Creating A Safer Environment at Home

Love where you live, but want to be in a green building? Doing a green remodel to your existing building is a great choice. PBI can guide you through the design and construction process to give you the results that you are looking for.

Whether you are just tuning up a kitchen, adding some additional square footage, or doing a complete renovation, implementing green products and practices can be part of your construction plan. By remodeling using green building principles you are creating a higher performing, more comfortable, healthier space, and taking less from the environment. Let’s look at some examples of green remodeling.

Green Thoughts for Remodeling a Kitchen:

Replace old cabinets with cabinets made from rapidly renewable materials like bamboo or an FSC Certified wood.  The interior of the cabinets should be constructed from No-VOC materials.  Finish the cabinets with a no VOC finish, and use a green or recycled counter top surface.  There is now a tremendous amount of green counter top materials that look great, and perform well.  Install a floor covering that is friendly to the environment, and doesn’t create off gassing.  Install Energy Star appliances.  Install water saving plumbing fixtures.  Install skylights or solar tubes for natural lighting.  Install task lighting to reduce the number of lights that need to be “always on”.  Paint the kitchen with no VOC paint.

Green Thoughts for Upgrading an Exterior:

If the exterior cladding is to be upgraded, it’s an excellent time to upgrade insulation since the old cladding will either be removed or covered up. Upgrade exterior doors by using better sealed, low maintenance doors.  Upgrade windows, this can be done with or without removing the existing windows.  Install longer lasting, higher performing exterior cladding.  Install longer lasting roofing, and use a product that can be recycled at the end of its lifespan.  Install composite decking.  Paint the building with low or no VOC paint.  Install landscaping that requires less water, less maintenance, and can provide beneficial shading during the hot months.

Green Thoughts for Upgrading an Interior:

Replace carpet with a green solid surface floor, or a green or recycled carpet product.  If upgrading doors and moldings, use FSC Certified or formaldehyde free products.  Install additional ventilation and filtering to improve Indoor Air Quality.  Install natural lighting and task lighting.  Install low flow plumbing fixtures and two stage toilets.  Paint with no VOC paint.  Upgrade HVAC to a high efficiency system.  Upgrade water heating system.

These are just some ideas of the many directions you can go when making the decision to go green. Green building practices can be applied to any size or type of remodeling project Each PBI project is designed around the owner’s needs and priorities.