Green Remodeling Provides a Second Chance at SustainabilityLife Cycle

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As part of a philanthropy project with the Madison Area Builders Association, Abe Degnan, vice president of Degnan Design Builders in DeForest, Wis., was co-project manager of a $100,000 remodeling project to provide Tookes with a home that both met her aging-in-place needs and demonstrated green remodeling techniques.

The greenest way to do it, Degnan says, was to cut the building down to its bare studs, recycling the wood and metal, and install new wiring and insulation. They used spray foam insulation for the ring joists and attic penetrations, installed R-50 cellulose insulation in the attic, and went from R-1 insulation to R-15 on the walls. In all, they reduced air infiltration by 51 percent. With solar hot water collection and a hybrid heat pump instead of a steam boiler, the owner is expected to save around $1,000 per year on her energy bills.

The team also put thought into the finishing touches. They installed recycled-content gypsum board and textured it with low-VOC products. They chose locally made cabinetry built with low-VOC MDF, and almost all lighting in the home is compact fluorescent. Degnan says that while Tookes didn't know a lot about green remodeling in the beginning, she "was thrilled with the change in her home. She was thrilled with the energy changes, but also happy with the improved indoor air quality."

Green Guidance

If you're looking for guidance, several organizations are developing or already have green remodeling programs. Here's the scoop:

• The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) has both education and a certification program. The green education program, available as a tele-seminar or through some local chapters, runs for a total of 24 hours over 12 weeks and covers the basics of building science, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and a variety of other systems and green processes. GCP, or "Green Certified Professional," is a designation offered by the organization to remodelers that meet education and experience prerequisites and pass a comprehensive exam. www.nari.org
• Regreen is a set of residential remodeling guidelines developed through a partnership by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The guidelines are in draft mode, with a final introduction expected at the ASID conference this month. The program will help design and construction professionals understand green remodeling best practices, and will complement USGBC's LEED for Homes, according to Linda Sorrento, director of education and research partnership for the USGBC. www.regreenprogram.org
• NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines were meant to apply to new homes, but as part of the ICC-NAHB committee's work to convert the guidelines to an ANSI standard, the committee is adding a section that applies to residential remodeling, says Calli Schmidt, NAHB director of environmental communications. After that, she adds, remodelers will be able to use an online scoring tool so remodeling projects can be nationally certified after being verified in the field. The NAHB also offers a Certified Green Professional designation. www.nahbgreen.org

More Resources

• www.greenhomeguide.com: Homeowners looking to remodel green will be able to find local NARI Green Certified Professionals in GreenHomeGuide's green directory, according to NARI.
• www.greenproductsandtechnology.com: Our sister publication's Web site is full of new green products, project case studies, and overviews of green product categories.
• www.toolbase.org: Provides technical information on building systems and green technologies.

Suite Deal

The remodeler was given one simple request for the 500-square-foot project in Berkeley, Calif.: "I want the healthiest home possible." However, the space, an apartment wing of a house built in the 1940s, provided a variety of challenges that turned that request into an extensive structural renovation that improved the quality and healthfulness of not only the unit, but the entire house.

Remodeled as a 625-square-foot in-law suite for an ailing mother living with her son, the below-grade wing at the front of the house at first seemed merely outdated and dreary, according to the remodeler, Odin's Hammer of Berkeley. But when the contractors started deconstructing wall and ceiling surfaces, they uncovered mold, dry rot, and structural problems caused by poor quality construction and undetected water intrusion.