PART ONE: “Why One Woman Chose to Go Green”

A lot of people assume that because I’m Mrs. Meadowview, I get to visit every Meadowview jobsite. But, since my duties keep me in the office, I normally only get to see the finished project through photos. So, when I made plans to sit down with Elizabeth Rose at her home to talk about the work Meadowview did, I had no idea what to expect. All I understood was that this project was special—it’s Dave’s first remodel truly dedicated to environmental responsibility.

I wanted to find out first and foremost why Elizabeth incorporated so many eco-friendly aspects into her remodel. Today’s media bombards consumers with ways to use less and waste less. There’s even a TV channel dedicated to that idea. Everyone realizes that our homes need to be less of a burden on natural resources, but there’s a big difference between realizing it and actually doing it. How does a homeowner make that leap?

I admit I have developed an idea that an environmentally responsible house must be small and plain. Therefore, I thought I had pulled into the wrong driveway when first I saw Elizabeth’s home! With its stucco walls and Spanish tile roof, it has style, grace and personality - and size - yet is welcoming and friendly, and completely unpretentious. Once inside I noticed the perfect temperature of the home, yet there was no air conditioner on even on the day after that June heat wave. Plenty of uncovered windows let in perfect light from outdoors without overheating the room.

People have many reasons for making their houses eco-friendly; they can simply be concerned with the planet’s resources, or they can be influenced by health issues such as allergies or toxins. Elizabeth’s desire to have less environmental impact led her to a degree in conservation biology. To her, “green” simply means “imitation of nature.” In nature there is no such thing as waste—everything is recycled and reused. Similarly, nature doesn’t create any substance that can’t be used again. It was vital to Elizabeth that this natural process be emulated as much as possible during her remodel.

Originally built in 1932, Elizabeth has lived there for the past 18 years. The last kitchen renovation took place in 1987. When she decided it was time for another renovation, she looked to friend and interior designer Lisa Kawski for advice, and a team of professionals was assembled that had worked together before and that had the necessary knowledge to build green. **See below for list of team members.

Building green has its challenges. Many of the eco-friendly products are new to the market and not readily available at local home centers. Lots of research is needed to really know the characteristics of the products and where to obtain them. The internet came in really handy here. The installation of some of these products was new to all of us.

Whereas many homeowners would understandably shy away from incorporating materials that aren’t “tried and true,” Elizabeth is looking forward to providing feedback to manufacturers about the quality and user-friendliness of these new materials. In her words, products “need to be green, but obviously need to work. Generally, green products are not as consumer-tested as standard building materials, but that will come with time.”

One of the most un-eco-friendly aspects of any building project is the amount of trash created during the demolition phase. Elizabeth got rid of many of the materials from her old kitchen by advertising the stuff on www.craigslist.com  and www.freecycle.org (a site that utilizes the curbside concept). She says, “People took everything away! Somebody wants the things that you no longer want. It takes more time and effort, but keeps so much out of the waste stream. Everybody wins!”

Then I got the tour of the remodeled kitchen, and the lowdown on the materials used… and a wealth of information for Part Two of this article, which will describe the materials chosen and introduce the contractors used. As Elizabeth was walking back to my car, I heard…chickens! I didn’t see them when I first came toward the house; they are cleverly covered by landscape elements. So I left with two fresh eggs in, of course, a recycled plastic container.

Design/Build team members:

David West – Meadowview Construction, LLC – www.mvconstruction.com

Juli MacDonald – Green Bridge Architects - www.greenbridgearchitects.com

Lisa Kawski – LMK Interiors, ltd. - www.lmkinteriorsltd.com

Matthew Ulrich – Matthew Ulrich Design - www.matthewulrichdesign.com

Michele West
Meadowview

NEXT ISSUE: Remodeling details for this green renovation project