New: A non-toxic primer from Kilz
Q: What’s even better than blocking stains with KILZ primer-sealer? A: Doing so without poisoning yourself. I’ve been a fan of KILZ stain-blocking primer for [...]
Green Remodeling
Downed Walnut Tree Milled Into Kitchen Cabinets
The cabinets in this South Dakota home were milled from a felled black walnut tree. If you’ve ever had to cut down a tree around your house, you know how sad that can [...]
Owners of Pre-1978 Homes May Soon Have a Better Pool of Contractors to Choose From
Own an older home? Beginning April 22, only contractors who have been trained in safe handling of lead-contaminated paint dust can legally work on your home. And that’s [...]
Fake Gas-powered Alarm Clock Wins Energy Star Label
Does a “gasoline-powered alarm clock” qualify for the Energy Star label, the government stamp of approval for an energy-saving product? Like more than a dozen other bogus [...]
Case study: First LEED for Homes Silver on West Coast
Tom Kelly is president of Neil Kelly Company, a design/build firm that his father founded 60 years ago in Portland, Oregon. Neil Kelly has supported sustainable building [...]
Recession hits ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ — No more McMansions
You aren’t the only one feeling the pinch. In an exclusive interview with WalletPop’s Jason Cochran, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition‘s resident carpenter, [...]
Ask an Expert: How can pregnant homeowner avoid remodeling hazards?
From the Contra Costa Times: Q I’m pregnant and will be remodeling my home soon. Is there anything I should be aware of (off-gassing, asbestos, glues, etc.) that could [...]
The Future Unrolled: Machine Makes Toilet Paper From Recycled Office Paper
The Japanese are at it again in the bathroom. This time, we see a large machine that shreds recycled office paper, mixes it with water to make a pulp and then turns it into [...]
Remodeling With Allergies in Mind
From the Indianapolis Star: Question: How can I make sure the materials I use in my remodeling project are safe for a family member with allergies? Answer: The best place to [...]
Got wind? Try a Honeywell Home Wind Turbine for About $6K
As seen at the International Builder’s Show, going on now in Las Vegas: Check out the Consumer Reports [...]
Poll — Top 10 Green Building Trends for 2010
The Earth Advantage Institute has given this matter a lot of thought, and here are what it considers the Top 10 green building trends for 2010 (stop me if you’ve heard [...]
California Adopts First Statewide Green Building Code
The Living Roof, a 2.5 acre rooftop above the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park on November 5, 2009. Some say the new ‘Calgreen’ voluntary rating [...]
A Greener House Fit for Man and Beast
For Seattle resident Andy Luk, it’s always been about his dog, Spiff. The massive mutt is as much a fixture in Luk’s home as his collection of Asian- and [...]
Posty Cards Breaks Ground on LEED Certified Expansion and Remodel
Posty Cards, Inc., a manufacturer of personalized business greeting cards in Kansas City, has broken ground on a $6.4 million expansion/remodel that is being built to LEED [...]
Trends in Green Flooring from Remodeling Magazine
Mari Strain, owner of Flooring Alternatives, a green flooring retailer that offers consulting services and ships products across the country, says that the range of [...]
Economy Wins, Environment loses? Survey Finds Consumers Now Would Rather Make their Homes Prettier Than Energy-efficient
A new national survey released today finds Americans once again prefer aesthetic home improvements – a refinished kitchen or bathroom – over [...]
LEED Gold Animal Shelter Opens in Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ North Central Animal Care Center has officially become the first LEED Gold certified animal shelter in the United States. An extensive remodel of the center, [...]
Brad Pitt’s New Orleans Recovery Creates World’s ‘Biggest Green Community’
A project helping New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina, fronted by Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, will build what’s being dubbed as the ‘largest and greenest [...]
White House to push for easier financing for home retrofits
U.S. homes waste a lot of energy, but who has the money to remodel? The White House is pushing for financing mechanisms to ease the burden. Joe Biden wants to remodel your [...]
Sheryl Crow To Help Open USGBC’s Greenbuild With Chase Field Performance
A performance by environmental advocate and nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow will help open the Greenbuild 2009 Conference, which will be held Nov. 11 to 13 in Phoenix. [...]
‘Ruins of the Second Gilded Age’
Not too long ago, a photo essay was posted on the New York Times website, and then quickly removed. And that means you probably didn’t see it. The title was [...]
Are solar panels ugly?
In Santa Monica, California, home of the really pretty people, solar panels are fine as long as you hide them from view. That is according to a blog posting at the L.A. [...]
Get out of House With Chinese Drywall, Doctor Tells Family
From CNN: Yorelle Haroush fled a million-dollar South Florida home this week — chased out, she said, by drywall made in China that’s emitting vapors that smell [...]
45 Ways to Green Any Home, Whether You Rent or Own
From the U.S. Green Building Council: KEY: UPFRONT COST: $ Low or none | $$ Moderate ($50-$500) | $$$ High ($500-plus) RELATIVE BENEFITS: Modest benefits | Moderate benefits [...]
