HOW MANY GREEN BUILDING PRINCIPLES ARE THERE?

By Carl Seville, GBA Advisor

(This column originally appeared at www.greenbuildingadvisor.com as an entry of Carl Seville’s blog, Green Building Curmudgeon. The link to this particular item is http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-curmudgeon/how-many-green-building-principles-are-there.)

Some say there are five key green building concepts, others say four, six, seven, eight, or even nine. When will we reach a consensus?

Lately I have been struggling with identifying the core concepts of green building and remodeling. For years I was comfortable with a list of four items: energy efficiency, durability, indoor environmental quality, and resource efficiency. Then I got an earful from my little unibrowed buddy, Michael Anschel, who pinpoints five core concepts: energy efficiency, water efficiency, resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and site and community impact. We had a spirited discussion about it, recorded for posterity, where I convinced him that he needed to include durability, based on my argument that too many professionals still have a long way to go toward making buildings durable.

Then Martin Holladay comes up with his “Green Homes Don’t Need to Be Durable” blog post, which he won’t let go of. Now I am really starting to question my own sanity and that of everyone else in the green building industry.

Let’s Try to Come Up with a Number

After a quick review of green building programs that I am familiar with, LEED for Homes has seven sections; the National Green Building Standard has six; Minnesota Green Star has five; and EarthCraft House has nine. Okay, now I am totally confused.

On top of this, I am currently working on a green building textbook with Abe Kruger, and we have come up with eight principles: energy efficiency, resource efficiency, durability, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, community impact, homeowner education and maintenance, and sustainable site development. I realize that in the end, everyone is heading in the same direction via slightly different routes. Demand is rising, both in the industry and among consumers, for a single green standard that everyone can follow. While I can see that happening eventually, I expect that it will take a long time for all the existing programs to distill themselves down to a single, consistent standard. In the meantime, we will have to work with what we have.

(Carl Seville, owner of Seville Consulting in the Metro Atlanta area, is a green builder, educator, and consultant on sustainability to the residential construction industry. After a 25-year career in the remodeling industry, he has dedicated himself to advancing residential green building and remodeling by consulting with, speaking to, writing for, and training industry professionals, and by certifying homes under the LEED, EarthCraft, NAHB, and Energy Star programs. Seville, a green remodeling consultant from Decatur, is among a group of 15 green building industry experts serving as advisors for www.GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, a new residential green building website launched by BuildingGreen, LLC. For more information about Seville, see www.sevilleconsulting.com.)

Add comment November 15th, 2009

VANISHING FLOORS

By Michael Purser
How many times can a wood floor be sanded? There seems to be universal agreement that the magic number is three and that could spell problems for any house built before the 1950s. After the original sanding when the house was built, many homes got their second sanding during the ’70s and ’80s when wall to wall carpet fell out of favor with homeowners. This means that any more sanding from that point on can be the final one with few options to consider. For the last 35 years, most of my work has been on old floors and I think I can provide you some insight.

What do you look for?

These two pictures help explain some warning signs. Most floors are tongue and groove and fit together like a puzzle and are secured to the subfloor with hidden nails. After repeated sanding, you will begin to see the nail heads as in the photo at left. The shiny objects above the pencil are nail heads. Continued loss of wood will eventually lead to splitting as in the photo at right. Needless to say, this is what I call a high risk floor.

What are your alternatives?

An excellent option to avoid sanding wood floors refinished within the last 25-30 years is recoating. Recoating is basically a cosmetic procedure that involves a thorough cleaning and prep before applying finish to the surface. As long as the floor has never been waxed with paste or acrylic waxes, it should be a candidate. Many contractors offer a “screen and recoat” as an option but this has a higher risk than using safe and environmentally responsible cleaners to prep the floor prior to applying new finish. I recommend this approach along with two applications of waterborne polyurethane for the best results.

If sanding is the only option on an old floor, homeowners better check out their flooring contractor carefully. You want to make sure the contractor has extensive experience working on older, at risk floors. Turning a crew loose in an old house that is accustomed to sanding new wood floors can be an expensive and heartbreaking lesson. Experienced flooring contractors avoid excessively coarse sanding, which removes more wood than old finish, and often have secondary sanders for the fine sanding. They understand the risk of removing too much wood and know how to avoid this costly mistake. This approach will usually require more time, patience and is more costly. But compared to replacing a ruined floor, it is a bargain.

As any real estate agent will tell you, a wood floor is a very valuable asset to an old home. You want to enjoy it and benefit from its enhancing the beauty and value of your home. Treat it like the investment that it is and you avoid a lot of problems.

(Michael Purser is owner of the Rosebud Co. and has been a wood flooring contractor in the older neighborhoods of Atlanta since 1973. For more information about Rosebud Co., visit www.rosebudfloors.com.)

