Reclaimed Wood Flooring

We knew we wanted wood flooring in the house, in all the living areas but for the entry room, and bathrooms. It’s very resistant to wear and tear (if finished correctly), easily cleaned, and altogether offers a long life. By coincidence I learned of Habitat for Humanity’s stash of reclaimed hardwood in a warehouse in downtown Syracuse.

The lineage of our flooring is a little sketchy: from which of the 18 homes in Syracuse it came out of can’t be confirmed. Two years ago, SUNY Environmental School of Forestry was looking to construct a new dormitory, and the homes were to be removed to create the necessary space.  SUNY investigated the idea of de-constructing the dorms with the intent to salvage or recycle as much as possible. Unfortunately, their construction timeline and budget hadn’t factored in deconstruction.  So Habitat was given roughly two days per house to go in and take out as much as they could before the remaining structures were demolished. The age of the houses were 1850s-1950’s, and Habitat focused their efforts on the older homes with more period details.

Initial quantity, as delivered!

We missed getting the maple pile, but Greg Wright of Habitat let us take as much of the white oak as we could. We really liked the fact that the boards were weathered and included some long stock (up to 16ft) that’s no longer common today. We requested 1800 square foot of the material, and Paul Fowler (our builder) picked it up to bring it to the site. We paid $1.50 a square foot, with a promise of more if we needed some to finish the job. Our goal was to cover both the main (living, dining, kitchen) and upper (bedrooms, hallway) floors with this wood.

Putting the puzzle together took some time

Our initial impression of the pile was “that’s a lot of wood!” But by the time the flooring guys sorted through it, taking out the pieces with the broken tongues and grooves or pieces that were too ripped to use, we ended up with barely enough to do 700+ sf of the main level. We went back for more.  The next load containing a greater mixture of wood: white and red oak, with some maple mixed in.  This wood was also a more damaged, and after a few hours, the flooring guys announced they were uncomfortable working with it.  

Thankfully, Justin (as a belated mother’s day present, he joked) went in and sorted this pile, cutting out the bad pieces of wood to create shorter more usable lengths. He also came up with the solution for using the cut pieces that would no longer have the tongues on the end: screw and fill these ends so that they wouldn’t pop and creak (this avoided gluing the floor, which I was against because of the smell).  So in the end, we cobbled together enough flooring to finish the main floor and the upstairs kids bedrooms and hallway. We needed to resort to some new red oak flooring to do the master bedroom, because Habitat was out of flooring for us to use. In contrast to their work with the reclaimed material, the flooring installers had this room done in no time. I must admit, I have no idea where Paul rushed out to get it, but would guess that it was chosen for it’s price point rather than sustainable features given our overrun on this item.

Justin with Gorilla "wood" Glue adds oak plugs
to fill screw holes. At right, note the "X" marked
by installers to indicate where screws were needed.

The final phase will entail sanding and refinishing the floors with a water-based polyurethane tinted to help bring all the various wood types together.

Lessons Learned from Using Reclaimed Flooring

You save some trees….

Many of today’s woods are shipped from around the world and can come from unsustainable forestry practices. Purchasing FSC (Forest Stewardship Council certified wood) wood was an option, but it was more than three times as expensive as the reclaimed wood (albeit that’s without factoring in the extra installation costs we will incur with the reclaimed flooring).

You preserve a little bit of history…..

Aesthetically, it gives a patina and richness to our floor that you won’t get in a new floor. Additionally, historic flooring is likely to offer greater board length and width. Our 16-foot lengths are a unique feature.

You support local business/organizations…..

Most of the reclaimed material you will find is processed by a local business or organization (Habitat in our case).

You reduce transportation costs associated with the product…

And more importantly, the carbon footprint associated with the transportation and manufacturing of the product.

You will not get perfect pieces…..

Deconstruction is an evolving practice. The quality of your wood is dependant upon the skill of the people removing the pieces. Some of the deconstruction groups are now removing flooring in sheets.  Later, without the pressure of time, they separate the boards, which helps preserve the tongues and grooves that are essential to the integrity of the floor. 

The lifespan of your floors might be shorter than that of a new board…..

Because these boards have been sanded already at least once in their history, the amount of usable floor surface can be diminished.  Of course if you start with a 1” thick piece of barn board or some other such stock, you could get more wood than current flooring provides. In our view, it’s infinitely better to have the real hardwood that’s left in the used boards than to install laminated wood floors whose surface is less than ¼ inch and have one life (no sanding and refinishing).

