Construction

Building with Salvaged Materials

The idea of using salvaged materials in construction is certainly not a foreign one; antiques and architectural items have been used for generations.  Metal or tin ceiling tiles, rustic wood beams and cabinetry, and classic windows are just a few of the items that are commonly salvaged for use in new homes.  A new movement is afoot, however, to use salvaged materials for a substantial portion, if not all, of a building’s construction needs.  As it becomes increasingly obvious that traditional building practices are not sustainable, more builders and homeowners are turning to alternatives that reduce the impact on the earth, cut emissions and petroleum use, and free up a little landfill space.

If you are just starting out with salvaged materials, you may think that they are hard to come by.  Where to start is often the biggest stumbling block for those interested in green or recycled building materials.  Here comes the secret:  salvage builders, recycled material suppliers, and experienced experts are all around you, if not in your exact physical location, then just a few clicks away online.  There is an extensive – and growing – community of green builders, and this community wants to share tips, ideas, suggestions, vendor names, and other resources.  There are informational websites, forums, blogs, and more, and the best part is that they typically link to other helpful sites.

Here are some tips for finding and using salvaged building materials:

• Look online.  Not only can you find helpful design ideas and sources for materials, you can find inspiration.  Look at pictures of what people can do with recycled materials.  It is absolutely incredible.
• Look for resources in your area.  If your town or county has a landfill, they often have a section that features reusable items.  Even if they don’t, look around anyway.  People throw away perfectly usable or salvageable goods.  If there are construction sites, approach the contractor and ask about taking salvaged materials or picking through their dumpsters. These may be free or you may have to pay a nominal fee.  Recycling centers may have materials you can take as well.
• Look on Craigslist, GivingAway.com, PlanetReuse, Salvo Web, Freecycle, and other sites.  Again, you can get free or inexpensive items.  Habitat for Humanity has ReStores that sell salvaged goods.
• Inspect any supplies.  They don’t have to be perfect, but they do have to be structurally sound.  If you are getting wood, for instance, make sure it was stored in a dry place so it doesn’t not warp or crack.  If you’re getting a used sink or an old claw foot tub, make sure there are no cracks.
• Think creatively.  People build gorgeous homes using items almost entirely from salvaged and recycled materials, and their best attribute is the ability to see something in an old piece of wood, find a new use for a piece of steel roofing, or figure out a way to use tiles, appliances, and more in different ways.

The most important thing to remember if you are interested in building with salvaged materials is that there is a tremendous amount of help out there.  People who are interested in sustainable building often have an abiding passion for it and want to share their knowledge.  Take advantage and ask questions, find forums, and read blogs.  The information you glean will help you build your perfect, low-impact, dream house.

How to Put a Wind Turbine in Your Backyard

Many towns and cities are wrestling with the idea of installing wind turbines, or wind farms, in order to generate electricity.  Wind power is not new, but the idea of having large-scale industrial turbines across acres of land is.  Regardless of the controversy of these wind farms, it may be beneficial to install your own small-scale turbine in your own backyard.  In recent years, more and more wind turbines have been popping up, especially in rural areas.  How are they doing it?  Should you?

Small-scale wind turbines are usually built with a tower-mounted turbine, equipped with a rotor and connected to a magnet alternator.  This produces 3-phase AC power, which is an efficient method by which power is distributed.  The AC output is usually converted to DC power, and then again to AC power that can be transmitted to the power grid and into your home. If you do opt for a wind turbine, look at the estimated monthly energy production in kWh.  There is no industry-wide standard, so you will have to shop around.  Related to this is the “swept area,” or the area swept by the rotors.  As you’d expect, the bigger the swept area, the more power is potentially generated.

When putting in a wind turbine, height is essential.  A tower that is too short does very little good.  In fact, according to expert Mick Sagrillo, if you increase the height of your tower from 60 feet to 100 feet, you increase production by up to 344 percent.  Make sure your turbine is at least 30 feet higher than the highest object within 300 feet, including trees.  The tower typically costs as much as the turbine, so remember to factor this in as well.

Another factor to consider is your town or city’s zoning laws.  Can you have structures that tall in your yard?  In many places, the answer is yes.  Unfortunately, you’ll often hear the opposite.  Make sure to check before you invest in a wind turbine, and if the height standard doesn’t allow you to put up a tower that is tall enough, you may be wasting your money.

Free-standing towers and fixed guyed towers have to be climbed to perform maintenance.  While this does take up less room than tilt-up towers, climbing in excess of 100 feet is not an attractive idea for many of us.  Tilt-ups are popular because they are hinged at the bottom and can be lowered to the ground for maintenance.

Besides the considerations already mentioned, cost is something else to think about.  A wind turbine can cost from $8,000 to $12,000, and even more for small-scale production.  The amount of power you can generate will depend on the tower, but also on your location.  Do you have advantageous wind?  Not everyone does, and not everyone is benefited by a wind turbine.  By some estimates, it will take about seven years to pay off your turbine if production is good.

Wind turbines may not be for everyone, but being more energy efficient is.  If your location is not advantageous for wind power, consider adding solar panels or even insulating your home better and switching to CFLs.  Alternative energy sources are important, but even more important is being sure they really help the environment and your budget.

How to Build Green

A century ago, green building was all the rage.  Homes and other structures were built with hand tools.  They were built to be only as big as the owner could afford to fund and to heat or cool.  They were built to keep out snow drifts and bitter wind, blistering heat and rain.  As technology progressed and the population increased, we began to build bigger structures faster.  But quality often suffered, and structures were either made with inefficient materials or with energy-wasting designs.  Today, buildings in the US use 15 trillion gallons of water and consume 70 percent of the total electricity.  Green building practices seek to have an impact on the environment, economy, and social well-being.  How are we starting to build green?

Green building, which is also known as green construction or sustainable building, seeks to reduce the impact that building has on the earth and its energy sources.  The Environmental Protection Agency reports that 30 to 40 percent of global energy use is attributed to building.  More than 80 percent of the hazardous emissions from buildings relate directly to their voracious energy consumption when they’re in use.  Green design and building is crucial for sustainability, and it seems to be catching on.  The US Green Building Council reports that the demand for environmentally friendly building grew more than 60 percent in 2009 and continues to see an uptick in interest.

There is any number of ways to make an existing home or structure more efficient; green building seeks to design new structures that consume less energy and reduce impacts on the surrounding landscape.  One of the most important factors in how that can be accomplished is the location of the structure, as well as its size.  For example, one could build a home in a less populated area, particularly rural areas, using straw bales.  Straw, or hay, is produced in excess and, if left, it can rob soil of nutrients.  Fields can be hayed two, three, four, or even more times per summer, making this a readily renewable resource.  Homes made with straw bales are incredibly efficient and very well-insulated.

This wouldn’t be an optimal building material for higher structures, however.  Rastra is a better choice for structures up to ten stories.  It is an efficient insulated concrete form that is made from recycled EPS plastic and cement.  When used in conjunction with recycled steel and concrete, which uses natural replacements for cement, it is a remarkably efficient material.

For skyscrapers, the goal is to make operation of the structure as efficient as possible with solar panels, flooring made from renewable resources, such as bamboo, recycled wood, glass, and linoleum, natural finishes, and plastic plumbing tubes, and much more.

Green building is not just about the actual construction of a home or other structure; it is the careful planning, design, siting, construction, use, and even demolition of a building with the goal of reducing impacts on the surrounding environment.  Green building techniques are as diverse as green architects, but they share a concern for the social, economical, and environmental impact of their structures.