Has anyone done an Eco-friendly renovation?
warmfridge
14 years ago
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plllog
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoplllog
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
recyling concrete: eco-friendly or just tacky?
Comments (26)I brokeup the old slab from a long ago garage to use as blocks for building 'stone' edging in my back yard. The walls are between 2 and 3 'chunks' tall-- about 12 to 15 inches. the bottom course is barely visible. Where i've run into stabilty problems a bit of our heavy clay soil usually works to level things. If that doesn't solve the problem I usually toss in a bit of mortar when i remember. After 10 years with dirt, moss and algae, and plants growing they look like field stone walls that are dry laid. You need to be careful to use old slabs with out rebar and try to get slabs of even thickness. 2 years ago my neighbors had thir drive re done and I asked for some slabs. The contracter was only too happy to give me 6 slabs about 6'x6'. This stuff was about 8"thick and a major pain to break-up with a 16# sledge hammer, but in due time I broke it up and built a raised bed along my drive (24'x 8'x 30 inches) It turned out a bit bigger than I had imagined but holds about 12 cubic yards of topsoil and about 2000 daffodil bulbs. Now I'm planning to fill it up with other yellow plants. I'm hopping trailing plants from the top and edging plants will help disguise the concrete until it gets some aging. All I know is that it was a lot cheaper than the building blocks/stone I could buy. diggerb...See MoreDone! Pics of creamy, yet colorful and 'eco-friendly' kitchen
Comments (18)You are all, as always, so nice. I hope that your kitchens all finish up where you'd like. It's a nightmare when you're in it but, like childbirth, fades when it's done. Denim Insulation. First, your project has to be down to the studs since this rolls in like typical fiberglass insulation. Then, the cost is about 10% more than standard. For us, it came out to about $200 more. In the grand-scheme of things, $200 wasn't much. We bought ours at Greenmaker Supply in Chicago, because we live just to the west. We also went with FSC certified wood from them. Granite Cost. It think it comes to about $75/sq. ft. installed and fabricated, but keep in mind that's for a remnant, so it was cheaper than the full slab I had quoted. Red Painted Cabinet. Alas, no, it's new. I bought it at a reproduction antique shop in Wisconsin along with the photo above it. I really did look ALL OVER for a vintage piece I could repurpose in that space, but couldn't find anything. Originally, that piece was supposed to be a tall pantry. Maybe some day I'll find something else I love to fit there, but I'm happy with the kitchy red cabinet for now. "Stubby People in Yellow Kitchens" That's me! Love it....See MoreShopping for the home for non toxic, eco friendly products?
Comments (7)Hi....sorry to take so long to respond. That kind of a week. [g] barb, fire retardants, I know. When did everything start having that applied? I just can't for the life of me figure out how they require that on all clothing and even on furniture. To me it's like poisoning everyone just in case they 'might' be in a fire. Even if you are in a fire, is fire retardant going to save you? It just doesn't make sense to me at all. Yes, finding organic is only half the problem. The cost and what you want being available is still an obstacle. Hi cyn427 :-) thanks for that link. I'll check it out. I guess I feel that they have gotten off balance in the way they approach this issue. How many people go their whole life without ever being in a fire and to try to protect the entire population by adding something to every product would be fine if they were not adding something that was potentially harmful. I also have to wonder about any statistics that can actually show that adding fire retardants have reduced deaths and injuries from fire. Yes, I am actively avoiding products from China too. Good idea. ideefixe, Great to have at least two names of companies who sell something without it. oopsie913, guess I'm not following your line of thought, in asking whether something that is free of pesticides is actually better than something that has pesticides. Pesticides are poisons that kill insects and are poisonous to humans as well in large enough amounts. And even if they don't kill you, what does a constant stream of these in small amounts do in a human body? Seems pretty simple to me, no poisons, vs. poisons, which is better? I think you could be right, some of the organic beds are just thick rubber with organic cotton around it. I don't think we could sleep on something like that either. Back problems in our family need firm mattresses. I hope there will be more available at some point. Thanks for that link, I'll check it out. mpmg46, I didn't realize that about products from Ireland, that's great! I'm going to have to look into that. chicagoans, I'm with you, I don't believe it's hype either. So many clothes now have this 'no wrinkle' finish and I was reading the other day that it is made from formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has been linked to illness and the EPA has identified it as a carcinogen and yet it continues to be allowed in so many products that who knows how much of an exposure you have to it. Even in amounts as small as 0.1 ppm, it produces symptoms. That is a tiny tiny amount. I try to find clothes without that finish. It's hard to find men's pants without it now. Yes, I'm glad they now offer the VOC paint. I love that! Thanks for the conversation and information. :-)...See MoreDining room refresh phase 1 - eco friendly flooring
Comments (4)With so many different flooring types in a small space, I'm thinking I'm either going to have to do something that matches the wood of the parlor or more of the vinyl tiles, which I'm not crazy about but they will probably last a long time. I may eventually take look at cork for the bedrooms. I would do linoleum in a heartbeat if I didn't already have a lot of patched together flooring in the "open concept" parts of the house. Dad just put in the vinyl before he moved out two years ago, so I'm stuck with that. It's in the kitchen, entry way and informal eating area on the other side of the kitchen. Dad only redid the floors due to the laundry room flooding and ruining what was there, which was the wood. He wasn't open to "out of the box" linoleum which is what I would have wanted. At the time I did not know I was moving into the house. Not sure the vinyl tiles will go any better with grasscloth than a wood floor. Actually they are not vinyl per se, I don't know what to call them, they are some kind of plastic resin. Faux marble. High end for that type of flooring. I guess we can afford engineered wood . . . they sell that in most home supply places....See Morelisa_a
14 years agolast modified: 9 years ago3katz4me
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14 years agolast modified: 9 years agojudydel
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14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoStacey Collins
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