You will not have a perfect surface…..

History has marked used wood flooring, with scratches, holes, stains and other blemishes. While sanding and refinishing will minimize many of these imperfections, you will never have the new floor look that is achieved with an out of the box product. We choose to view the imperfections as “character” and like the fact that no two of our floors will look alike.

Increased time and Labor…..

This is the biggie. Our installers would have finished installation in less than two days with new wood flooring, and another day (or two ½ days) would have been needed for sanding and finishing this flooring. Our project went over budget after the second day, because the labor necessary to sort the good floor pieces from the unusable ones, in addition to prepping boards that required cleaning (of the tongues) or cutting (of bad pieces), and then figuring out how to best fit them together, was much higher than anticipated. In fact, if it weren’t for the intervention of Justin, we might still be in a standoff over labor expectations and the related cost of such labor.

In the future, I will be able to post on the total cost of the floor, since we are still waiting to learn what the sanding and finishing price will be. 

Finished installation, ready for sanding and refinishing with low VOC polyurethane.

New red oak flooring in master bedroom, ready for sanding and finishing.

After the Memorial Day weekend, the sanding commenced. Above left, the contrast between the "new" wood and the old. Above right, the "first pass" results in a fairly uniform floor. 

Achieving Good Indoor Air Quality

Our specifications called for low VOC paint, coatings and sealants, as well as protecting our ductwork during the messy period of installation from dust and heavier particulate matter. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are carbon compounds that become a gas at normal room temperatures and they affect indoor air quality. In 2001, the U.S. EPA (Healthy Buildings, Healthy People: A Vision for the 21st Century) reported that indoor pollutants may be 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels. The World Health Organization conducted studies in Europe a few years later that found similar concerns. Illnesses from poor indoor air quality range from headaches and nausea, to asthma, allergic reactions, skin irritations and in extreme cases, illnesses caused by long term exposure to contaminants (such as cancers and neurological disorders).

VOCs aren't the only source of contamination: radon, mold, dirt, dust, tobacco smoke, candles, as well as house-hold cleaning agents, paint thinners, and pesticides can all degrade indoor air. Formaldehyde is a naturally occurring substance that is also of concern. Composite materials such as cabinets or counters can contain urea-formaldehyde resins. According to the LEED for Homes Reference Guide, “urea formaldehyde is a combination of urea and formaldehyde used in some glues and adhesives, particularly in composite wood product. At room temperature, urea formaldehyde emits formaldehyde, a toxic and possibly carcinogenic gas.” LEED Homes encourages homebuilders to use products with no added urea-formaldehyde. We didn't achieve this on our cabinets for kitchen and baths because of our budget, although ours (and many on the market) have minimum formaldehyde.

Today, ALL products on the market contain labeling that should prevent one from creating an unsafe indoor environment, including labels that dictate how to use and store certain noxious substances correctly (which is why precautionary labeling shouldn't be an optional read). As a practical first step, ask yourself if you actually need to purchase a product that contains hazardous substances. Beyond this, there are many products you can choose that go even further by formulating their products with ingredients that are better for our health and the environment.

LEED Homes actually stipulates allowable limits of VOCs for products, covering all manner of paints, coatings and sealants. For instance, for non-flat paint the VOC limit is 150 g/l. Clear wood finishes for the floor must meet a 350 g/L limit for varnish, and 550 g/L for lacquer, and so on. They also encourage people to seek out Green Label Plus or Floor Score Certified rug and flooring products.

Before the builder brought anything onto our site, his supplier sent me cut sheets of the various products that outline the attributes and component parts (or ingredients) of the item. I reviewed these for everything from the gypsum board to insulation. One helpful label to look for is whether or not the item is GREENGUARD certified.

“The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) was founded in 2001 with the mission of improving human health and quality of life by enhancing indoor air quality and reducing people’s exposure to chemicals and other pollutants. In keeping with that mission, GEI certifies products and materials for low chemical emissions and provides a free resource for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.”

