Going Green
Pursuing responsible business
The Buzz:
Green is all the buzz these days. We are thrilled. We are happy to help clients unravel the green building jargon and find the approaches that are truly green. Some strategies lead to a healthier planet for our grandchildren, while others may look good on the surface but really mean less goodness for mother earth at day’s end.
Size Up Your Options:
DESIGN WELL. Smart design from the get go let’s a project flow smoothly and get built efficiently. Less time, less waste, less money. When possible we love getting involved at the design stage.
BUILD LESS. Creatively figuring how to live and work with less space will save you money, and save the earth.
Before: Some good bones in this downtown duplex
- After: Transforming old places – we love it!
REUSE. Whenever we can reuse existing elements, or purchase salvaged supplies, we are steering clear of the landfill and reducing factory emissions.
The Myth of Green:
Dated Kitchen gets an Economical, Green Makeover
Green is asking first if those old funky cabinets could be trued up and refinished to meet the vision – rather than reaching right for the new ones. The old ones resonate with character and the truly green spirit of their long useful life.
Recycled resin and eco-farmed bamboo sure sound like noble inventions, but they often fall short of good old fashioned common sense. Planting trees and making sure natural ventilation is plentiful, will do much to help San Diego reach for sustainabilty.
We try to look at the big picture in guiding clients toward green solutions. Replacement windows are a classic. Studies that really account for the environmental cost of the vinyl lifecycle – from resource aquisition and production to installation and disposal – show that in most cases it is actually more green to leave the old windows than replace them.
We think this is really interesting in light of how vinyl replacements have been marketed as a green improvement. In many cases the new windows do make sense nonetheless. But at a recent job in historic North Park bringing the big picture to light helped our clients decide to restore their wood windows rather than replace.
Contact us. We would love to consult or help with your project.
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