Archive for November, 2009

Although not new, structural insulated panels (SIP) have recently garnered more attention than ever, thanks to the builders’, manufacturers’ and homeowners’ interest in green building and energy efficiency. With a view to energy efficiency, SIP is a good option. If you’ve ever been involved with any kind of construction in any way, you will notice that builders often use what look like large boards in place of conventional stick frames. Essentially, they’re replacing traditional house envelopes with SIP – and the best part about SIPs is that they can be used in place of any building material. SIPs are used in place of exterior walls, roofing material, floor boards and insulating the foundation.
The most obvious benefit of SIPs is that they have excellent insulating properties. A house built with one of the first ‘versions’ of SIPs in 1937 is still standing, after years of withstanding Wisconsin’s severe climate. The house was dedicated by then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and is currently used as a day care centre by the University of Wisconsin. Since then, SIPs have gone through many changes. The SIPs today play a significant role in reducing a house’s energy consumption requirements – particularly heating requirements, are quite low on maintenance and high on durability leading to lower operating costs and are easier and more efficient to construct. The only possible drawback that we might consider is their suitability over the long term in Northwest wet weather.

We had been looking for some beams to use on the living room and dining room ceilings and finally found some old growth beams in Seattle. The beams were originally installed in the Packard building, which was built in 1910, to house a Packard Auto dealership. From what we have learned, the building had at least two businesses occupy it during it’s 98 year life., the Packard car dealership and the Foley sign company. The building was torn down in 2008 to make way for new multi-use retail and residential building. A demolition company salvaged the lumber from the building and we were able to purchase a few of them.

As you might imagine, the beams needed a little work. We took them to Quality Solutions, a carpentry shop owned by Mike Anderson here in Olympia. Mike has the right equipment for cutting and planning large lumber like this. We started by cutting the beams down to the size we wanted, which was 8″ X 8” We then ran them through a planner to get all four sides smooth. From there we took them back to the house to finishes prepping them.

Using a hand power planner with a special curved blade, we proceeded to cut gouges into three sides of the beams. After that was completed, we sanded the beams with 60 grit and then again with 120 grit sandpaper. Then we coated them with a dark stain to contrast with the pine T&G boards we had already installed on the ceilings. After cutting the beams to fit between the walls and wedged them into place we crawled into the attic and secure them. We did this by laying 4X4’s across the top of the trusses bottom cords and then screwed ten inch long lags into the beams.

The end result is beautiful. It also fills good to know the beams have been given a new life ready to go for another 100 years.

Forget wood, laminate, ceramic and all those other offensive gas emitting and environment degrading options for your floors and walls. No green home is green without recycled tiles. And thankfully when it comes to this, we have many options. Recycled glass tiles seem to be a hot item on the internet and also among those who want to build green homes. This is probably because everybody has use for glass tiles and they are relatively cheaper to recycle than other materials. Also, for those looking at colour and vibrancy in their showers or kitchens, recycled glass tiles are affordable and they fit the bill perfectly.
For those of you looking for something little more unique – try out recycled metal tiles. Very few people have ever really tried any kind of metal tiles; leave alone recycled metal ones but the ones at Eco Friendly Flooring leave you quite speechless. They’re made from recycled aluminium or brass and would look absolutely stunning in the kitchen or even as plain decorative elements on a wall.
Another great option is rubber flooring. Before you get ideas about bouncing along as you walk, let us make ourselves clearer: Rubber Flooring is actually safer (because it’s slip-proof); durable (because it won’t crack and will expand when your house settles); comfortable (it’s sound absorbent, soft to feel and walk on) and quite economical when compared to other options. And if you thought you might not get variety, check out Rephouse for their colours and textures.
If you find yourself confused by all the recycled flooring results when you try Google, visit www.ecosurfaces.com – a one stop shop that covers flooring surfaces made from all types of eco-friendly , materials in many colours and textures.