Here are just a few examples of products that meet Greenguard/and or the VOC limit from our project:

• ·      ProForm All Purpose Joint Compound was used on the sheetrock, with just 2 g/L VOC as well as GREENGUARD certification.
• ·      Benjamin Moore's Natura No VOC paint has just been ordered to complete the walls. It is a new product for the company, and as such, hasn't been tested by GREENGUARD. It costs about $10 a gallon more than regular paint, but we don't need to prime, as just two coats are promised to yield a highly durable and washable finish. I should say that in order to promote this product to the builder, and the subcontractor they use for their painting, Benjamin Moore (through Purcell's Paints in East Syracuse) gave us 4 gallons for free. However, the change order to use this paint over the builder's standard product is still going to be $650!!!
• ·      Gold Bond XP Gypsum Board is Greenguard approved, as is the ToughRock from Georgia Pacific, a non-paper faced board that is used in all the bathroom "wet" locations because it won't hold moisture which can lead to mold.
• ·      Sport Kote is a water-based urethane wood finish that offers both a satin finish (VOC less than 300 g/l) and gloss finish (less than 260 g/l). As a single component formula, it can be used the next day, unlike some floor finishing products that have a pretty short shelf life. Additionally, it is very durable (as one would expect for a product used on gym floors), so it will be very resistant to wear and tear. The goal is, not to have to do this again for a very long time.

By the time the house is done, we'll be using quite a few GREENGUARD certified products that will garner us LEED points under the Materials and Resources category (Credit 2, for Environmentally Preferable Products).

Finally, to improve our indoor air quality further, we will be installing an AtmosAir filtration system (D100) within our furnace to filter all the conditioned air in the house. The maintenance cost on this filtration system is about $100 more each year vs. traditional filters (if using better than MERV 8 “standard” filters than the difference is less obviously) but it will create an indoor air quality that is superior and that will address some of our visitor's allergies to our dog. LEED recognizes this enhanced filtration with an additional point (MERV 8 is required, MERV 10 gets you an additional 1 point). Prior to turning on our fancy filter, we'll be using our HVAC with normal filtration at a minimum, and I will continue to vacuum out the ducts during my regular visit to the site to get the big stuff out that gets in there no matter how you cover the openings. Particularly now, as they are installing the wood flooring!

Insulating for Cold Climates: Creating the Best Envelope for the Budget

It is amazing the array of insulation that is available today. If you wish, you can lose yourself in the debates about the pros and cons of spray foam (of which there are many types), batt insulation, blown cellulose, blown fiberglass, hay bales, etc. Because we decided to minimize the amount of wood framing in the house by using 2x4 studs, 24" on centers (except for the main floor, because the local code enforcer made us use 16" off center at the last moment), our strategy was to utilize the highest R-value material in the interior walls, while using exterior rigid foam sheathing to create a continuous insulated air and vapor barrier on the exterior. By using the rigid foam sheathing, we could also eliminate any plywood or OSB sheathing. A review of the house's envelope ground up:

Sub-Slab Insulation: If you've ever walked across your basement floor and noticed it's cool temperature, or even damp, this probably indicated that it is "slab on grade" meaning that there's nothing between the poured concrete and whatever substrate (hopefully a good amount of "fines" to allow for water to percolate down) your basement/first floor has. Based on the good work of the Building Science Institute, I learned that uniformly their research on various homes in cold climates has shown that sub slab insulation that provides at least an R-5 should be installed (in warmer climates, you might actually enjoy that cool air, and circulate it through your house). Rigid foam, spray foam, foil faced foam wraps and even above slab sub-floor products all exist that allow you to achieve different degrees of insulation and at different costs.

We specified 2" of sub-slab foam, and the builder selected Greenguard's (TM) Extruded Polystryrene Insulated Board. My builder would like me to point out that this was NOT easy to install over the fine gravel substrate, nor was it easy to cut to accommodate plumbing and radon piping (yes, we are in a high risk radon zone). Additionally, I was dismayed to visit the site when the guys came to pour the concrete (remember: early January, nice and cold!) and they were all standing on one piece of board to stay warm by the heater, without any idea that perhaps they should distribute their weight more evenly so as not to crack it. They had no idea what they were standing on, or its purpose. Good oversight for installing whatever product is being used is pretty critical, if you don't want it to be compromised. Also, the gap between the sub-slab foam and superior wall was an issue I discovered last minute. We should have cut the foam to fill this, albeit a very labor intensive process. However, the 2" of closed cell foam applied to the interior foundation wall above the slab that filled this gap should mitigate the potential vapor/air/water transfer. More flexible sub slab foil barriers or spray foam would have been MUCH easier to install in this foundation situation where the studs are built in. Anyone using Superior Walls needs to consider this!!

2" Greenguard EXP Board, taped at seams. Note: gap between Superior Wall cavity (gravel in recessed area). This area was filled in with poured concrete for slab, and then we foamed the cavity with 2" of R7 closed cell foam.

