Green & Reclaimed Materials ~ Once Old, Might Be New Again

Over the years we have had clients approach us and request that we change out old materials and do some upgrades to their homes and property. As a result we’ve adopted a number of green ideas that might appeal to a lot of people along these lines.

Replacing your bulbs with LED lighting is a great way to reduce electricity consumption and reduce your monthly utility bill. The bulb life is five to ten years which saves lots of shopping time, install time, and reduces landfill space. You should always first have a qualified electrician verify that your present dimmer switches and light fixtures will be compatible with LED type bulbs.

Another consideration is installing solar panels on rooftops. The owner of our office building just did that as well as a matter of fact. It saves money when it can be used to create power for your property and of course many folks look at it as better for the environment.

Reclaimed materials are getting popular. We once worked on a home that turned logs recovered from the bottom of a lake into flooring for the kitchen. A recent project included installing wall tile made from petrified forest wood to cover the feature wall behind the vanity in a master bath. In rural areas, like New York State’s Hudson Valley where we have facilities, there are opportunities to get reclaimed wood-siding from old barns. The barn’s insides in particular offer great material to work with. They can have beautiful patinas and using them gives a re-birth to what otherwise would be discarded material.

Sometimes you don’t have to look beyond our own yard or acreage. If there are stones and big rocks on your property then you can craft them into stone walls and patios, and reduce or even avoid the cost of going to a quarry. If you have stone laying around, it might be easily collected and re-used.

Another tip on greener home renovation is to look for paints labeled low VOC, meaning low in volatile organic compounds. A lot of our clients have been requesting those. The low VOC paints have a minimal odor during application so they are great to use if you are painting while occupying your residence. Also long term, the low VOC paints do not emit harsh chemicals and are asthma and allergy friendly.