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For a long time now, I have been in love with the beauty and eco-friendiness of bamboo flooring. Though bamboo flooring is categorized with wood floors, it is actually a grass. Bamboo is considered to be eco-friendly because it is rapidly renewable, growing to maturity in just 5-7 years, compared to 50-150 years for many hardwoods.
Bamboo flooring can be sturdy, with a hardness that rivals and in some cases exceeds the hardness of hardwoods. Nowadays, bamboo flooring can be found in a variety of colors, grains, manufacturing methods and it can be cost effective (often less expensive than hardwoods) and just as easy to install.
There are 3 main types of bamboo flooring (based on manufacturing methods):
1) Solid Bamboo Flooring: solid bamboo flooring is milled from one piece of wood or consists of several solid strips adhered together. It can be sanded and re-finished several times.
2) Engineered Bamboo Flooring: engineered bamboo flooring planks are scientifically designed with a real hardwood layer set atop multiple cross-grain plies that work together to offset the natural movement of real wood. Because wood expands and contracts in the direction of the grain, one layer stabilizes the next, resulting in a product that is less susceptible to the effects of moisture and temperature change.
3) Strand (Woven) Bamboo Flooring: Strand (woven) bamboo flooring is created by shredding, blending and pressure treating bamboo fibers with an adhesive. They are much harder and denser than traditional bamboo flooring, making it well suited for high-traffic areas. Exotic and unique patterns can be created (e.g., tiger-like patterns can be created by combining both natural and carbonized strand bamboo).
When it comes to colors, there are 3 main selections for bamboo flooring:
| 1) Natural |
This is the color of bamboo in its natural, unstained state. The color appears to be light blond. |
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| 2) Carbonized |
Steamed bamboo, caramelizing the sugar within to deepen its color. |
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| 3) Stained |
Bamboo flooring can be easily stained to match the color/shade of your choice |
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When it comes to bamboo grains, there are 3 main types:
| 1) Horizontal |
The bamboo slats are arranged and laminated side by side flatways |
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| 2) Vertical |
The bamboo slats are stood upright on edge and then laminated. |
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| 3) Strand (woven) |
See above ”strand woven bamboo flooring”, due to the manufacturing method, the grain can appear to be twisted or more random, creating exotic and unique patterns. |
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Bamboo flooring can be quite affordable compared to traditional hardwood flooring. There are a huge selections of bamboo flooring between US$3.00 and $7.00/sq.ft. In fact, you may be able to find bamboo flooring on sale for as low as US$1.99/sq.ft at your local flooring stores.
January 14, 2010
Did you know that the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900/year on home utility bills (reference from “US Department of Energy”)? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And each year, electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can also yield long-term financial rewards.
Here are 10 easy and no/low cost ways to save energy and money at your home:
1) Take short showers instead of baths
2) Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes
3) Unplug chargers when not in use. Did you know that your cell phone charger, PDA charger or other small electronic chargers continue to consume energy when they are not plugged into your device? Unplugging these chargers will save you electricity and money.
4) Turn off your lights, computers and monitors when not in use
5) Use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. CFL bulbs are a little more expensive than regular light bulbs but they can last 10 times longer and can cut lighting costs by up to 75%, a very good investment for your home. Check your local Ikea stores or lighting companies for the many options that are available in your area.
6) Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
7) Setting Your Thermostat. Turning down your thermostat when your home is not occupied or at night can save about 1% for each degree the thermostat is lowered for an 8-hour period. For example, lowering the thermostat from 72F to 65F at night is expected to save you $70 if heating your home costs $1,000/year. If you don’t have a programmable thermostat at home, installing one is a smart way to keep your home comforable and to save energy.
‘8) Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120F.
9) Wash Clothes in Cold Water. When possible, wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy used in a clothes washer goes to water heating.
10) Clean Your Clothes Dryer Lint Trap After Each Load. This can dry your clothes faster and help you to save money.
If you are looking to replace home appliances or products, be sure to look for ENERGY STAR labelled models. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency and can save you significant amount of energy and money throughout the life span of the products.
January 14, 2010
One of the best ways to “green” up your remodeling project is to use salvaged building materials — these are materials once used in buildings but were “salvaged” for re-use. By saving these materials, we are diverting waste to become useful materials and giving precious materials a valuable second chance in life. Also, these materials are often listed at prices (much) lower than brand new ones, so may be you can save a few bucks at the same time.
