July 2004

Green Rehab Is Completed

When Carolyn Bentley of Cleveland Magazine came to the Cleveland Green Building Coalition with her idea to create a “green rehab”, our meeting led to a connection to the Home Builder’s Assoc of Cleveland, then the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organzation (DSCDO) then the Cleveland Housing Network (CHN) and Tesco Builders. The Building Science Corp. acted as technical advisors. It was my pleasure to help advise on the greening of this home in Ecovillage. (see Ecocity site).

The idea was to take a modest house and do a modest greening of it that the average homeowner could identify with. The following is a summary of the green components, why they were chosen and what they contribute to the green agenda for this house.

Site

We decided to eliminate the need to mow grass which often requires chemicals to maintain and polluting mowers. We used recycled flagstone pavers for walkways and water permeable pavers for the patio so water can penetrate the soils and reduce runoff to city storm systems.

Siding

Greening a home often requires trade-offs. This house had a good vinyl siding job installed, not long before we bought it. Vinyl is a controversial subject in greenbuilding circles because of environmental issues from its production to where it ends up when it is finished its useful life. But the cost of redoing the wood siding under it which had heavy deposits of lead paint, would have been prohibitive. So, one environmentally suspect material is now serving as an encapsulant for another. We added some green trim materials to spice it up a bit.

Garage

The original garage, whose roof faced front to back, was in such terrible condition it had to be removed. When replacing it, we determined that since there was an excellent southern exposure to the back of this house, we would reverse the garage so one half of its roof could accommodate photovoltaic panels in the future if the homeowner wished to do so. Right now their cost makes it a hard sell, but the price is coming down and it should not be too long before installing such systems will be more cost effective. We also planned to use some fly ash (a by-product of coal burning) in the concrete slab of our garage, but it got too cold too soon and you cannot do that if temperatures are too low. Fly ash replaces cement and actually makes for a better concrete.

Flooring

The floors in our little house were covered with carpet which can be a sink for lead dust, pesticides and other not-so-friendly chemicals, so we decided to not use carpet on most of the floors and refinish them using water-based urethanes that do not outgas harmful volatile-organic-compounds (VOC’s).

We used some carpeting in one bedroom on the second floor which is 100% recycled materials and can be recycled again. Added features include it coming in squares and you can move the squares around as they become worn and replace them with tiles that have not received as as much wear.

We used some linoleum flooring, which is considered more environmentally friendly, on the side door landing. Linoleum, replaced some time ago by vinyl flooring, is making a comeback.

Reuse of existing cabinetry

Greening a rehab is more green than building a new house, because we are reusing lots of things which reduces our demand on natural resources. Our little house had lots of very special features in its original construction and we were able to keep many of them.

The cabinets in the flooring picture had leaded glass doors which were in good condition, so we had a stained glass expert tune them up. He recommended we remove the plywood backing on the cabinets and replace them with glass which opens up the living and dining rooms to each other. A simple, but very excellent idea.

The upper kitchen cabinets were in very good condition, so we freshened them up as well and kept them, but we had to replace the base cabinets. A cabinet maker, using wood from logs milled in a small lumbermill right in downtown Cleveland, made base cabinets that closely match the upper cabinets. We also saved the hall closet on the second floor where linens are stored.

Whole House Vacuum

Studies show that a whole house vacuum can clean much more effectively than a conventional vacuum which is likely to stir up as much dust as it collects, so we installed one with a receptacle on each level that you plug your vacuum hose into and you can reach any room.

The tank for the whole house system hangs from the basement ceiling joists. The air exhausts directly to the exterior, depositing all dirt into a container in the bottom of the vacuum, as it passes through. A muffler is installed to reduce any noise sounds to the exterior.

Daylighting

In greenbuilding we want to bring as much natural light as possible into the house so we can use less electricity, but not create additional energy loss due to the reduced insulation value of glass compared to walls.

We installed all new windows (wood, so we could stain the interior to match the existing woodwork) and they are certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council as being much more energy efficient than the windows we removed. When replacing the windows, we removed the old ones completely so we could have a wider window (more light) and fill the space where the old window weight cavities were with insulation and reduce heat loss. The low-e glass reflects radiant heat back into the living space which provides additional energy savings and comfort.

