It sometimes feels like there is a social consciousness around decision making. Like when you’ve never heard a name before, name your kid with it, and suddenly there’s a million kids your kid’s age with that same name!
The conception of remodeling projects seems to take on that same social consciousness, though in March, it wasn’t just in the inquiry but in the execution as well!
March’s social consciousness remodeling project was bathrooms. Which we love doing so, “Yea!” Why do we love bathroom renovations? Well they usually involve:
- better design and usability: From cabinet capacity and better flow in the room to just getting the pink out!
- Reducing Water Consumption: Replace heavy water consuming fixtures with EPA-approved Water Wise systems and either replace toilet with a dual-flush (.9 and 1.6 gpf) or 1.2 gpf model (we recommend Toto or Caroma) or restrict your existing toilet’s consumption (more about that in a future post).
- Healthier Finishes: Reduce or completely remove all petroleum-based products and low/no VOC products. Green Depot (south end) Greenhome Solutions (north end) but have a wide array of healthy finishes. You can also try to find what you desire in salvage from The RE Store (north end) or Second Use (south end). If you can’t find what you desire in green building materials or salvage, try your best to at least buy from a local manufacturer at a locally-owned business.
- Cleaner Air: It’s important to not just move air in a bathroom but to remove the moisture with a properly installed and well-made fan. We always recommend a timer be installed – that way you can properly ventilate after showers/baths without having to remember to turn it off or leaving it on all day.
- GreenUp Products and Textiles: Swap out virgin-tree, heavy-chemical laden toilet and tissue paper with recycled paper products (read a NYTimes article on the topic), swap out heavy chemical soaps with castile soap, swap out that PVC vinyl shower curtain (here’s why) for nylon and cotton, and so on and so forth.
There is something about starting off the day in a space that is easy to use, beautiful, and that provides a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively). Let us know what questions you may have or how you greened-up your bathroom.
Below are pictures of two bathrooms in-progress.
new tub replaces leaky walk-in shower
new shower stall replaces an old tub in a small guest bath