New guide offers a real-world look at actual green remodeling projects, including all the lessons learned.
Partnering with contractors, building science experts, and savvy home owners, Green Builder Media pushes the needle forward on sustainable home remodeling with the publication of its brand-new Remodeling Field Report.
With two major renovation projects wrapping up—one in Scottsdale, Ariz., the other in Austin, Texas—remodeling teams experienced the real-world surprises and setbacks that make rehabbing so challenging: labor shortages, permitting issues, unexpected water damage behind the walls, clients getting a divorce, and so on.
One of the resounding lessons learned from both projects is that homes built in the last 30 or 40 years as “luxury” projects often don’t pass muster when it comes to performance. Both whole-house renovations uncovered construction flaws and inferior products far less impressive than their facades.
“In the United States, the average home is 35 years old,” Green Builder CEO Sara Gutterman points out. “Nearly six of ten (58%) homes in this country were constructed before 1980—many of which have moisture, structural and durability problems; lead or asbestos; poor comfort, indoor air quality, and performance; and hefty energy bills.”
This report consolidates all the knowledge employed (and learned) in these builds and adds many other remodeling tips and caveats Green Builder editors have collected testing products, talking with trades and manufacturers, and generally staying on top of what’s been a supercharged year for remodeling.
This guide includes:
- How an architect-interior designer team cooked up a complete kitchen makeover for a millennial “technicurean” home buyer who loves to entertain.
- How to overcome unexpected and hidden costs in a remodeling project.
- The role of thermal imaging in investigating behind-the-walls problems.
- New options for plumbing and exterior insulation.
- Electric conversion and how kicking the gas habit needs to be addressed carefully.
- The science of product selection.
- What to do when remodeling costs and sustainability collide.
As Green Builder’s Editor-in-Chief Matt Power, says of the report: “I hope you can learn from these projects vicariously. There’s no better teacher than first-hand experience.”
Download the free report here.
To reprint or use excerpts from the book, including high-res photography, interview the report author, or get more trends and insights on remodeling, contact Cati O’Keefe, cati.okeefe@greenbuildermedia.com 513-532-0185.
About Green Builder Media
Green Builder Media is North America’s leading media company focused on green building and sustainable living, affecting positive change by providing inspirational information to over 200,000 progressive building professionals and millions of early-adopter and first-mover consumers who are interested in sustainable living. Green Builder Media generates award-winning editorial, including breaking news, prominent market research, original insights, and visionary thought pieces. With a comprehensive suite of content marketing, digital, social, and print media options, high-profile demonstration projects, market intelligence, and data services, and live events, Green Builder Media offers a blend of visionary and practical information covering a broad spectrum of sustainable living topics, including Internet of Things, smart home technologies, energy efficiency, intelligent water, indoor air quality, resilient housing, renewables, and clean transportation.
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