Eco-Remodelers

Last month, I bought some very inexpensive pipe insulation from the local hardware store. It’s specifically designed to wrap up your hot water pipes. I installed the insulation in about 20 minutes so it’s a very easy project for any DIYer.

Coming out of our hot water heater are metal pipes that send heated water to our sinks, bathtub, and shower throughout the house. Down in our basement, these pipes are exposed (not surrounded by drywall or any type of insulation.) This means that they are losing, or transferring, some of the heat from the water to the pipe and out into the room. This means that it’s not as efficient.

The pipe insulators come in the correct size for your pipes and usually have a cut down the middle to allow for easy installation around your pipe. Usually you have to cut it to length to make sure it fits around connectors and junctions. I also bought metallic tape, specific to insulation, to seal up the split down the middle of the insulation and to make sure it stays in place.

Total spend was about $25 to cover all the exposed piping in my basement. And I’ve already seen a change in our electric bill. But it’s hard to determine exactly how much because we’re using less heat now that it’s no longer winter and the heater is not coming on as much. But year-over-year, there was a 5% dip in our electric bill.

It’s probably not worth it if the water pipes are already behind drywall and not accessible to be wrapped. But if they are exposed, it’s a great idea.

Also, look for pipes that are not sending hot water out but may be the water source pipe sending water to your heater. You don’t need to wrap these because they contain no heated water. You can feel the pipe to see if it’s warm or cold.

It’s cheap, easy to install, and it saves you money. And it’s permanent - once the wraps are up there, they’ll be there forever. They’re made of a thick foam that should last a lifetime. When added to a water heater blanket, you’ll make your hot water much more efficient!

The green renovation continues! I spent all day Sunday installing bamboo floors in our dining room. It’s the same bamboo I used in the 2nd floor bedroom/office. I had to run over to Lumber Liquidators to pick up 2 additional boxes to complete the work.

It turned out really well. One problem I had was the two additional boxes of bamboo. They were from a different batch - even though they were from the same company, there was a difference. The coloring was very similar but the new batch had a smoother and shinier surface.

I noticed right away and made two piles of bamboo planks. I would take a different plank from each pile and mixed them all together. I also adjusted the lengths of each row I would start so the entire floor has a completely random pattern of cuts to go along with the different looks on the planks.  I’m pretty happy with it.

I didn’t complete the baseboards or the transition pieces. I was too tired. I did the entire room, about 300 square feet, in 6 and a half hours. I made sure I completed anything I would need the pneumatic floor stapler for before I returned the rental to Home Depot.

Until I start on finishing our basement, that’s pretty much it for our flooring needs in the house. We’ve got recyclable carpeting and bamboo flooring (along with the new hardwood floors that came with the house.)

Next, I’m going to look into composting.

One room is done! The fourth bedroom, which is also going to be my office, is finished. I installed the bamboo flooring in this room because it is my practice room - if I mess it up there, not many will ever see it!

So, the dining room will be next, but it will have to be after we move. Our current, official move-out date for our townhouse is October 15th. I’ll take up the dining room, which is considered a non-essential room at this point, after we’re in and settled.

The bamboo floor was not very difficult to install. And all the planks were perfect. I didn’t have a single bad one in the bunch.

To install this flooring, I had previously screwed down the plywood subfloor to give it a stable base.

Next, I bought an air compressor (that also came with a brad nailer) and I rented a flooring stapler from Home Depot.

I put down the black felt underlayment that I bought with my bamboo flooring. I nailed down my first row of bamboo planks using my brad nail gun. I had to cut a piece around the air conditioner register using my mitre saw. It’s important to start on the longest “outside” wall in the room - it’s usually the straightest. But you’ll want to put down a chalk line to make sure you’re installing the boards straight.

I had to nail down the 2nd row as well.

You might be able to see the brad nails in the picture above. I used a nail set and hammer to tap down the nails below the surface of the bamboo. I’ll use a wood filler that matches to cover up those nail holes.

After that, I had room to use to my stapler. I would tap each plank into place, making sure the bamboo boards were tight against each other, then I would line up the staple gun. I simple whack of the mallet on the staple gun and it would drive a two-inch staple through the tongue of the plank and into the subfloor below.

As you can see in the picture, the staple split the tongue on the bamboo plank. I backed off the pressure of the compressor to under 95 psi. This kept the staple from driving in so hard that it would split the bamboo.

I did it on my own and I completed a 13 foot by 9 foot bedroom in one day. I would line up each row of bamboo and then go along and staple each board down. Luckily, I didn’t have to use a table saw to slice up the last row to make it fit. The last row was an exact width of the bamboo plank. I did, however, have to nail in those last two rows - because the staple doesn’t allow you to have any room to strike it with the mallet when its so close to the wall.

I staggered all the boards in a random pattern. Never let the seams of the boards line up. This helps give the flooring extra strength. Also, you don’t want to install the flooring right up to the walls. You want to give the wood (or bamboo, in this case) room to expand and contract. Leave about half an inch all around the floors to make sure there is space. When you install the baseboards, if you can still see a gap then you can install a section of quarter-round to the baseboard to fill it.

