One of the primary factors behind our move was the environment — both the environment that we all share, and the environment within our living quarters. When we began the plans for our home renovation we wanted to incorporate
- sustainable, renewable materials so as not to burden the environment
- non-toxic/allergenic substances for air quality and overall health benefits
- alternative energy sources, particularly solar power (since we are in the second sunniest city in Canada!)
Additionally, we decided to go the “small spaces living” route. (And, this was 3 years ago when this topic wasn’t yet being covered on Oprah.) I freely admit that my initial motivation was somewhat out of laziness — I really wasn’t looking forward to the cleaning and maintenance that a house required. Especially when we know from experience that we don’t actually live in that much space. Every place we’ve lived has had at least some area that became junk storage or a room for the cats. Furthermore, every move has involved a non-trivial amount of purging of “stuff.” We knew that we didn’t need that much room nor that much stuff.
So, how have we done on the renovations? Have we been able to stick to our initial plans? Let’s see. . .
THE BONES:
Our house sits on a corner lot 50 ft. by 132 ft. It’s about 625 square feet on one floor, plus a full, open, unfinished basement which gives us another 625 square feet of room.
The good: small space requiring us to keep our possessions to a minimum; lots of green outside; room for an addition if necessary; walking distance to almost all amenities in town
The less good: No real cons/sacrifices regarding our location
THE FLOOR PLAN:
Initially, the house consisted of a kitchen/dining room area separated by a wall on one side of the “hallway” and 2 bedrooms/1 bathroom on the other side. (Bedrooms were 9′ by 12′ and 9′ by 9′ respectively, with a 9′ by 5′ washroom.)
To create a feeling of openness, we took down the wall between the kitchen and living room, as we lls as the one between the bedroom and the living room. We also moved the wall between the washroom and Joe’s office so that the bathroom is now 9′ by 8′ and Joe’s office is 9′ by 6′ (due to the placement of the office window, Joe’s office is a few inches smaller and the bathroom a tad larger). When we looked at where we’d be spending the most time, and since Joe’s larger office became a bit of a clutter magnet in the old place, it made sense to minimize his office space to a minimal workstation and storage area with a door to close out the cats.
The good: open space concept gives flexibility for a small living area,
The less good: We have yet to see how workable Joe’s office is; removing the bedroom wall also removed the bedroom closet, so we need to reintroduce clothing storage; bedroom is now open to living room, so we either need to keep it neat or invest in temporary room division (curtain where the wall used to be? paper room divider?)
THE WALLS:
Although not part of the original plan, all the walls were stripped down to studs, reinsulated and re-drywalled. In the process of having all new energy efficient windows installed, we came across mould in some of the outside walls, so we did a total strip down and rebuild. Not only is it nice to know that we won’t be breathing in toxic mould, but also we can rest easy knowing that proper drywall has been installed throughout the house (e.g. waterproof for the bathroom), which wasn’t orginally the case.
This could have been an opportunity to use a cool, new “green” material for insulation (options ranging from hemp to recycled paper to mushroom spores to used denim) but since it wasn’t part of the original plan, we didn’t really have the time to explore these possibilities and, more importantly, get them to Dauphin quickly and economically! So, while I would have been even happier with a natural substance inside our walls, that will have to wait ’till next time.
The good: Everything brand new! no mould, drywall that satisfies fire code as well as usage needs in damp areas of the house
The less good: Would have preferred green insulation material
THE FLOOR
The floor is one aspect of the house I’m pretty happy with. Our entire main floor (so, basically not the basement) is being covered with cork flooring. When exploring sustainable wood options (carpet was not an option because of my allergies) it basically came down to bamboo or cork. We chose cork because of it’s natural cushioning and anti-bacterial properties. Also, cork seems to be a more common product, at least in our neck of the woods, so it was easier to find people who had actually done it and get their feedback. I also preferred the look of cork, and expect its naturally varying design to be more forgiving to spills, nicks etc. than bamboo, which has more the look of hardwood. At the time I’m writing this, our subfloor is laid, but not the cork yet, so this is probably the thing I’m most excited about returning home to see!