Superior Walls:  As discussed earlier, these have the rigid foam embedded in the concrete, creating an R-12.5 wall. We then applied an additional 2" of closed cell spray (Demilec's HeatLok Soy 200) foam to the cavity and at the joists between the foundation wall and first floor decking. By some accounts, a house can lose up to 30% of its heat through a poorly insulated foundation wall and joist. Our minimum foundation wall R-value is a 26.

Timber Framed Walls:  Remember, we used 2x4" construction, 24" off center for the first (walk out/basement--SOUTH SIDE, rest is Superior) and third floor, with 16" off center for the main floor as code dictated. I searched a number of sites to see what the R-value of the 2x4 board is, and found that the agreed upon number is pretty much an R4. So, wherever there are studs in the house, the maximum R value for these areas due to the 2" of exterior rigid foam we used (see below) is an R-14. This is why some truly advanced framing systems go well beyond standard practices (where code allows), because for every stud, you decrease your overall wall R.

We used a number of products to exceed our goal R-value (conservatively, we are at 34, but this doesn't include the windows or studs, so our total wall R is less), as well as to ensure an air tight barrier. It was really hard for me to decide on the interior insulation, as I was concerned about it's impact on indoor air quality (VOCs, Formaldehyde's), the ozone layer (many foams use harmful blowing agents that are employed to keep the foam liquid so it can be sprayed on), as well as they impact the ability of future inhabitants to modify the house (batt insulation or sprayed cellulose is easily removed/moved, if one wishes to modify the envelope). Changing our envelope is something that future occupants of our home will think twice about, as the entire wall may need to be cut away. Use of spray foams also impacts the future salvage potential of our building materials (unless new technologies emerge for recycling this stuff). Ultimately, the following materials were selected:

1. 1" Dow SIS Rigid Sheathing: R 5.5 per inch. This was placed on the framing before the walls were raised (see above), an easier process than our second inch, which was put up after the windows were installed.

2. 1" Foamular 150 XPS, an Owens Corning Product: Kudos to Paul for discovering this product in the intervening weeks between ordering the Dow foam, and the next "layer." It has an R of 5 per inch, but has the added benefit of containing 20% recycled content! I figure if our house is going to be made out of a certain amount of petro-chemicals, that we ought to try and have some percentage be reclaimed material. Hopefully, there will be higher percentages of recycled content in future products of foam, so that we are not relying on a diminishing petroleum supply. I'm sure the neighbors were amused by the colorful display the exterior foams provided throughout their application.

Exterior Rigid Foam. First layer, Dow SIS product. Second layer, Owen Corning Foamular. When installed in layers like this, all seams are offset and taped (taping on both layers) to ensure that there are no gaps. Windows are foamed around frame to ensure continuous barrier.

3. On the interior of the cavity, we ultimately selected Demitlec's HeatLok Soy 200, which is a closed cell (rigid), spray-applied polyurethane foam insulation. The material is Greenguard Certified, and contains approximately 16% recycled content (plastics), 6% soy, and uses a non-ozone depleting blowing agent, HFC 245fa (at least it passes for the moment, this standard is constantly getting more stringent). I've posted the spec sheet. The "cured" R value of the product is listed as R7 per inch, and it also serves as our moisture/vapor barrier as well as our air barrier, eliminating the need for house wraps. This product is sprayed on the interior of our "exterior" rigid foams. HeatLok Soy 200 Spec Sheet

Finally, the Attic. We used pre-fabricated trusses to create the roofline of the house (with near optimal solar angle on the south side). We went with a standard 30-year asphalt roof, over OSB, with 1" of the HeatLok Soy 200 applied over the ceiling gypsum (the floor of the attic if you will), and beyond the top plate, and then 16 plus inches of cellulose. The 1" of the closed cell creates the air/vapor/moisture seal at this level while giving us an R7, while the remaining cellulose gives us nearly an R60 value. Once they put up the ceiling board, they sprayed in the 1" and then added the cellulose through an access door in the ceiling. I didn't get photos--too messy and dark! Maybe when they put the solar evacuated tube plumbing in I'll sneak up to get a look. The photo below shows the HeatLok spray foam being carried up from the wall cavity (top floor) over the top plate and filling the elbow of the truss.

While I'm certain there are imperfections to be found within the envelope, we tried. Material application/installation needs to be done properly, and having experienced contractors who have handled all materials in various applications is pretty key. We had many materials on-site, particularly the rigid foams, that were new applications for the installers. This caused the process to be slower in the beginning, and in the case of the sub-slab foam, less than ideally installed. However, we did pass our blower test just recently (more about this in the future), which means that we achieved our goal of a tight envelope.