Also, I did one particular room in an “un-green” fashion. While I was at Lumber Liquidators, I tried to see if they had any spare bamboo or other eco-friendly flooring options. But… they didn’t. They did have some hardwood flooring but it was in such a small amount leftover they couldn’t sell it. I only needed to fill a 6 foot by 6 foot walk-in closet in our master bedroom. So… I bought the hardwood. I needed to do it.

Using all the same equipment, I installed the flooring in our closet on Sunday.

It’s a maple hardwood that was stained a rich, red cherry color. I had just enough to fill the small closet with only one 3 foot board left over.

Even though hardwood is not a green material, I was able to put their small leftover quantity to good use so that none was wasted. I know… I’m rationalizing, but I needed flooring and I got it for less than a dollar a square foot.

Here’s a closeup shot of the stapler resting on the floorboard so it can drive the staple into the tongue.

And the final product. It turned out very nice. Now I just need to re-install the baseboards around the floor in both rooms. I’ve primed and painted the baseboards before installation to avoid spilling any paint on the new floors.

I’ve got some seriously squeaky floors…

Many of the rooms in my house have them. I decided to take care of it when I prepped our dining room for the installation of bamboo flooring I just bought. I removed the old royal blue carpeting and took it out for recycling. The pad underneath, I was forced to throw away. Those carpeting pad generally cannot be recycled.

If you have a squeak under your carpeting, linoleum, vinyl or wood floors, there’s a good chance it’s in your subfloor. The subfloor is the plywood that is nailed to the floor joists. The problem with using nails is that wood tends to expand and contract when the weather changes. Those pesky nails loosen up and when you walk on your floor, the subfloor goes up and down on those nails. That causes the squeak.

And if you happen to be removing your flooring (to install an eco-friendly cork or bamboo floor!) it is the perfect time to fix the squeaking.

I removed the carpet, pad, carpet tack strips, and all those staples that held down the padding. After that, I vacuumed the floor to get up all the small pieces of junk that I had created. Next, I pulled out my drill and some floor screws. I used inch and a half screws and followed along where I saw nails.

The subfloor nails usually go in a straight line, along the same path as the floor joist underneath. I put in screws close to the nails to really help hold down the plywood. After screwing in about 40 nails across the dining room, I was done.

I walked back and forth on all those same squeaky spots and there was no sound. I went down into the basement and looked up at the floor joists to make sure I didn’t have any screws that missed or that had caught onto anything dangerous (like electrical wiring) or expensive (like HVAC ducts.)

Had the squeaks persisted, I would probably have gone back down to the basement and put 2 x 6 boards up in between floor joists and nailed them together. Floor joists are usually 12 to 16 inches apart. I could have cut several 2 x 6 boards to that length, inserted them perpendicular to the joists, and attached them with nails. That gives longer joists added strength and can prevent those squeaks.

Next, I have to install the bamboo floors. I bought several cases from Lumber Liquidators yesterday. Once I pick them up, I’ll leave them in the dining room for 5 to 7 days. This allows the bamboo to acclimate to the temperature and humidity of the room and I’ll get a better fit (and less squeaks!) once they’re installed.

Well, my first major project on the house was not a direct “green” remodeling job. Before I bought the house, the home inspector and I noticed there were some leakage problems in the basement. Part of our offer on the house included a demand to remedy the basement drainage system and shore up the walls in case there had been any extensive damage. That had all been taken care of prior to our closing on the house.

What I needed to do was take care of the cause of the problem.

I had noticed that the gutters on the house were worn out and no longer effective. There were gaps and a bad pitch on the gutters that was allowing rainwater to run right off the roof and down into the foundation of the house.

It rains a lot here in Ohio and I needed to make sure I had good protection for the foundation and basement (which I eventually hope to finish.) I spent all day on Sunday removing and replacing the gutters on the house. And when I say it wasn’t a direct green project, it will have eventual green results.

Currently, the downspouts move any rainwater down into the ground and into pipes that carry the water to the curb. The water is eventually washed down to drains on the street. All this fresh, clean rain is being wasted!

I plan to install cisterns at the end of each downspout to capture the water collected during a rain storm. Eventually, I may even try to install an underground water tank to store it all. I can use the water for irrigating my landscaping and lawn on the hot, dry days. I may even be able to use the water for flushing toilets and other household needs. But those are projects for another day.

I had to buy a ladder that would get me all the way up to the second floor. I bought new aluminum gutters, hangers, zero VOC caulk for outdoor use, and gutter guards to prevent debris from clogging up the gutters and downspouts.

The original gutters were in pretty bad shape. They were bent and barely hanging on. I only had to remove a few of the nails and they came crashing down. Unfortunately, they came down on me. I got sprayed with old, stale water and dirt. Not fun on a 90 degree humid day…

I put up the new gutters in sections. I would climb up and pound in several nails in a straight line. I would then prep my new gutter section with hangers and carry it up the ladder. I would set the gutter under the shingles from the roof and on top of the nails I had placed. Then I fastened the screws into the fascia board of the house, making sure that each 10 foot section dropped by 1/4 inch down toward the downspout.