The good: sustainable resource; resilient material that will stand up to wear and tear; naturally cushioning to provide ease on joints when standing/walking; natural variations in colour/appearance diminishes the appearance of wear; no carpets to collect dust/allergens
The less good: we have yet to see how it will hold up to cat puke, but otherwise, we’re VERY happy with our choice based on what we know so far!
THE ROOF
The roofers are weeks behind schedule because of all the rain Manitoba has uncharacteristically been getting this summer, but we have an entire re-shingling, re-routing of drain pipes, and sun tunnel installation planned for the near future. Admittedly, I don’t know what shingles are supposed to do, but new ones must be good for the house! But, the real treat is going to be the the solar tubes/sun tunnels which take light hitting the roof and bounce it into the house through tubes of angled metal. The solar panels will have to wait since the renovation has taken longer than planned and consequently we’re in a rush to make the house inhabitable so we can stop living in a hotel! Despite the delay in diving into solar energy to partially power the house, we’ve got good reason to be very excited about the sun tunnels: lighting is actually the most efficient use of solar energy because there’s no loss of energy during the transfer from one form to another (e.g. light energy to electrical energy). So, at least we’re starting with something that will make the best use of the solar energy while at the same time reduce our electricity usage for lighting. As with the floors, this is a project I feel VERY good about.
The good: A new roof can’t be bad; drains reconfigured for better drainage away from the house; sun tunnels to incorporate natural light; purchased locally
The less good: I don’t know enough about roofs to know what we could have done differently. If anyone wants to let me know, feel free! In my current state of ignorance, I feel pretty good about the roof!
THE KITCHEN COUNTERTOP
Joe’s one wish for the house was a kitchen countertop made entirely of butcher block so that every space could be food prep space. After the cramped quarters he was forced to cook in at 591 Sheppard, how could I possibly refuse him? We researched the material pretty well to make sure it was as sanitary as we believed, and a local cabinet maker undertook the task of creating the 3-inch-thick countertop for us. With everything there is to worry about, I do wonder how seriously we have to worry about toxic emissions from something like a kitchen counter, but it is nice knowing that we were able to replace one typically artifical material from the home and replace it with something natural. I know the trend is to go for stone, but if you’re going to spend that much money, you want something that will look good for a long time. Natural stones like marble just didn’t seem like they were going to cut it. And, if it needs to be repaired? With our butcher block, the worst that happens is we undertake a pretty intense sanding. And, like the cork floor, natural variations are expected so we won’t spend our simplified lives worrying about how well expensive renovations stand the test of time.
The good: natural material requiring only natural cleaning solutions; efficient use of space; generally anti-bacterial if maintained properly; longevity/durability; relatively local product; supported local craftsman
The less good: requires easy but careful, regular maintenance, natural but not sustainable material
THE TOILET
Another absolute must for us was the dual-flush toilet. (As she gets up to pee. . . ) This move was a no-brainer because it’s now possible to walk into almost any hardware centre and pick up a water-conserving toilet. We chose the EcoQuantum Conservation Toilet (4L small flush, 6L big flush) based in part on this review and its MaP (Maximum Performance) rating. . . measured in grams. 
There were 2 other models available in our local stores, but it was difficult to find information about the brands, and one had a much lower MaP rating. (There was no question in our minds we were going with a water-conserving dual flush toilet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be a little nervous about the undertaking!) A 6L/3L model exists, but that would have required shipping from the US, so we settled on the best local option we could find and find information about. Fortunately or not, depending on how you look at it, Joe and I are also now comfortable enough after 9 years to employ a modest variation on Grandma and Grandpa’s conservation strategy. (I still can’t see outright asking Joe whether he, “wants to go before I flush” though!)