But the big lighting surprise was the “light tube” we installed on the second floor. A globe that collects the light is installed on the roof, a reflective metal tube goes from that globe to a reflector on the ceiling below. The light from the outside reflects down the tube and into the living space below, providing lots of natural light even on a cloudy day.

Insulation/Air Sealing

The most compelling reason to green a home is probably the insulating and weatherizing of it. We used an infrared scanner to see how much insulation was in the walls and how much we would need to add. We blew new insulation into the walls wherever it was needed. We also installed insulation with an R-value (Resistance to heat loss) of 38 which is considered optimal for our climate. Before doing that, the contractors sealed all air leakage holes from the interior into the attic which can often be the most cost effective thing you can do. A permanent hatch to enter the attic space is created so you can monitor conditions in the attic.

Heating

By insulating and air sealing effectively, we can reduce the size of heating equipment required. But we also want to use the most efficient equipment we can afford and use a sealed-combustion system that gets its fresh air from and vents directly to the exterior. This eliminates the threat of backdrafting of flue gases into the living space which we certainly want to avoid in our ever tighter homes.

How heat is delivered can have as much to do with how energy efficient our heating systems are. Ductwork is notoriously leaky and when it is placed in outside walls, it can leak heated air into the walls where it is lost to the outside temperatures. There is also heat loss by conduction. In our green rehab we moved all heat registers to the interior, either in the floors or on inside walls.

And we sealed all the new ductwork seams with mastic (duct tape, ironically, is not very good at sealing ducts!).

Hot Water Tank

Because hot water tanks are more likely to backdraft flue gases more than a furnace, we installed an “induced draft” hot water tank which uses a fan to pull flue gases to the exterior. When the tank calls for heat, the fan turns on and makes sure all exhaust gases are removed safely.

Since our furnace and hot water tank are now directly vented to the exterior, a masonry chimney was no longer necessary, so we removed all of it but what was left in the basement. This gave us more room in the kitchen and second floor bedrooms and eliminated any future maintenance on an old chimney which can be costly.

Ventilation

As we tighten homes to make them more energy efficient and comfortable, we need to be careful to install effective ventilation. Having taken care of the furnace and hot water tank venting, the next step is to be sure to install a range hood that is directly vented to the exterior only (range hoods that simply recirculate cooking odors and moisture back into the living space are essentially useless). We installed a properly vented range hood, though it took some work to figure out how to get it to the exterior.

Second, it is important to effectively vent bathroom moisture and to do it so all the moisture gets directly to the exterior (never vent into an attic space).

Plumbing Upgrades

When attempting a full green rehab it is important to upgrade the plumbing system, if not completely replace it. Most of the plumbing in this house was redone. Though we kept the old laundry tub, we installed shock absorbers on the water lines to stop water hammering that can occur with some appliances.

Electrical System

The electrical systems in many older homes are in desperate need of upgrading to make them safer and capable of providing dedicated circuits for electronic equipment such as computers. This means starting with a whole new service panel that uses circuit breakers that make it more difficult to install improper protection devices as was often the case with fuses.

Energy Star Appliances

A prime concern when green rehabbing is reducing electrical energy cost. We have already mentioned reducing lighting cost with daylighting described above. Because of the EPA’s Energy Star program, appliances become more and more energy efficient. You should choose the highest rated Energy Star appliance you can afford because it not only saves you money monthly, but it helps reduce the environmental impact of electricity generation at power plants.

Compact Flourescent Bulbs

Another significant energy saver is the use of compact fluorescent bulbs, especially in any fixture that is used for long periods of time. One of these bulbs that uses 15 watts of electricity can provide the same illumination as an incandescent 75 watt bulb and will last thousands of hours longer. There is a steep upfront cost, but the energy savings each month will soon add up to making it a worthwhile investment.

Will A Green Rehab Cost You More?

Most people assume it will cost more, but it depends on how you calculate it. It may cost more in up-front rehab costs, which can increase your monthly mortgage payments, but your monthly operating cost may be reduced more than your financing costs due to energy efficiencies. And how do you put a dollar value on a healthier indoor environment? And how do you put a dollar value on durability that may reduce long-term operating costs for the structure? And how do you put a dollar value on the reduced society cost (taxes) by having a lesser negative impact on the environment and health care costs.