If you are in the Seattle/Puget Sound area, you are in luck! There are many places you can go to do your treasure hunt:
1) Re-Store
2) Second Use
3) Habitat for Humanity
4) Earthwise Architectural Salvage
All of these organizations also offer removal/salvage services. So if you are planning for a demolition/re-modeling and have materials that may be salvaged, give them a call first! They will come, remove the materials, truck them away and provide you with a tax receipt! Which means saving you dumpster fee, putting more money back into your pocket and helping the earth a little bit all at the same time.
Of course, if you still cannot find what you want from the above local salvage stores, you can also try the Craiglist. I have heard many success stories which people are able to find great deals off Craiglist for their house remodeling projects.
Good luck and happy treasure hunting!!
October 19, 2009
Your contractors are the key partners in your new construction or remodeling project, so it is important to do your homework before selecting them. But – if you have never done a remodeling project before (let alone a new construction), then where do you start?
1) Well, the first place you can start is by asking your architect or your interior designer for referral. If you are doing a new construction, you will definitely need to hire an architect — and he/she should be able to give you some referrals on contractors.
2) If you have friends who have done remodeling or have built a new house and you like how the finished product looks like, ask them for referrals. Word of mouth is a great way to start your search.
3) If you still have no luck, try referral websites such as Service Magic and Angie’s List.
It is a good idea to talk to a few contractors before making your decision. Understand how long the company has been around, review their products/workmanships, understand what kind of warranty they have to offer and get a sense on how their working style is (do you feel comfortable talking with them, do they get back to you promptly on your questions or concerns?).
One last thing, before you make that final decision, be sure to look them up in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries website. The website will tell you if the contractor has a valid license and if it has any complaints before.
October 18, 2009
To be a truly green project, not only should the house’s design, materials and systems be as green and as sustainable as possible, proper measures should also be taken prior to and during construction in order to minimize interruptions to the environment.
Some examples include:
1) As much as possible, set aside a percentage of the buildable site to be left undisturbed — undisturbed areas can preserve soil, water, and vegetation much better than disturbed areas, they can stabilize soils and filter sediments from stormwater runoff before they enter waterways. They also allow rainwater to stay on site and soak into the ground, re-charging groundwater, instead of running off site;
2) Set up silt fence on site to control the path and velocity of possible runoff;
3) Retain as many trees as possible and set up proper tree protection;
4) Establish and post clean up procedures for spills to prevent illegal discharges; make sure that everyone involved in the project, especially subcontractors, is aware of your goals and procedures. Post the procedures in a centralized or prominent area on site;
5) Reduce hazardous waste on site through good jobsite housekeeping. Again, communicate your goals and procedures with everyone involved in the project;
6) Recycle as much unused recyclable materials as possible; Properly communicate your recycling goals ahead of time with everyone involved (e.g., recycle at least 85% of jobsite waste at local recycling facilities);
7) As much as possible, avoid clearing or grading during wet weather periods; this is particularly important for soils that are easily eroded.
August 26, 2009
The King County/Seattle Built Green is providing incentives/funding for projects to help offset the cost of certifying and designing innovative green projects throughout Seattle and King County.
Projects can be new constructions or remodeling of single-family, townhomes and/or multifamily residences. Eligible projects may receive $2,500 to $20,000. This year’s application deadline is Friday September 18, 2009.
This year’s focus is on water conservation and the impact our development has on the health of watersheds throughout the Puget Sound. If your project identifies low impact development strategies and/or innovative ways to reduce residential consumption of water for both interior and exterior uses, then Built Green wants to hear from you.
For more information or to submit your project for this incentive, please click here. Don’t forget to apply before September 18 deadline!
August 12, 2009
Good news for anyone who is thinking of “greening” up their homes. There are many green tax credits and incentives out there on Federal, State and Regional levels.
On Federal level, President Obama has signed a stimulus bill in February 2009 that made some significant changes to the energy efficiency tax credits. Many of the existing credits are expanded or prolonged.
Since this house will be a new construction and it is in Bellevue (Washington State), we will focus on the federal and state credits for new constructions as well as the credits from our regional utilities company Puget Sound Energy here.
1) Federal Level:
Below are the tax credits pertained to NEW constructions. Tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, with no upper limit through December 31, 2016.
