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Green solutions for your energy needs.
Landmark Resources owner Matt Means wants to become an expert in green construction. Last year he successfully built a home that is 60 percent more energy efficient than a normal house.
“I am 33, and I will be building houses in Tulsa for the next 25 years,” Means says. “I wanted to become an expert in green building because it is the future. While this house is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified, it is also stylish, functional and comfortable.”
He made the 3,400-square-foot Brookside home “green” with features such as Vetrazzo countertops, a geothermal heating and cooling system, low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, solar panels on the roof, Energy Star appliances, decorative beams made from recycled barn wood and foam insulation.
Coweta resident Pam Christol is another advocate of green building. She owns the first National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)-certified single-family home in the Tulsa area and had wanted to build a “green” house for years.
“I was also on a tight budget, so I had to find creative ways to stay green,” she says.
She did. Among other things, she took nature into account, including taking advantage of available sunshine. A row of windows graces the home’s longer south side, while native Oklahoma trees in the back yard provide shade when needed (a minimal number were removed for construction). Overhangs on window tops also block sun in the summer.
Fans in all rooms create a system of cross-ventilation, while the concrete floor works as part of the passive solar design, soaking up natural sunlight streaming in from the south side’s row of windows and maintaining it throughout the day during cold winter months. In the summer, Christol says that she doesn’t have the problem of overheating because the sun is at a higher angle in the sky, and she has overhangs that block the sunlight flowing inside at that angle. A bonus: Concrete is easy to clean, especially with pets.
But what if you want to stay in your existing home and “green up” beyond lightbulbs or new appliances?
You may be able to reuse what you can, recycle what you can’t. Chad Burden bought an east Tulsa home for $41,000, then put $150,000 into remodeling. He retained the home’s valuable hardwood floors by stripping one-sixteenth inch off the top and then putting the planks back into place.
He added double-pane energy-efficient wood windows; LED lighting; bamboo and recycled glass countertops; low-flow fixtures for showers, sinks and toilets; and a brick driveway to prevent water from stagnating and becoming contaminated with oils and chemicals.
Topping it off is a solar-reflective and solar-emissive metal roof, which reduces energy consumption and can re-emit absorbed solar radiation, keeping the home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The roof can also be recycled at the end of its life cycle. When it’s completed this month, Burden’s home will be the first NAHB- and LEED-certified home in Tulsa.
Presently, green remodeling does cost more than traditional remodeling, but advocates say it makes perfect sense if you plan to stay in your home long term. As a bonus, it also bumps up the resale value. Every dollar saved in energy costs results in a $10-$25 increase in home value, according to the Appraisal Journal. Such remodeling can also be an educational experience — for you and the community.
Here are some additional tips:
1. Get an energy audit of the house. Do this yourself or with the help of an expert. Most local contractors offer energy audits. Alternatively, consumers can conduct self-audits. Visit www.energystar.gov for more information.
Christol recommends quality insulation because it also fine-tunes climate control, eliminating drafts and cold pockets. Also, better cooling and heating, fewer allergens and cleaner air improve quality of life, especially for children and seniors, explains Corey Williams, executive director of Sustainable Tulsa.
2. Decide how much you want to spend. Shortlist the “green” improvements you want. See charts at left for some low- and higher-cost upgrades.
3. Do your homework thoroughly. Christol took two years to shape her winning vision, but knowledge allowed her “to be in control of the process,” she says.
4. Time it right and bundle it well. “The best time to ‘go green’ is when you have to replace something anyway, such as an appliance,” says Tulsa green-certified builder Barry Helms, of Renovations by Helms. “Also, think laterally. For example, CFLs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which overall use less energy than incandescent bulbs) will save on electric bills, last for eons and make the place brighter and, therefore, safer.”
5. Take advantage of tax credits. Federal and state governments offer tax credits for environmentally geared, energy-saving remodels.
6. Shop around for a string of savings. Call several builders in the area. “Each time I said, ‘I found a way to do this for $2,000 cheaper,’ my builder said, ‘OK,’” Christol says. “Find such a partnering builder.”
Go even greener
Find a local hauler that will reprocess leftover concrete, shingles and drywall to slash waste during construction.
General remodeling trends
Throughout the decade, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms have ruled the realm of remodeling.
“No wonder — that’s where we spend the most time,” says Darby Thomas, owner of HuntSted Inc.
Homeowners are seeking to keep their houses in style.
“I see many aesthetical polishes by homeowners who want to pull their houses out of the ’70s and ’80s and increase the value of the house,” Thomas says.
But it’s not all about looks. Homeowners are also interested in lowering their maintenance, according to Barry Helms, of Renovations by Helms.
“Customers are seeking out materials that ask for less maintenance over the long term,” he says. “Improved heating and air systems, as well as recycled and reusable materials, offer the desired quality and durability.”
Whatever the goal, here is a chart of the most popular renovations to help inspire your next divine design.
Green power
In 2008, Dewey Bartlett outfitted his Keener Oil & Gas Co. with solar panels; now, as mayor, he works in an energy-efficient City Hall. Gov. Brad Henry recently placed a wind turbine on the Governor’s Mansion.
