Information on making building and remodeling projects more eco-friendly.
No, not that kind of grass – the lawn kind of grass. Many homeowners and even commercial businesses in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties maintain significant areas of lush green lawns and grassy areas. If you live in Marin County, you can cash in on this offer through Marin Water’s Rebate and receive funds for
Every year, the debate rages about the clock switching ritual of daylight saving time as we chase the sunlight. We recently experienced the Spring Forward, with all its morning grogginess, sleep deprivation and for some people, the increased likelihood of strokes and heart attacks. That certainly can get us thinking about the effect sunlight has
There are lots of ways to increase your home's energy efficiency and reduce your impact on our environment, from small, simple changes to larger projects that may cost more up front but will save you money in the long run. Easy and Free These are the low-hanging fruit for increasing energy and water efficiency –
Salvaging What Matters in Home Building When an older home undergoes extensive remodeling, or a complete tear down, what happens to the debris? Most of it ends up in landfills. Let’s dust off that old adage, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” There are a multitude of reasons to think this way. It will
Building design can have a signficant impact on your health. According to the landmark National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS), conducted between 1992 and 1994, people spend an average of 87 percent of their lives in enclosed buildings, where pollutants like tobacco smoke, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), asbestos, pesticides and carbon monoxide can prolilferate and,
There was a time, not so long ago, when greywater systems were not allowed in some municipalities. Even today, they are regulated. Long-running droughts have, of necessity, made the installation of greywater systems not only legal but desirable. Greywater is the water used in your washing machine and in your bath for bathing or showering
Summer is almost here. That means warmer weather, more water usage for landscaping, and higher utility bills if you have an AC system. With concerns about climate change and high energy bills, many homeowners are looking for green alternatives. Solar panels and native, drought-resistant plants come to mind. But what if you live in a
We recycle plastics, paper, food waste but house paint? Why, and what happens to it? Living in Marin County, California, most of us are hyper-aware of the need to practice habits that protect our environment. We’ve got the green can for left-over scraps of food and the vegetation cuttings from our yards. We have a
Do they exist? The hunt is on for home-building materials and designs that can withstand the rages and changes brought on by climate change. Once-in-a-hundred-year floods, fires and storms are becoming much more common occurrences, taking lives and wreaking havoc. Homeowners are rattled and rightly so. Insurance rates are rising, and some insurers are leaving
An architectural challenge facing many cities in the US is how best to convert commercial office buildings into housing. Some might wonder why conversions of empty office buildings aren’t happening faster. Cities like San Francisco face a lack of affordable housing and a growing homeless population. The same is true even for smaller cities like
