We regard lighting to be a crucial component of any sustainable building, which includes everything from the health of the inhabitants that live in it to the amount of energy it consumes.
While energy-efficient lighting is a simple and effective alternative for your home and your carbon footprint, it is important to consider the cheapest and most renewable source of healthy light, the sun. The challenge is to find ways to utilize the sun’s light inside your home throughout the day.
An intentionally well-designed new build or remodel can produce ample amounts of natural light. Well-placed windows, skylights, doors, (and one of our favorites) Solatubes allow in the sun’s light, even in your home’s darker spaces. Letting in natural light will lower your energy bills and contribute to happier and healthier lives.
If installing new windows, skylights, or Solatubes is not in your budget; there are cheaper alternatives that can help maximize light throughout your home. Choosing light-colored paints, shiny flooring like linoleum, and reflective materials for your walls and ceiling can create a lot of fluid light that will brighten up even the darkest of rooms.
Learn more about different lighting solutions in recent Mighty House projects, including this video from the 2021 NW Green Home Tour, showcasing Solatubes and the reasons for specific placement. Please reach out to us and let us know how we can help adapt your home to allow in the most natural light possible for a healthy, eco-friendly, and happy home.
by Jill Williams | Jan, 2022 | Article, Design + Architecture, Green Building, Living, Uncategorized
Finish work is often about the smallest of details, and it takes the right carpenter with an extensive line of experience to execute it precisely. No matter how beautifully designed, this high level of detail work is the first thing that will catch any visitor’s eye when they walk into a room. Whether it is intricate tile work, crown molding, built-in custom cabinets, or live edge shelving, you will not regret taking the extra step to integrate this level of work into your new construction or remodel.
Most seasoned finish carpenters know the tricks of the trade about getting it right. This requires them to think quickly and adapt to any given situation. A successful finish carpenter also needs to have an eye for the work and dedication to making every single detail work. We pride ourselves on our fine craftsmanship, and we are committed to every project from start to finish – down to the very smallest detail.
Check out our Details photo gallery from projects throughout the years. Contact us to let us know which are your favorites and how we can help integrate extra fine details into your upcoming or existing projects. We look forward to hearing from you.
by Jill Williams | Oct, 2021 | Green Building, Living, Material Salvage + Reuse, Tips + Inspiration
And, lessening the impact on the environment and your wallet!
Salvaged or reclaimed materials are building materials that have been recycled specifically for reuse. Some people conjure up images of dumpster diving – and while they could be from dumpsters (Doug has been known to pull materials out of dumpsters for reuse), most are building materials that were carefully deconstructed from or home or building and one way to greatly lighten your remodel’s carbon impact. Not only does the reuse of materials lessen the overall impact on the planet, it also can lessen the impact on your wallet while also adding unique character that is hard (and sometimes impossible) to replicate.
Mighty House Construction is a huge proponent of using salvaged materials and finishes. We encourage clients to check out the warehouses at Second Use and like businesses during the early planning stages of their projects.
Often you can find salvaged cabinets, lighting, windows, doors, and fixtures (to just name a few) for up to 50 percent less than buying new – like these cabinets in Doug and Laura’s own kitchen (pictured above). Sure sometimes there are additional costs to making the salvaged materials work in your home (like Doug had to build two upper cabinets to infill), but often there is still a cost savings plus now we get to tell a fun story about our kitchen. (Ask us later!)
The trick with utilizing salvaged materials is that you either let the materials dictate the design or find materials that will fit or can be modified to work with your design. Then you begin the hunt for what will work and start collecting your items. Similar to shopping for that perfect prom dress or tux from a used clothing store, committed hunting usually will lead to some great finds! Like this gem of a counter and backsplash (pictured below) one client found awhile ago planning ahead for the ADU she knew she wanted to build.
Reach out to us anytime if you have ideas of unique ways to used salvaged materials in your project or if you have some items you’d like to use just to update your existing space. No project is too big or too small.
Salvaged Kitchen Backsplash
Salvaged Materials Kitchen Counters
by Jill Williams | Oct, 2021 | Article, Living, Tips + Inspiration
Whether it is your stinky child or a wet dog, fall is the season of stink. As the weather turns colder and wetter we also have less opportunity to open our doors and windows or to air out stink before bringing it in. We recently learned about seemingly simple, healthy, and effective options for battling those lingering odors.
Ozone Laundry System. Ozone is often used in commercial laundry systems as a way to conserve energy and lower overall costs. by replacing hot water and reducing the need/desire to use chemicals. Ozone laundry systems create ozone by combining electricity and oxygen and then dissolves the ozone into the washing water. The oxidation process happens when the ozone water is mixed with organic or “dirty” materials in your laundry and works to kill bacteria, fungi and live viruses in your clothes. It appears that most ozone laundry systems may easily attach to existing washing machines.
Another chemical-free “ozone approach” to keeping your clothes and your home free from lingering odors are Closet Ionic Air Purifiers. They are small, hang in your closet, and use advanced plasma breeze technology to quietly remove odors with safe, natural ozone.
Both of these “smell removing” options are seem safe for you, safe for the environment, affordable, and easy to install.
Speaking of stink… Most people know by now that many laundry detergents don’t completely biodegrade and they contaminate rivers, oceans, and our water supplies, with toxic heavy metals – not to mention their heavy contribution to plastic pollution on a daily basis. Obviously people need to wash their clothes, so we have some simple ideas that can keep your clothes clean and lessen your carbon footprint.
Make the switch away from liquid detergent and pods. These products are usually at least 50% water (an expensive commodity to transport) and may contain toxic chemicals. Choosing powder detergents in cardboard containers (or in bulk in your reused container), is two steps up from the liquid because you tend to use less, save on the added water, and the cardboard packaging is easier to recycle. However, the packing is still very bulky and costly to transport. A third step forward would be to select one of the number of safe and healthy environmentally friendly detergents on the market today that feature zero (or little) plastic packaging with detergent sheets. Google “detergent sheets reviews” and you will find many happy customers.
Let’s not confuse detergent sheets with dryer sheets…just ditch the dryer sheets altogether or use dryer balls or reusable sheets if you must use something.
Let us know if you have other ways you try to keep your home sport stink free or if you try these solutions, we’d love to hear what you think.
Eco-friendly advantages to retrofitting rather than building new.
