With a total of 131 million existing housing units in the US (National Association of Realtors - 2010), and an average age of 28 years old, remodeling will continue to be a big component of the building trade.  Green remodeling is gaining steam, as awareness of energy cost and limitations increases around us.

The Original Modular
In 1940, my great grandfather ordered a house from the Sears & Roebuck catalog -- the original “modular” home!  You could select the design from the Sears Roebuck catalog, and they would ship you a kit of panels to bolt together.  One characteristic of these homes is the double joists & studs where the two panels butt against each other.  It has been in the family since it was built, and was never updated.

In 2006 we began the green rehab, while living in the home.  We have been in the green field for almost 20 years each as my wife is a Permaculture landscape designer, and I work in the commercial building industry on energy and chemical efficiency projects.  Our goal was to renovate responsibly without breaking the bank or having to get zoning variances or challenge any existing building codes.

The “Surburban” Lawn
The original yard was almost entirely grass, in keeping with the suburban town that Avon has become.  We re-designed the entire landscape using the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s “Organic Land Care” principles[1].  More than half the square footage of this suburban lawn was converted into flower beds and edible landscapes, and all landscape maintenance was converted to organic practices.  The yard was also made a certified wildlife habitat of the National Wildlife Federation.

To provide more privacy we planted two rows of deer-resistant conifers on the North side of the home.  These will eventually serve as screening, but in the mean time, while they grow, a temporary fence was installed for privacy and windbreak.  As another method of eliminating lawn and beautifying the neighborhood, a wildflower garden was planted in the front of the fence

A bed of asparagus was planted directly on the South side of the fence, to protect the plants from the North wind.  Asparagus is one of the only perennial vegetables (meaning it comes back each year on its own) that will grow in New England.

Organic lawns are easy to maintain.  Set your mower height at 4 inches and use organic products in the spring and in the fall.  Having clover in your lawn adds nitrogen to the grass.

There are 53 different plants that bloom on the property.  The yard features mulberries, elderberries, blueberry bushes, strawberry beds, and lots of Mountain Laurels - the Connecticut state flower.  A culinary and medicinal herb garden is planted right outside the kitchen door.  Next to the herb garden is a full vegetable garden.  All the gardens are fully drip irrigated, on a timer.  Drip irrigation conserves the most water of any system, since it waters only the plants, thus suppressing the general weed growth caused by watering with sprinklers.

Green Building Design
We expanded the original single story, 1,100 square foot plan to 2,300 by adding a sunroom and a full-length dormer on the South side of the home.  This allowed my family to care for our aging grandfather, and we designed handicap access into the new entryways in the event a wheelchair would be needed.  All the windows in the house have been changed over to double pane vinyl insulated windows, and all doors have been upgraded to insulated ones.

Heating & Cooling
The south facing roof overhangs were designed by an architect to block the hot summer sun but allow the winter sun in.  The sunroom has five skylights that admit daylight and exhaust hot air.

The house is heated with biodiesel fuel through an Energy Star compliant furnace with 4-zones of hot water heat, each controlled by a separate programmable thermostat.  All the hot water pipes have been insulated with fiberglass wrap to save oil.  The house has been professionally air sealed to stop drafts and to save money on heating.

There's a Yodel high efficiency woodstove which when the doors are open can heat the entire first floor.  To reduce cooling costs, there are also two thermostat controlled exhaust fans in the sunroom and four on the second floor, and four ceiling fans on the first floor.

Electricity and Water
The dishwasher and refrigerator are Energy Star compliant, meaning they meet federal standards for efficiency.  The house has a Maytag Neptune Energy Star energy and water-conserving washer.  All the plumbing fixtures in the bathrooms and kitchen are water conserving.  Each bathroom is also equipped with an electronic fan timer to exhaust fresh air and save energy.  The whole house is outfitted with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Finishes
All the paint used on the walls and trims for the house is low VOC, meaning it does give off small concentrations of toxic odors.  The carpet in the master bedroom is made from 100% polyprophelene meaning it can be recycled into carpet in its life.

The floors in the upstairs bedrooms are made of solid bamboo.  Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet and it's as hard as oak.  The bathroom floors are made of marmoleum, a combination of jute, pigments, and natural resins.  It's extremely durable and the color goes all the way through.

Countertops and tub surround are made from lyptus, a hybrid of two eucalyptus species.  With this, a new tree grows out of the old stump in just 15 years.  It's extremely hard and looks just like mahogany.

[1] www.organiclandcare.net

About the Author
Respectfully submitted by Dr. Mitch Kennedy, ND, LEED-AP www.designwithnature.us
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