Add comment December 13th, 2008

GREEN OR WRONG

By Carl Seville
Build it green or build it wrong.

Yep, I said it. Green is right. If you don’t build green, you are doing at least some of your work wrong. Not all of it, but certainly some of it. If you are building everything the right way, then you are probably building green, or very close. I am totally over the nay-sayers who don’t believe that you can seal a crawlspace or build a house very tight.

I gave a presentation on Green Building last year in Michigan and there were two old-school builders who consistently argued with me, insisting that they could never do the things I was suggesting — all of which were fairly standard high performance building techniques. During this exchange, another builder stood up and asked the group if their business was slow. Almost the entire room raised their hands, agreeing that business was off. The builder said that he built green, did most of the things I was talking about, and he had a one year backlog of work. After hearing that, the two old codgers left the room and let me get back to my presentation. Unfortunately for them, they could not deal with the idea of so much change and had to move to the denial stage.

My sincere hope is that they are the minority in the industry. Practicing building professionals need to make the transition to green building sooner rather than later. If they don’t, they need consider getting out of the business. Maybe look at selling used cars.

***

CARING FOR WOOD FLOORS: AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.

With the economic instability we are currently experiencing, homeowners are showing an interest in alternative approaches to refurbishing and caring for their wood floors. Recoating is proving itself as a high value an economically practical option. This is an ideal way of upgrading the look and value of your home without the chaos or traditional refinishing. It is environmentally responsible, dustless and has a very rapid turn around time. Compatible with fully occupied house and families with active lifestyles recoating has proven itself to be very successful in “staging� homes for resell. It is also ideal for engineered or prefinished floors with tough original factory applied coatings that are in bad need of repair. Recoating is the perfect complement to Rosebud Co.’s services that preserve and protect floors without sacrificing excessive amounts of wood.

Add comment January 31st, 2008

CARTUS AND RELOCATION

By Freda Stephens
Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty

The Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty Relocation Division is focused on providing service above and beyond the expectations of home buyers and sellers with an emphasis on enhancing the entire real estate experience. The fully staffed Relocation Department is dedicated to meeting the needs of home buyers and sellers beginning at the initial consultation and ending with a successful closing. Visit our webpage at www.cbbullard.comOffering the highest level of customer service and an impressive market share, our award winning department provides:

* Nationwide resource assistance with establishing buying and selling connections in another city, state or country.
* Incoming business that includes individuals and their families moving into and out of our area.
* Principal Broker for the Cartus Broker Network — the leading network of market-dominant real estate brokers.
* Partner for corporations, suppliers and other brokers in dealing with real estate in our marketplace.

Cartus is the premier provider of global mobility management and workforce development solutions serving the corporate, military, and government markets. Through its industry leading outsourcing, consulting, language and intercultural training, logistical support and supplier management, it helps organizations and their mobile workforce achieve success worldwide.

***

(Freda Stephens, CRP is the Director of Business Development/Relocation for Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty. This column originally appeared in the “Bullard Blog�, a regular feature of the company’s website at http://www.cbbullard.com/. She can be contacted at 770-477-6400.)

Add comment September 10th, 2007

FROM ROOF TO PAINT, THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF YOUR HOME’S COMPONENTS

By Sandy Boda
Executive Officer, Home Builders
Association of Midwest Georgia

Just like the human body, your home is made of parts, all working in unison, many unseen and unthought of during the course of your daily life. From the roof to the foundation, and from the front door to the back, a home consists of literally thousands of components.

Ideally, these components might all have an unlimited life expectancy. But given the realities of day-to-day use, how long can a home owner reasonably expect a home component such as a window or roof to last?

A new study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and sponsored by Bank of America Home Equity provides insight into the life expectancies of a number of products in the home. The study intentionally overlooked consumer preferences, acknowledging that if they were considered, kitchen counters would be replaced long before the end of their useful life, and rooms may be repainted only once in 50 years. Other factors that can have a significant effect on life expectancy include maintenance, proper installation, the level of use and the quality of the materials. And some components, while remaining functional, become obsolete due to changing technology or improvements.

Insulation

According to the study, all types of insulation can be expected to last a lifetime if they are properly installed and are not punctured, cut, burned or exposed to ultraviolet rays and are kept dry. Proper installation not only extends the lifetime of your insulation, it also ensures that it will perform properly, resulting in reduced energy use and expenses, as well as increased home comfort.