I repeated this process until all the gutters were in place and secured to the downspouts. I applied caulk to all the seams in the gutter sections to make sure there would be no leaks. I ran out of time to install the gutter guards, but I’ll take care of that this weekend. I also plan to test the gutters at that time. I want to run a hose up and spray the roof. I’ll watch to make sure the water rolls in past the gutter guards and that there are no leaks.

If your house doesn’t have gutters or the ones you’ve got are in sad shape, I’d recommend installing a new set. It will protect your biggest investment. If you want more details on how to do it, email me at tim (at) ladaddy (dot) com. If you need to find a contractor to install gutters, you can submit a request on the ConstructionDeal.com website for free and you’ll get quotes from gutter pros the same day.

The nice thing about the old metal gutters that I removed? I can recycle them. They can be dropped off at the local recycling stations here in Dublin, Ohio and I won’t have to feel guilty about just throwing them away. If you need to find a local recycling center near you, try Earth 911. Describe your recycling product/material and where you’re located and get a list of local stations.

One of the disadvantages of buying a “used” home is that someone else made quite a few choices about it before you came along.

I was hoping to buy a home with a two car garage that had not been “finished.” A finished garage means that there is drywall installed on the studs. Usually the walls have also been textured, primed, and painted.

In the case of our house, there are walls in our garage but they haven’t been done well. I can see the drywall tape that patches two sheets together. There are holes in the drywall. And the walls are very dirty (but covered with one coat of cheap, flat paint so they can’t be washed.)

One thing I also wanted was to insulate the garage walls before I put up drywall. This would allow the room to be comfortable in cold weather and would help act as an insulating barrier between the outside and the house during winter.

I’m torn. I don’t know what I should do. I’d hate to tear down the existing drywall just to make the garage more to my liking. I’m wasting drywall by removing it, buying more, and installing it. I know that drywall can be recycled - the gypsum has to be separated from the paper, with dust being kept to a minimum - but I don’t know if it’s possible here in Ohio.

I could spend a large amount of time patching the drywall, repairing holes and bad tape jobs, and painting it. But there are so many more projects needed to be done before we can move in.

I’ll have to do some checking to see what my options are.

Update - I called around to the City of Columbus, Solid Waste Management, and a few other sources and found there is no recycling program here for drywall. If I dump it, it will go into a landfill… Which I don’t like the idea of. I may have to repair and paint the existing drywall and not bother with insulating the garage at this time…

Okay. I’m ready to start turning my new (new to me!) house into a green home…

Where do I start? Oh, man, this is going to be tough.

I think it’s so much easier to have a specific project in mind and not have to deal with getting an entire house ready to live in. I’m one of those people who will pick a project and as I’m walking past another problem… I will stop and work on that new problem. I need to force myself to look at the larger picture.

We closed on our house on Tuesday (yesterday) and we had a brief window of time to take a few things over before we picked up the kids. I’ve got two daughters (4 and 9 months) and so the house is not something we can spend all day, every day, working on.

I managed to take over a lot of tools as well as a few working lights so that we could see in the dark and for safety purposes when we’re not there. I put CFL bulbs and timmers on the lights so they would turn on and off on their own and not use much energy.

Our first steps, I believe, will be to get the house ready to be painted. We’ll also need to remove the day-glow bright blue carpeting. Our plan is to recycle the carpeting at the Re-Store. It’s a store run by Habitat for Humanity where they sell items from previous remodels or use the items in the houses they build. They only take recent or new products (to make sure they are efficient products or materials.) The carpt is fairly new, but extremely ugly and not something we want to live with.

I also need to address a few problems around the house to make sure things are sealed up tighter. Many people have a high heating and/or cooling bill and it can really help to cut down on any major holes, gaps, or cracks in windows, door frames, siding, flooring, etc.

I’ll be taking a lot more tools and supplies that I’ve brought with me from L.A. over to our new house over the next day or so. I’m sure I’ll have to purchase a few things that I don’t already have.

Lots to do. Lots to do.

The search continues for a house to buy. With the housing market in disarray, there are a lot of houses to choose from but we want to find one we’ll be happy with.

So far, we’ve seen a lot of homes in the area where we want to settle down. But nothing has really blown us away. Each has a lot to like and a few things we didn’t like.

Naturally, we want a house in our price range. But we also want to take advantage of this “buyers market.” The more we can save, the more we can spend on our eco-remodeling projects. Another criteria for our house hunting efforts is that we don’t want the best or nicest house on the block. It’s important when renovating a home to not “over-renovate” it. If we do too much expensive remodeling to the nicest house around, we’d never get our money back out if we ever sell it. Finally, we want a home with good bones. This means that we’re not looking at the color of the walls, the condition of the appliances and cabinets, or the style of the carpet.

We can change those things. We’re looking at the square footage, the size of the rooms, shape of rooms, where the load-bearing walls are, location of plumbing fixtures. These are the things that require a lot of time and effort to change.

We visited one house last night and we’re going to see two more tonight. Maybe we’ll find something we just can’t live without.