Q&A: What Tax Credits Can I Get for Greening Up My Home?
From Energy Star: Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency ENERGY STAR distinguishes energy efficient products which may cost more to purchase than standard [...]
What’s Up With the Blue Wood?
If you’ve noticed some houses in your area being built or fixed up with blue- colored framing lumber, roof trusses and sheathing panels, you may think the Smurfs came [...]
Home’s green remodel gives mother and daughter space
See all photos Charles Darwin might have found an interesting research subject in the Burke family’s Goleta, Calif. home, which has evolved over the last 47 years as [...]
Eco Decorating Is Suddenly Hip
I guess my friend and co-author Kitty Bartholomew is a visionary. For many years, long before it was eco-hip, she was finding new uses for old things that have served their [...]
Video: Green Remodeling With Actor Adrian Grenier
I didn’t really want to like this guy, for some reason, but he’s pretty darned cool. His own house has denim insulation, reclaimed wood floors and reclaimed [...]
The Ipe Conundrum — Green or Not Green?
For several years, ipe (pronounced EE-pay) decking from Brazilian hardwood trees has been the darling of green builders. This beautiful wood looks like mahogany, and it does [...]
Bathroom Makeover Was Due
Toward the end of her pregnancy, Cindy Fitzgerald had two goals: to remodel the bathroom where she would care for the new baby and to get it done before she delivered. [...]
Where There Was Darkness, I Brought Light
One morning, as I walked down the hallway toward the bathroom, I felt startled when I saw light coming from there and I thought: “Darn it. I left the light on all [...]
Tank Water Heaters Better, This Green Builder Says
Over here at the Robinson/Price-Robinson abode, there has been a standoff concerning the new water heater we need so badly. Ours is likely 20 years old and not very [...]
My New Shower Curtain: Should I Toss it Out?
I was so excited about this new shower curtain, which was a gift for my husband. It was at about 35,000 feet, breathing airliner air, when I saw in a magazine this really [...]
The Votes Are In: Coolest Green Building Products
Each year, the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) holds a competition for the coolest building products. Here are the cool-product winners from one year in the green [...]
Ask the Resident Builder: Is it Time for an Electric Water Heater?
Question: I need a new water heater, and because my home’s gas bill is so high, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to get an electric water heater. My [...]
Keeping it Cool in Claremont, Calif.
Deb and Vern Jahnke, pictured here, are way too nice to brag. So let me do it for them. Even on the hottest days, their home in Claremont stays cool and comfortable without [...]
Cushions You Can Compost?
Does this bug you, too? You have a pillow, blanket or other textile that is clearly past its prime and too worn for the Goodwill. But you hate to see it take the slow ride to [...]
New Limits on McMansions Bring Cheers, Jeers From Readers
Would you like to see this built next to your house? Tuesday’s vote by the L.A. City Council to limit home sizes to 3,000 square feet on 5,000-square-foot flatland lots [...]
Seattle Houseboat Remodel: Pricey? Yes. Sexy? Oh yeah!
Another jewel in a series of amazing small spaces: Here’s what happens when a native of Japan and a native of the Netherlands, both with architecture degrees, remodel [...]
Problem With Tankless Water Heater, Seeking Solutions
Note: This is not the tankless water heater mentioned in the story. This one works fine, thank you very much. Reader Elise is having problems with her new tankless water [...]
What Blocks Your Views, Chokes Your Neighbors and Is Slowly Getting Outlawed?
This fireplace was blocking views and heat from the sun. So the owners took it out. It’s your wood-burning fireplace, of course. And they’re slowing going out of [...]
When bad solar fountains happen to good people
You don’t need to share with me the definition of insanity: trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Been there (bought junk), done [...]
Green Builder Profile: DAD’s Construction (Orange County, Calif.)
Company name: DAD’s Construction Inc. Website: www.dadsconstruction.com Principals: Dan Derkum and Lori Derkum Contact info: Lori Derkum, 25422 Trabuco Road, Suite [...]
Hot or not hot? Tin can wall covering
This wall covering made from tin can tops, as seen in the New York Times, has a certain appeal. But there’s something a little creepy about it, as well. Or is it just [...]
The Wonderful World of Greenwashing
How many ways are there to greenwash home-improvement products? To make toxic junk sound green? To put lipstick on a pig? So very many! Here are a few: • The packaging is [...]
Dispatch from the kitchen and bath show
Kitchen designer Susan Serra, who writes an ever-inspiring blog called The Kitchen Designer, just got back from the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Chicago and offered [...]
Top 10 home builder goes greener
Beazer Homes, one of the country’s 10 biggest home builders, announced that all new homes it builds will include features that contribute to water and energy savings, [...]
Indoor air polluted by paint fumes? Not for me, thank you
So I asked the guys at my local paint store about no-VOC and low-VOC paints. As you may know, VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, but you could also call them volatile [...]
Rammed-earth homes looking better all the time
Because I grew up around the tract-home building industry, I’ve had a hard time wrapping my mind around anything other than 2-by-4s, sheer panels and drywall. But now [...]