- Geothermal heat pumps: All Energy Star geo-thermal heat pumps qualify
- Solar Photovoltaic Panels: The system must provide electricity for the residence, and must meet applicable fire and electrical code requirement
- Solar Water Heaters: All Energy Star solar water heaters qualify. This credit is not available for expenses for swimming pools or hot tubs.
- Residential Small Wind Turbines: Has nameplate capacity of not more than 100 kW
- Residential Fuel Cell and Microturbine System: Efficiency of at least 30% and must have a capacity of at least 0.5 kW. Credit available for 30% of the cost, up to $500 per 0.5kW of power capacity.
For more info and for Federal Tax Credits for Existing Homes , click here
2) Washington State:
Tax does NOT apply to the sales of equipment used to generate electricity using fuel cells, wind, sun, biomass energy, tidal or wave energy, geothermal, anaerobic digestion or landfill gas. Eligible systems are those with a generating capacity of at least 1 kW. 100% of the sales tax can be exempted. This exemption expires on June 30, 2013.
Solar water heating system was also eligible earlier this year; however, the tax exemption has already expired on June 30, 2009.
For more info, click here.
3) Regional Utilities Company:
Below are the incentives from our local utilities company Puget Sound Energy (PSE). These incentives end on December 31, 2009.
- Up to $800 ($20/fixture) for Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light (CFL) fixtures
- Up to $350 for air-source electric heat pump
- $350 for Energy Star qualified natural gas furnace
- $350 for duct sealing with natural gas performance testing
- Up to $300 ($3/bulb) for Energy Star qualified CFL bulb
- Up to $100 Energy Star qualified home bonus
- Up to $100 for Energy Star qualified clothes washer (tiered incentive)
- $150 for natural gas tankless water heater
- $40 for natural gas water heater
- $20 for Energy Star qualified dishwater
For more info, click here.
August 10, 2009
So, you are thinking of buying a piece of land to build your dream home. Or, better yet, you are thinking of building a dream GREEN home. You may have a specific neighborhood you are in love with and I’m sure you have a budget you need to stick with. When you call up your realtor to shop for that vacant piece of land, there are a few things you may also want to consider:
1) Is the land an edge development, infill or previously developed land? Building on one of these will have less environmental impact than building on a previously undisturbed land. They are also cheaper to develop – imagine bringing in your own water/sewage/utilities lines — they can be very costly! The Green Concept Home will be built on an in-fill and previously developed land.
2) Consider where you work: This is common sense — you don’t want to have to commute for hours in your car every day. Look for a neighborhood that is close by and fits your lifestyle. Cutting down on driving also means cutting down on your carbon footprint.
3) Are there community resources need by? In most cases, you want your dream home to be convenient (unless you are thinking of a secluded vacation home). Try to select a land with extensive community resources such as restaurants, supermarkets, banks, convenient stores, daycare center, fitness center, library, post office, place of worship, schools etc nearby. The Green Concept Home will be in the Greenwich Crest neighborhood, which is only minutes away from the Bellevue Factoria Shopping Mall (and we drive a hybrid car!).
4) How close is it to public transit? If you take the bus often this is definitely important (if you don’t, being close to the public transit will also help your future house with re-sale value). The Green Concept Home is only minutes away from the South Bellevue Park & Ride.
5) Are there any parks nearby? Let’s be honest, a walk in the park may just be what you need especially during the beautiful Seattle summers. Having a park nearby can be a bonus — the Mercer Slough Nature Park is just minutes away from the Green Concept Home!
April 28, 2009
This world is not sustainable. I am not a doomsayer, but it makes sense. There’s only a limited amount of resources on this planet, and the lavish spending and modern consumerism will soon deplete those limited resources. Energy costs will inevitably rise, as the demand for it grows. The time is now. The cutting edge technology of renewable green energy needs to be applied to everyday use NOW. Not in the future, but now.
This is my mission. I want to design a green building – not just a building that has some gimmicky green features, but a building that will truly redefine a new way of building, a new way of thinking, and a new way of living. It shall function as a home, providing the most basic shelter needs for people. It shall function as machine, with state-of-the-art technology and fine-tuned efficiency that will be self sustainable. A building shall not be a burden to the environment. It shall be like a plant, living in perfect harmony with the ecosystem.
We will start small. A Green home. Together with my wife, we will build our first house. A green house. We want to prove that to be green is not just a color. It shall be a way of life, and it shall prove to be sustainable. It should not only be for the rich – It should make sense for everyone. And it should be affordable.
January 23, 2009