Windows

Windows, because they can be exposed to extreme weather conditions, have a much shorter life expectancy. The study, which polled experts in the various fields, found that aluminum windows can reasonably be expected to last 15 to 20 years and wooden windows can last upwards of 30 years. An important element of maintaining your windows is the window glazing — the putty that secures the glass to the sash. Over time, this glazing can crack, resulting in drafty and loose panes. Available at any hardware store, glazing can be replaced by simply chipping or scrapping off the old putty, cleaning the window thoroughly and installing new glazing with a putty knife or caulking gun. Some types of glazing require a coat of latex paint for weatherproofing.

Roofs

Like windows, the life expectancy of a roof depends on local weather conditions as well as appropriate maintenance and quality of the materials. Slate, copper and clay/concrete roofs can be expected to last more than 50 years. Roofs made of asphalt shingles should last for about 20 years; fiber cement shingles should last about 25 years; and wood shakes for about 30 years. In regards to roof maintenance, it’s important to be proactive to prevent emergency and expensive repairs. Look for include damaged or loose shingles; gaps in the flashing where the roofing and siding meet vents and flues; and damaged mortar around the chimney (especially at the joints, caps and washes). If you see any signs of damage, call a professional to repair it.

Paint

Although some avid decorators may repaint every six months, homes usually need to be painted every five to 10 years depending on the content of the paint (its glossiness), its exposure to moisture and traffic. Quality paints are expected to last upwards of 20 years. Exterior paint conditions should be regularly monitored in order to catch problems early on. Assessing paint for dirt, mold, cracking, peeling, fading and rusting — and repairing immediately, usually through simple cleaning methods such as scrubbing or power washing — can end up saving homeowners much more costly repainting jobs in the long term.

Remember, these numbers are averages, with usage, weather, maintenance and a number of other factors influencing life expectancy. Chances are, changing trends will dictate a shorter life span, as homeowners update and remodel their homes. For more information on home maintenance, visit the National Association of Home Builders online at www.nahb.org/forconsumers, or contact your local home builders association office.

Add comment August 1st, 2007

ENGINEERED OPTIONS

By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.

Engineered wood flooring is the hottest and fastest growing segment of the wood flooring industry. Formerly called “prefinished�, this rapidly expanding selection is not only large, it can be confusing and intimidating to wade into if you don’t know what to look for. Let me highlight a few differences, point out some of the pluses/minuses and give you a sense of direction before you head into a showroom.

Categories

Engineered wood floors usually come in three varieties; solid, veneer and laminate. The solid is just that; a solid piece that has all the stain and/or finish already applied to the surface. The veneer is a thin layer (from 1/32nd of an inch all the way to 3/8 of an inch) of any one of a variety of species of wood that is over a plywood-like surface. The plywood-like surface is called the “core� and has layers of alternating direction plys that give the whole piece very good stability in terms of warping, shrinking or expanding. Laminated products are typically a photographic reproduction of wood on a high density fiber (HDF) backing. It will have the thinnest wear layer of the three categories.

Pluses

There are a multitude of pluses with engineered flooring. First and foremost is that the majority only require installation. There is no sanding or finishing involved. This eliminates the time needed to install a regular wood floor, sand and finish it and then have the coatings dry and cure. It also eliminates the collateral side effects; most notably the dust and vapors of the sanding and the finish.

Another big bonus is that products mounted on the plywood like “core� have far more stability than a solid piece of flooring material. This enhanced stability means that the wood if far less likely to expand and contract resulting in warping, cracking, splitting, cupping or buckling of the product. This would be a prime consideration where there was any moisture or heat related issue that might affect the wood. Basements, concrete slabs, kitchens and radiant heating are just a few instances where the directional stability of the wood will be critical over extended periods of time. You should also be mindful of homes that are occupied seasonally (vacation homes, second homes) as the interior environment might not be as stable as it should be.

Another factor to consider is that engineered products offer a wide variety of stains, finishes and milling options to select from. Finishes and stains applied in the controlled environment of a factory are usually very color stable, tough and very durable. This translates into very good quality control and often eliminates problems that would occur from on site sanding and finishing.

Minuses

One primary concern with engineered floors has to do with sanding or refurbishing them after extended use and wear. The number of times it can be sanded will depend on the thickness of the wear layer. Industry experts suggest that you remove 1/32nd of wood per sanding. With over 35 years experience in this work, I strongly disagree. You might remove 1/32nd under lab conditions but that is rarely how it is done in real life. If you are looking at a wood floor as a permanent fixture of the house and anticipate it will need to be refinished, I recommend no less than one sixteenth of an inch (or 1.5 mm) in thickness. You cannot assume that the floor is going to be perfectly flat or that the super hard finishes will sand off easily — they don’t. And due to height variations and a much more aggressive sanding, you can rest assured you will be losing more than you would in a lab situation.