The good: dual-flush (water efficient); purchased locally
The less good: small flush is still a pretty hefty 4L (other models as low as 3L)
QUESTIONABLE GREENING
No one’s perfect, and while being environmentally-conscious of our choices is extremely important to us, it ain’t always easy being green! There are two areas in which we are trying to make the best of bad situations:
#1. THE SHOWER
If you look up “ridiculous” in the dictionary, you will find the Wasauna A010. This is an absolutely ridiculous item, and I’m not even exactly sure how we ended up with it. But, if you consider “quality of life” as part of our renovation rationale, then this should count for something! In the cold Manitoba winters, a 2-person, enclosed shower actually makes a lot of sense, I think. And, we did make obvious sacrifices living in a basement for 27 months, not the least of which was the “powder room” sized bathroom in which we showered, shaved, and brushed — often at the same time. I suppose I didn’t think of the tiny kitchen as much of a sacrifice since I was never in it, but the morning choreography in (and around, since we couldn’t always both fit in at the same time) the bathroom was not the best start to the day.
Enter the A010, a space-age steam shower/whirlpool tub combination that boasts such features as a foot massager, multiple shower heads (including the rain ceiling), two seats, water reheater for the tub (so you don’t have to refill with more hot water), mp3 player/CD input, speaker telephone, aromatherapy, mood lighting and 360-degree spraying (front and back). Have I used the word ridiculous yet? If the stress of getting it shipped here from the US doesn’t kill us, then I’m soon it will quickly wash away after a few uses of this baby. . .
The good: most energy and water efficient model of its kind available
The less good: uses electricity 24/7; required shipping from US and factory production (carbon emissions); we suspect it will be so nice we will shower/soak more often than we do now!
–THE PLASMA TV
I say plasma only because I think the model we settled on is in fact a plasma. We didn’t set out wanting a plasma per se; our goal was simply something flat. At this point, I don’t think the differences between LCD and plasma are significant enough to matter to us. Our biggest concern is getting a superior product in our price range, so high customer ratings and shining reviews are going to be the deciding factor when we are ready to plunk down the credit card. There aren’t going to be any service technicians in Dauphin, and returning a defective unit will mean at least a 2 hour trip to the nearest city centre, so I want something that will work and last.
Plasmas tend to use more energy than LCDs, and both of these use more energy than an old school CRT, so it will be upon us to unplug the set when not in use. Our PVR set up, however, will unavoidably be a 24/7 operation. We are not likely to kick our television habit, especially with the closest movie theatre and bookstore being 2 hours away. Chalk this up to the quality of life category, too, given that our PVR allows us to be blissfully ignorant of television scheduling (thereby not missing out on life’s other opportunities) and simply watch what we want, when we want, with no commercials. It’s not quite the same as TiVo, but our home-made, computer-based PVR is about as close to that as you’re going to get in Canada.
Update: Apparently there’s a new technology that Toshiba intended (as of March 2006) to start producing last month for availability in Q4 2007. It appears to be a flat-screen improvement upon CRT technology. If it’s close to being a reality, and a significantly better option, we may just watch tv on our laptops for a while. Now you know what I’ll be doing for the next few days!
The good: we designed the house to only require 1 television that can be viewed from almost anywhere in the house (kitchen, eating area, living room, bedroom) via a swing-arm wall mount; energy efficient model and we will ensure it is unplugged when not in use
The less good: We just can’t beat our TV habit! A luxury item, not a necessity; Home built computer-based PVR including storage drives will need to be powered 24/7; carbon emissions in production and shipping
So, my conclusion is that while we haven’t been the greenest renovators, I think we can be pleased with what we’ve managed to do with our limited knowledge and local resources. There’s definitely more to come once we can live there, see how the space functions and what our concerns are. We certainly haven’t even touched the surface of the more radical options available to us; most of what we did was easily commercially available. We look forward to exploring our alternative energy options including solar panels and geothermal heating/cooling. (Thanks to stg’s comment with a tip on earth warming tubes for free AC, ventilation and dehumidifying!) Updates on those larger projects to come at a later date!