The challenge of being "Green"

Where's the train?

In my last (short) blog I reported that I received the updated building permit.  I thought, having received the final approval, the project would proceed "Full Steam Ahead."  But, as usual, my expectations have not been met.   Now the holdup seems to be getting Goliath Tech here to install the helical piles.  The good news is that work is continuing on the containers.  

Here is a picture that James sent me.  As you can see, the openings for the windows on the upper story have been cut out and framed with metal.  The black around the openings is primer to protect the metal from rusting.

While I wait for the site work to move forward, I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about "green" products.  I've been putting this off for years because it is very complicated.

Being green is not easy because there are so many factors to consider and few, if any,  products meet all the criteria.  For instance, bamboo is considered a sustainable material because it is renewable and fast growing, but most of it comes from China and it takes energy to ship it here.  Also, you might want to think about the manufacturing process--does it use excessive amounts of water, does it use harmful chemicals, are the workers exploited?  The only way to evaluate your choices is to prioritize what is important to you.  Are you concerned more about climate change, sustainability, a healthy environment, or fair-trade and/or ethical production?  And most of us have to include the dollar cost when making our decisions.

In spite of the copious amounts of information on the internet, it isn't always easy to find the answers you need to make informed decisions, but there is hope.  I recently learned about a website that rates products by their energy efficiency with more detail than EnergyStar.  It is called Enervee.com.  If you use their ratings, you will want to look for products with a 90 or better rating.  The Living Future Institute has a program called Declare Products and a long Red List of harmful chemicals.  Companies voluntarily submit their products, so the list is limited but growing every day.  The information available includes such things as chemical content, VOC content, life expectancy, end of life disposition (recyclable or landfill) and Red List free (or not).  There are other certifications, as well, like GreenGuard.

The first task I took on was to figure out what kind of flooring I would use.  As I wrote previously,  I decided to go with reclaimed lumber.  I was pleased to have made that big decision and to be able to move on to other things.  In hindsight, I might have jumped the gun.  I got a call from the suppliers that the wood was loaded on their truck--ready for delivery.  I was not expecting this.  I have no house and don't know when I will.  After much back and forth, I agreed to let them unload it in my driveway (next door to the vacant lot).   While they unloaded the wood, I couldn't help noticing the amount of damaged and unusable boards.  They explained that they were giving me more than I ordered so that there would be enough good wood for the job.  All I can say is I hope they are right.  

 The timing was also bad because they delivered the wood the day before the weather moved into a very windy and wet period.    Though they had attempted to cover the wood pile with plastic, the wood still got wet.

 And so the saga continues.....Will there be enough wood?  What condition will it be in by the time the house is ready for it?  How will the contractor react when he sees the wood?  What will it look like when finished?  Eventually the answers will reveal themselves.

The next decision I needed to make was what cabinets to use.  I think a great green choice would be to reuse cabinets someone discarded, but that is a huge challenge--finding cabinets that would would fit the space, design, etc. and not look like junk, and they could contain harmful chemicals.  I am not considering this for the main house, but it could be a possibility for the accessory dwelling unit.  The ADU kitchen design is very simple so I will be keeping a lookout for cabinets that could fit.

Another excellent green choice is cabinets made from reclaimed, locally sourced wood.  I got a recommendation and estimate and found it to be many times more expensive than other options, making it outside most people's budgets.

The most economical new cabinet option seems to be Thermofoil cabinets.  These are the type of cabinets my contractor uses and is what my cabinet allowance is based on.  They use MDF wood covered with Thermofoil.  Thermofoil is made from vinyl or plastic.  I have 2 problems with this.  First is it's questionable durability.  There are reports of issues with chipping, as well as heat and water damage.  Second, PVC has environmental and health concerns.  The MDF or Medium Density Fiberboard can also contain glues and resins which may be harmful to the environment.  I have ruled this out as an option.

There are other kinds of laminates or veneers used with MDF.  IKEA has a cabinet door made from recycled plastic bottles that I was excited about until I found out that the recycled portion was only a veneer on top of the MDF and it only took 2 plastic bottles to make one cabinet door.  Of less a concern is the fact it only comes in black.  Another company has a veneer made from reclaimed lumber, but again it is only a thin layer on top of the MDF.

So what else is there?  Back to basics--all wood cabinets made and sourced in the USA.  I found a company, MOD Cabinetry, with headquarters in Berkeley, CA that fits this criteria.   They have solid wood cabinets made from PureBond NAUF American hardwood plywood, which means it is "wood sourced from sustainably harvested North American forests and utilizes a soy-based alternative to toxic, formaldehyde-based resins."  I was able to visit their showroom and was impressed with what I saw.  The cabinets I chose are going to be painted with zero VOC paints.   The cabinets will be easy to repair or repaint and should have a long life span.  While they cost more than the Thermofoil cabinets, they are a lot less expensive than the reclaimed wood cabinets.

I will be exceeding the contractor's allowance for cabinets, so I'm trying to save in other areas.   I have been sourcing materials, like tile, on Nextdoor and Craigslist.  More on that for another blog.

Full steam ahead!!!!

I got the word yesterday that the city approved the plans!!

That means that work can progress.  The next big step is the installation of the helical piers.  That is estimated to happen in 2 to 3 weeks.  Meanwhile, the contractor will be doing ditch work for the utilities (water, sewer, electric).

I'm tasked with selecting "finishings" and will be writing about my search and decision process.

It is a great relief that our redesigned foundation was approved, but I never allowed myself to consider otherwise.  😁