The Architect's Principles for Designing an Efficient House

As stated in earlier posts, it is pretty important to articulate your plan for your home in a written document for all to discuss prior to the start of construction. This helps everyone-owners, builder, plumbing, electrical and mechanical system designers/installers- to understand the end goals and discuss any potential questions and concerns so that they may be resolved with enough time and thought from all. For instance, one of the goals we had was to keep all of our HVAC ducts within the envelope, that is, not a single duct or return in a wall. This wasn't as easy as it might have been for the fact that our bearing wall is our central stairwell, so we had to design some duct chases in interior spaces in both the dining room (we gave up 4") and along the stairwell (which we'd intended to leave open). Because we really liked the layout of our house, these compromises were a small concession to achieving the interior ductwork goal without a significant re-design.

Below are some of the design principles Les Moore (the architect) used to inform his work:

Energy Efficiency Elements

Northern exposure: Garage rear windows at left, to allow for natural light in that space (unheated) and minimum window surfaces on north and East exposures. Small rectangular windows on main house are to provide light under upper kitchen cabinets.

1. The Most Volume for the Least Surface:  The best volume to skin ratio is the first element to consider for an energy efficient house.  A sphere gives you the most enclosure for skin surface, but, as any hippy can tell you, spheres (or their close relative...domes) make very awkward living spaces.  The nearest form to a sphere that can be easily built is a cube...so that's the general form we used for the house.
2. Minimum Interior Volume:  Ceiling heights are minimized to keep the interior volume as small as possible to minimize the heating and cooling loads.
3. Exposure:  Catching and controlling sun while protecting the house from cold and winter winds takes best advantage of the sun's heat. This means maximizing the southern exposure and minimizing the northern exposure of windows and doors.  In cold/icy climates like Syracuse, entrances, entries and garages need to be facing south so that ice can melt on sunny days. Entries with north exposure will remain frozen all winter unless considerable labor or chemical melters are used.
4. Good Insulation:  Lots of good insulation combined with the judicious use of foam to prevent air leakage is the cheapest/best use of material to conserve energy.
5. Good Windows and Door Openings:  Windows and doors must be energy efficient and sized to maximize appropriate sun gain and cold protection.  Generally this means more window area to the south, while minimizing windows on the other faces. Solar "eyebrows" on the south windows, and a pergola on the west main floor (over the deck) will reduce summer heat gain while allowing for optimal sun and some solar gain in the winter. Overhangs are designed to shade from the (at Syracuse) noon sun's 71 degrees on 21 June, but will let in the 25 degrees noon sun rays on 21 December. Additionally, south side window glazing will allow for more heat gain than on the other faces.
6. Solar Systems: To provide areas for solar systems, all the primary roof surfaces (house, entry and garage) are sloped at 45 degrees and face south. The area available for solar panels free of shade and at a reasonably efficient angle for the panels, can provide for both solar hot water (which Lisa and Justin are installing now), and photo voltaic panels (to be added in the future), which ideally will offset a considerable portion of their electric and hot water gas requirements. We used the developer's standard roof truss construction system (a cost saving measure), while also making a house form consistent with its neighboring homes. 

Preliminary sketch for solar shades over main and lower floor south windows

Les notes that when we look at colonial houses in the Northeast many of these natural elements are often applied: minimum space in minimum volumes, taking advantage of southern exposures, while protecting from northern exposures. However, he stresses that while the colonials were saving energy for their own survival, we now need to save energy for global survival.

Why We Should Care About Sustainable Building

For many years I worked in various NGO setting focusing on issues pertaining to clean water, and I even spent a year with a firm that dealt with the clean up of superfund sites. Through each of these experiences, my efforts to change policy and practice concentrated on the by-products of the built environment (sewage, polluted run-off, etc.), and it was pretty frustrating to be dealing with the byproducts of poor management and choices. For this reason, the idea of shifting my energy to buildings, both existing and new, became pretty intriguing, because one had the potential to impact the negatives in the equation.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) begins each of their reference guides (they cover everything from New Construction to Neighborhood Development) with a few quick facts, and LEED Homes is no different:

• There are more than 120 million homes in the United States and about 2 million new homes are constructed each year;
• According to the U.S Department of Energy, these account for 22% of the total energy consumed in the U.S., and 7% of the water;
• Levels of indoor air pollutants can often be four to five times higher than outdoor levels; and
• The residential sector contributes 21% of the carbon dioxide emissions (and I’m pretty sure this is just residential energy, notwithstanding the automobiles we use to get around).