Options

As far as refurbishing the surface, the news is very good. And by refurbishing I mean restoring luster to the surface after years of wear. Recoating an engineered product has been made easier due to a couple of manufacturers who produce bonding agents to be used in preparing the floors for recoating. These bonding agents are an absolute must for the super hard finishes that are factory applied. Conventional screening of the floors is not enough to create a good bond between the old finish and the new finish going down. What this translates into is that recoating an engineered product with a surface coating can be done but it better be done properly or it will fail. Basic Coatings and BonaKemi are the only two manufacturers of cleaners and prepping materials that include a bonding agent. Basic Coating’s product is called TyKote and BonaKemi’s product is called Prep. You would be penny wise and pound foolish to try and skip either of these company’s tried and testing recoating systems.

Anyone who is looking for what guidance or advice to follow in looking selecting an engineered flooring product need only consider this; your wood floor is one of the most permanent and valuable surfaces in your house. Treat it like the investment it is and you will rarely make any mistakes. I have worked in houses well over a hundred years old and the wood floors are often the only original surface still intact. That is a remarkable thing to consider. Don’t try and cut corners and do your homework. There are remarkable investments out there and it is just a matte doing the due diligence to get what you want.

Add comment July 21st, 2007

UNDERSTANDING WATERBORNE POLYURETHANES

By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.

The last 20 years have seen some dramatic changes in products for finishing wood floors. At the top of this list are waterborne polyurethanes. These finishes provide superior performance, are easily maintained and provide homeowners better options than ever before. For these reasons, I am recommending and using waterborne urethanes over all my work. It has been on my own floors for over ten years and I wouldn’t consider any other product.

Many homeowners have either never heard of this product or have gotten mixed messages about its quality. Let me give you a little background information.

What originally caught my attention about waterborne urethanes was the performance I saw on my own kitchen floors when my daughter (now a teenager) was about 18 months old. It took everything she threw and poured on it and proved to be very easy to clean and renew. As I began using waterborne finishes in more demanding situations (kitchens, breakfast rooms, houses with young children, pets, etc.) I continued to be very impressed by the products performance. The list of benefits is long and is getting longer:

• More durability and the ability to hide abrasion.
• Specific cleaning products making maintenance and care easier.
• Color stability to reduce ambering and discoloration.
• Faster drying and curing times. Projects are completed much quicker.
• User friendly solvents to avoid the choking and annoying vapors of mineral spirits, alcohol and toluene. This not only makes for a more tolerable work site, it also eliminates environmental and physically hazardous vapors, odors and flammable products.
• The ability to recoat over itself and other coatings if necessary after extended use.

As enthusiastic as I am about waterborne urethanes, my feelings are not shared by all of my competitors. Waterbornes are difficult to work with, expensive and mistakes are difficult to correct. A lot of contractors simply don’t want to pay $90/gallon for a product they don’t feel comfortable working with. I can appreciate that but I can also identify with a homeowner who wants to gain the benefits waterborne products offer. I mentioned that I have waterborne on my own floors and I also go back and check to see how well it is holding up on older work where I used it. I have no qualms about recommending it and will be happy to put you in touch with satisfied clients who are experiencing the benefits of these superior coatings.

***

(Since 1973, Michael Purser has been the owner of Rosebud Co. When people ask him how he ended up in the wood flooring business, he tells them he is a product of genetic engineering. His father, William B. Purser of Charlotte, N.C., started in the business in 1946. So, like his two brothers, he grew up around the trade. Originally from Charlotte, Michael grew up around the wood flooring trade and started his own company in Inman Park, one of Atlanta’s oldest inner city neighborhoods. These 100+ year old homes had been neglected and abused for decades and became the focal point of the rebirth of Atlanta’s old and original tree lined suburbs His interest in older homes prompted him to research and write about traditional methods and products used in refinishing wood floors over the ages. He has gone on to write articles, papers and make presentations for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Association for Preservation Technology, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and other preservation groups. He has also become involved with contemporary wood floor products and materials and has written extensively for Fine Homebuilding and The Journal of Light Construction. He has continued to work in the preservation field and has pioneered Passive Refinishing®, a unique process that allows for the restoration of wood floors without sanding. More information is available about Michael and Rosebud Co. on the internet at www.rosebudfloors.com, or you may contact him directly at mpurser@rosebudfloors.com.)

Add comment July 1st, 2007

TOO FAR GONE

By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.

If you are a wood floor contractor and working on an older home you get accustomed to a frequently asked question: “How many more times can my floor be sanded?� Thirty years ago, the question might not have been considered too important. That is not the case today. With the increased popularity of wood floors and how much they appreciate the value of a home, homeowners are going to greater lengths to keep their floors in top notch shape. And this is taking a toll.

When do you know?

Add comment June 18th, 2007