Step One: Asking the Right Questions

Step Two: Setting Goals

Step Three: Green Bathroom 101
 

Project: Remodeling the Bathroom

Congratulations. You’re considering remodeling your bathroom and you’re looking for advice about how to go green. You’ve come to the right place. At greenbuilding.com we’ve set an ambitious goal. We want as many people as possible to see that green building does not have to be complicated or confusing. Instead, building and remodeling green can be simple and straightforward and we’ll show you how.

Green building has the following benefits:
* Greater comfort
* Lower operating costs
* Healthier air
* Less need for maintenance
* Longer-lasting investments
* Greater connection with the world around you

Let’s get started.

Step One: Asking the Right Questions

Before you run out the door and start shopping for a low-flush toilet (don’t worry, you’ll get to do that soon), you’ve got a little bit of preparatory work to do.

First, it’s important for you, the other users of the bathroom and any other interested parties to express what it is you’re looking for in your new bathroom. It can be helpful for each person to answer these questions individually then hold an informal meeting where everyone is able to share their visions for the new bathroom. Here are some basic questions to get you started:

 

Users and Function

• Who uses the bathroom? What times of day?
• Are there special needs which need to be addressed (disabilities, children) now or in the future?
• Will the bathroom need to accommodate changes in the family/occupancy in the near future?
• Do visitors use the bathroom?
• What activities need to be accommodated and how much storage space is needed?
• Is the bathroom used for other, non-traditional, functions (laundry or washing your pets, etc)?

 

Feel

• How do you want to feel when showering, brushing your teeth, etc. Instead of focusing on a particular product (like I want new tile in the shower), try to focus on the experience you wish to have in your new bathroom. This will leave you open to products that suit your needs but that you may not have otherwise considered.
• What quality of light are you seeking? For what tasks and what time of day?
• How do you want to feel when it comes to thermal comfort (warmth, cooling) Do you want the area around the tub/shower warmer than the rest of the room?
• What do you want to hear (and not hear) when in or near the bathroom?

 

Desired Changes

• What aspects of the current bathroom do you desire to change and why?
• Are there fixtures or appliances that are under-performing? What’s not working for you and why?

 

Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation

• What is your current heat source?
• Are you warm enough?
• What cooling methods are you using? Are they working?
• How are you ventilating? Is there sufficient ventilation to prevent moisture accumulation?

 

Plumbing and Hot Water

• Are there plumbing problems that need to be addressed in the remodel?
• What do you know about water usage in your current fixtures? How many gallons/flush in toilet? Gallons/minute from showerhead, faucet?
• How old is your water heater? What’s the distance heated water must travel from heater to fixture?

 

Lighting and Electrical

• Is there natural light?
• Where are the windows currently and might the windows be relocated to better serve your needs for light and beauty?
• What kind of electrical lighting is currently used? Incandescent? Compact florescent?
• Does the lighting suit the uses of the bathroom? (Ambient light vs. task lighting)
• Are there enough electrical outlets in the bathroom? Are they all GFCI (Ground Fault circuit interrupter)?

 

Finishes

• What finishes cover the wall, ceiling and floor and are they hard to clean and maintain?
• Have the finishes started to deteriorate (chip, peel, crack, mildew, etc.), or have they worn well?

 

Step Two: Setting Goals

Now that you have asked the right questions and have given yourself the chance to talk about your vision with other people involved in your bathroom, it’s time to put your vision in writing.

 

Bathroom Goals

You should create a one to two-page write-up of what you want your bathroom to be like. Be sure to cover all the following areas:

• Who the bathroom will serve and needs of those users
• What functions/activities the bathroom will accommodate
• What the bathroom will feel like
• Green Building goals (see below)

It is vitally important that these goals be written down. We’ve seen many a remodel go sideways midway through the project because we’ve watched people get consumed by the details and lose the big picture. Your written goals will be your roadmap when things get difficult. Our mantra at greenbuilding.com is Thoughts Make Things. Clear written thoughts are even more likely to bear real-world results.

 

Sustainability Goals

At greenbuilding.com, we can’t talk enough about the Green Building Tripod. The three elements of the tripod – Energy Efficiency, Resource Conservation and Indoor Air Quality – should be the backbone of your sustainability mission.

Remember Green Building is not an either/or. It is a both/and. With green building you can have it all – a bathroom you love to be in AND one that’s better for the planet and all her creatures.

So what are your Green Building Goals? It’s simple. Just add this to you bathroom goals page:

“We want an incredible new bathroom PLUS:
- Greater energy efficiency
- Less use of precious resources
- Healthy indoor air quality”

Who wouldn’t want that?
 

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