See Chapter 6, Room Additions in the book Green Remodeling for more details. 

 

 

 

 

Green Additions/Remodel Best Practices

 

Green Demolition

Construction waste is an inherent part of remodels or additions. It is important to work to minimize the amount of trash that goes into the landfill. Wood, metal and cardboard can all be recycled and many appliances and fixtures can either be resold or recycled too. When reusing old materials is not possible, they can often be recycled. Your local city or county recycling agency should have information on Construction and Demolition Recycling.

Keeping your site organized and tidy is very important. Materials should be properly stored so that they won’t get damaged by inclement weather. A jobsite should be cleaned up at the end of each day. Messy jobsite are an eyesore to your neighbors and are unsafe.

Opening Walls Presents an Opportunity

Opening up walls in the bathroom gives you the chance to: 

  • Redo bad wiring (an electrician may be needed)
  • Repair leaks that might have gone unnoticed
  • Look carefully for mold
  • Check to see if you have adequate insulation in the exterior walls
  • Seal cracks or penetrations through the wall to stop air leakage

Knocking Down Walls

When it comes to knocking out walls, plan and plan again. Looking for obstacles ahead of time will avoid unnecessary hardship and expense. If you are considering tearing out walls as part of your remodel, we highly recommend that you work with a trusted professional who can help you distinguish between load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls. Load-bearing walls are walls that do just that. They literally hold up the weight of the house.

Note: Check out our list of professionals

Load-bearing walls can be altered but you must proceed with caution. A new structural analysis will be needed and you will probably need a new beam supported by posts on either side of the room. You will probably need to install temporary wood frame walls to support the structure above while the new wall is built.
Non-load-bearing walls can be easily be torn down without the roof falling in, but you should still be cautious of disrupting existing plumbing or electrical wiring within the wall.

 

Green Deconstruction Best Practices
• Choose a contactor who will recycle. Insist that there be bins for wood, cardboard and metal waste on the jobsite.
• If you are removing cabinets or fixtures, check id there is a local charity who might accept them.
• Remove the nails from your old wood studs and reuse them. Old studs are often straighter than new studs today.
• Unfortunately, drywall cannot be recycled.