I went to University in Canada, and during my time on campus there was intense discussion about the adoption and implementation of the UN’s Bruntland Report, titled “Our Common Future”. Within that report lies of definition of sustainability that has informed me to this day:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

I'm frustrated to think how little we've achieved since this report was issued in 1987. However, in constructing my home I can make choices that impact the equation, by virtue of the materials I use (and consideration of the embodied energy and lifestyle costs of these materials) and those that I don't (e.g. no tropical hardwoods or products that degrade environmental quality). Moreover, how I live in that home, including--what products I use to clean, food I eat, and how much I consume to “fill” it--will also have a real impact on sustainability and my family’s health. So hopefully, by creating just one green house inside and out, I can minimally impact the broader debate on how we will develop sustainably, regardless of what the politicians are doing!

Creating a "Superior" Foundation

I'm still amazed to see where we are in construction today given the winter we had. We started the first week of January with site work to prepare for the foundation. This entailed creating a construction boundary with a silt fence around the perimeter of the work area (more like a snow fence!!!). We also protected a few trees, albeit with piles of snow rather than fencing given the ground cover. Soil was placed in one corner of the site (adjacent to the existing cottage) before excavation commenced. Our soil type is mainly clay, and our footing mix consists of 18" of crushed stone, with 4" under drain. Wall footings are 60" wide, with 10" of stone as well. Once this was done, everything was covered for a night to keep frost at bay. The next day, our Superior Walls(TM) arrived from nearby Lima, NY. We decided to go with these precast walls vs. concrete block for a number of reasons:

1. Our actual Superior Walls product is the Xi (meaning extra insulation). They provide an excellent thermal barrier because they have fewer seams, and they have the first layer of 2" rigid foam insulation embedded in them (an R12.5 in our case). The total wall thickness is 8'8", and the remaining cavity can be filled with whatever insulation we choose. We're still debating fill material at this time, and are considering dense pack cellulose as well as closed cell spray foam.

2. Engineering off-site ensures a minimal amount of waste, some of which can be reclaimed at the production facility and reincorporated into the production process. Additionally, there's no packaging waste on the job site, as the panels arrive on flat bed trucks ready to be lifted by crane into place.

3. At all seams between panels, workers applied a construction adhesive to ensure an air-tight bond. Each piece was bolted before being sealed again along the outside seam (see below, left) as well as inside each cavity (below right). A good portion of this wall will be below grade once site work is complete.

4. Finally, the pre-fabricated walls proved to be superior in light of our climate: very cold temperatures can make constructing traditional concrete block foundations on site difficult, if not impossible. Within one week of our wall's placement, we had topped off the foundation level, and the basement floor could be poured, giving us our foundation in an impressively short time frame. Here's a link to Superior Walls website where they discuss some of their "green" features:

http://www.superiorwalls.com/greeninfo.php

Note: Foundation drainage is VERY important, and is normally covered by most state and local codes, as well as the durability guidelines in LEED Homes. Our builder used flexible PVC pipes around the foundation walls, beginning at the high point (garage side, east) and directing water to a french drain constructed downslope at the northwest corner of the property. When we had our first big melt in early March, we were pleased to see just how much water flowed through the drains to this outlet.

House for Free!

Here are some photos of the existing bungalow as it was when we entered our purchase agreement with the builder. Paul had already done the soft demo on what was probably a circa 1920's structure. Note the remnants of the 1948 newspaper on the pine floor: this was placed below the carpeting in order to provide some insulation to the floor from the cold cellar below. Apparently, the finishes were quite sparse. Locals of many years remember this house as holding a family of six. All in 700 sf!! It makes me feel guilty about our new house that is almost 2,000 sf bigger!

Initially we tried to incorporate this house into the new design, but we it resulted in a less than ideal orientation, and it would have been expensive to bring up to the standards of the new house. Initially I explored ways to try and use some of the lumber and flooring in the new house, and contacted a Syracuse company called CABFAB who has experience using reclaimed materials. Most recently, I contacted Habitat for Humanity and the Concerned Citizens Action Program--both are locally based organizations that are involved in the deconstruction industry.

Ideally, we will find somebody who wants the materials or the house as a whole. We absolutely want to avoid putting any usable material in the landfill! Any takers……?