulated home. It does not have all the normal cracks through which the house normally breathes (and leaks!). So you need to make up for that. There are different opinions but right now I […]
Heat and Energy Recovery Ventilators Read More »
The actual wave called a Microwave if passed through your body at high enough levels will kill you. That is the case for many waves. The real question is what are high enough levels. Conventional western “wisdom” is that the radiation produced my kitchen microwave units is not high enough to cause damage….. Just like
Microwaves are bad Read More »
If you are a green builder in Brooklyn you are often looking to Europe for green building techniques and technologies. And often it is Germany. They are miles ahead of the US in terms of energy efficiency and green building. The German Green Party has been a strong political party for years. Compare that with
Converting Metric to Emperial R and U values Read More »
High Efficiency Toilets (HET) are the only kind of toilet anyone should be buying for their Brooklyn green brownstone renovation. If you have an old toilet I think this is a worthwhile and justifyable new purchace. You can get one starting at $125. There are a couple ways they could be HET – dual flush,
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The book Mini House Now is a picture book of small houses, specifically houses with less than 1080 square feet. They are all free standing houses, most of them in the country side but one or two surrounded by other houses. The pictures are great. Do you have any idea how hard it is to
Mini House Now Book Read More »
The book Insulate and Weatherize is published by Taunton and is part of their Build Like a Pro Series – Expert Advice From Start to Finish. It is advanced weatherization and insulation techniques for a residential home in the North and Mid East United States. This book, like all Build Like a Pro series, is
Insulate and Weatherize Book Read More »
Lately I have been looking a lot at how we use the world’s resources. As a green builder it interests me how we do this because it directly relates to what resources I will use in our green building in Brooklyn. Another reason I like looking at resource allotment is that it is more factual
Green Builder’s Case For Vegetarianism Read More »
When you renovate a green brownstone in Brooklyn you create a very tight house that does not breather like the leaky old brownstones. This means you need to arrange another way for the brownstone to breathe. Another consideration is that Brooklyn is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. One way is to
HRV, ERV and Exhaust Only Read More »
If you ever lay in bed at night like I do wondering how efficient a gas fireplace is then wonder no more. all_about_gas_fireplaces-1 Put out by the Canadian Government it gives you everything you need to know about gas fireplaces: How to rate their efficiency The different kinds of venting Why to avoid the new
All About Gas Fireplaces Read More »
Well before you go hooking wires up to any LEDs you should first know a little about electricity. First of all there are two main forms of electricity in commercial use today. (All of which are dangerous even if you know what you are doing. So with that in mind do not attempt to play
AC/DC the shocking difference Read More »
