Information on making building and remodeling projects more eco-friendly.
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
Lessons in History, the Phoenix and Circular Architecture History repeats itself, with lessons for all of us. A recent exhibit in Warsaw, Poland, reminds us of the legend of the phoenix. The tale reveals that this immortal bird died by fire, only to be reborn again out of the ashes. After World War II, Warsaw
Designing with the environment in mind is a concept that goes back centuries. In fact, many ancient civilizations and indigenous cultures worldwide exhibited a deep connection to their natural surroundings through their architecture. Indigenous architecture often integrated design elements with local materials and construction techniques that were in harmony with the environment. During the Renaissance,
A version of this post first ran in 2016. Using graywater (sometimes spelled greywater) to irrigate your landscaping is an excellent way to reduce your water use in California's drought-prone climate. What Is Graywater? Graywater is water generated from household use that would otherwise go to waste. Water from bathroom sinks, laundry, shower, bath and
