Remodel- Page 3 of 6
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Backerboards – Winners against Water
There are a lot of options for sheathing tub and bath surrounds. Which ones stand up and out in terms of durability and environmental footprint?
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The ‘Shamrock Shack’ Retrofit – A Family Style of Green
In 1938, Carl McCarthy started his “Shamrock Shack,” a small (700 square feet) weekend retreat overlooking the golf course in Sharp Park (now part of Pacifica), Calif., while he and…
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Blower Door Testing Row Homes
With two of the largest of six surfaces shared with neighbors, how do you determine the air tightness of a row home?
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Green by (Interior) Design
“I had three main goals for this project when we started,” says interior designer Victoria Schomer. 1. Right-size and balance each room for its intended use. 2. Connect each room…
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A True Net-Zero Gut Rehab, New England-Style
By Peter Yost and Martin Holladay Before retrofit work began, Jane Bindley's 1978 ranch house on the shore of Squam Lake was an ordinary fiberglass-insulated energy hog. Bindley had a…
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California Retrofit Measures Cut Energy Use by 45%
With help from the local utility, a California builder has turned a foreclosed property into a cutting-edge energy-efficient demonstration home. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the sixth-largest public utility…
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Easy LEED Platinum?
“It was easier than I thought,” says Amy Levin when first asked about her LEED for Homes Platinum gut rehab. This would not be the last time my jaw would…
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A Two-Phased LEED for Homes Gut Rehab
Don’t all major home renovations span decades? Jim Newman and Sarah Slaughter bought a rather pedestrian Cambridge home in 1996 and began full renovation in 2001, recently completing the metamorphosis…
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Mechanical Ventilation for Affordable Existing Housing
Know when you need to add whole-house mechanical ventilation and what to use when you do
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A 100-Year-Old Energy Star Home
Anders Lewendal likes to lead — he is president of his local homebuilder’s association and chairs its green building committee, sits on the Mayor’s Climate Control Task Force, and has…
