“Green building” has become a mantra among designers, builders and their customers, although it’s not simple to define succinctly what it means or to generalize about how best to put its principles into practice. Good green building plans are made based on careful analysis of a specific site, existing conditions, the local climate and well-defined project goals. What is clear is that building green is important. It’s the wave of the present and future, and it adds value in building and remodeling projects.

 

At the heart of the green building concept is a drive for projects to have as little impact on the environment as possible. This means controlling energy, water and materials consumption; stemming the flow pollutants into the air and water and as much as possible reducing the amount of material introduced to the waste stream.  Allied to these goals are building safe, healthy, comfortable, durable living and workspaces. Accessible design—that is, assuring that spaces, fixtures and fittings are easily usable by people with disabilities—is another component of green building.

 

Green design and building approaches are essentially conservative. Applied to home remodeling projects, green building theory wants designers and builders to view the house, property and the local environment as integrated systems that must work together. It wants remodelers to change as little as possible even as they work toward their home-improvement goals. Any changes made to existing house systems should be for the better (e.g., add insulation and upgrade energy performance of windows to improve comfort and reduce energy consumption). Additions should be designed for low impact (e.g., enlarge the building footprint as little as possible, increase heating and cooling loads as little as possible, anticipate and design for the future, and use durable building materials to avoid the need for further construction anytime soon).

Truly green remodeling starts with careful inspection, testing and analysis of the existing home. To find energy-draining, comfort-reducing leaks in the building envelope, most professionals would recommend something called a blower-door test. For forced-air heating systems, there might be a duct-blaster test to identify leaks. Furnaces, boilers and gas water heaters should be evaluated for combustion safety.  How long does it take for heated water to reach plumbing fixtures? If it’s too long, energy is being wasted. Wiring, switching and lighting should also be assessed for potential improvements. You’d  also want to inspect for moisture leaks and/or inadequate ventilation, which can promote mildew growth, which is extremely destructive and unhealthy. Is asbestos present? Or lead paint?

 

If part of the remodeling intention is to gain more space for particular uses, the preliminary analysis will focus on whether the existing space can be reconfigured to attain the goal rather than enlarging the footprint of the home. If an addition is deemed necessary, a green design approach would keep its footprint to a minimum and strategize how best to integrate the new space with the old without discarding existing finish materials.

 

Keeping in step with green building practices doesn’t always mean choosing the most advanced, expensive solutions. You don’t have to install solar panels to heat water and generate your own electricity to be green. Instead, orthodox green builders always calculate the cost and benefit of any potential improvement. The greenest approach is usually the one avoids the most waste.

 

For example, let’s say a remodeling analysis concludes that there’s a lot of heat loss through and around windows. One remodeling option would be to replace old windows with new high-tech windows fitted with low-emissivity glazing. But if the existing frames are sound, why replace whole units? Full replacement would mean a lot of demolition waste and extensive repairs to siding. Perhaps it would be better just to replace the existing window sash with more energy-efficient units. It might be possible to seal gaps around existing window frames with blow-in insulation or injectable sealants.  If the second approach could address the window energy performance at lower cost with less less labor and less construction waste, it would be the greener solution.

 

One of principles that the example illustrates is that in working toward greener remodeling approaches, a few smaller measures may be equally or more effective than one dramatic stroke. The details count in green building, and it’s difficult to imagine all of the possibilities and make the cost-benefit calculations without special training and experience. 

 

If you’re serious about low-impact remodeling that produces safe, healthy and durable living spaces, consult with designers and contractors that have LEED-AP certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; AP stands for accredited professional) is a program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for training building professionals in environmentally friendly, sustainable building practices and rating buildings on the extent to which those practices are integrated within a given project. LEED-APs are among the best-equipped building professionals to help sort out the options and move forward with effective remodeling plans.

With rising awareness of the popularity and importance of green building, many building products marketers are now promoting their products with claims of environmental benefits and/or low impact. Do-it-yourselfers and buy-it-yourselfers can cut through the hype and identify products that comply with green building standards by looking for labels and certifications by a several reliable groups that are endorsed by the U.S. Green Building Council: