Go Green - Built it to last - Green Bathrooms Vancouver - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

JohnFRWhipple · 11-02-2009, 01:01 PM

Green Bathroom Renovations

I was working late last night with my main man Riccardo and he made an observation that really made me think.

We where talking about "Green Building Practices" and what more we could do to improve in this area. He commented that we are the "Ultimate Green Builders" because everything we build is built for life.

Riccardo went to school to be an Engineer and he shared with me class projects where Mechanical Engineers design items to do the job but also design items to wear out. This makes a market for replacement parts and service work.

We all buy fridges, cars, toys, fans etc. and have to throw them out in 1-20 years as their planned obsolescence has been achieved and they break down.

Think about all the wasted tile, cement board, insulation, plywood & lumber, drywall, glass that has to be thrown away because a dodgey outfit did the renovation. We build things the right way with the right products so there is no water damage, no floor failures. This means no extra renovations producing more trips by more vechiles, more tile, more cement board etc.

I thought it was a very interesting point from some one in this business (past 7 years he has been with me) and some one who is a Mechanical Engineer - A graduate (1998).

If every one build things to last the amount of waste Nation wide would be cut down so much. If house where built to last 2 or 3 generations think about the Green Footprint There.

When selling the luxury items and justifying the costs of Ditra, Kerdi, Red Guard, Panasonic fans, spray foam etc. a little reassurance from us that we are in fact building you a "Green Bathroom" I think will go a long way into justifying the costs. It will cost you more to begin with but it will be green and you won't have to repair it. If an extra 15% total costs means you can keep your bathroom and not have to tear it out in 5-7 years you are in fact producing less pollution and lowering your Carbon Foot Print.

If you buy local, recycle your drywall, clean lumber, cardboard, paint and metal you generate very little waste.

We donate the old plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures, cabinets and hardware to HABITAT TO HUMANITY RESALE STORES. I donated the labour to deliver and unload the pieces to the Habit to Humanity and my clients pay an extra $100 - $400 in labour to my crew to remove these items with care, bag the parts and remove them so they aren't 'total junk'.

Most contractors here park a bin and junk all - sledge hammer and crow bar tools of choice.

The cost of the extra sub floor prep, Ditra and waterproofing systems can easily double or triple the tile installation costs. These costs in relation to the total job costs are cheap insurance and a Green Building Practice if you think through all the waste, materials, gas and carbon produce to generate more materials to re do the job in one to five years.

Think about it?

Here in Vancouver you can deliver your fixtures and cabinets to Habitat for Humanity;

Burnaby ReStore
2475 Douglas Road
Burnaby, BC V5C 5A9
604-293-1898

Vancouver ReStore
69 West 69th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5X 2W6
604-326-3055

Call them first as some times they are over stocked in one type of item. The box stores often load them up in a certain area when they do inventory adjustments.

Craigs list is also an excellent resource to give away "Free Material" and the last chance before items are forced to be dumped.

Go Green - Built it to last

Willie T · 11-02-2009, 01:09 PM

We've pretty much run out of land here. And things work a lot like buying refrigerators..... tear down the old to build new. It does keep us in work.

It's interesting that you seem not to mind also ripping up someone's old work to put in your "built-to-last" stuff. But what if everyone before you had also done so. What would you find to rebuild? Would you not be standing around wishing someone would become dissatisfied with their obsolete stuff?

Of course, I'm ribbing you. We should all build to the best of our abilities. Just be VERY thankful that homeowners really don't want to live with the same old thing that may last forever. The ones with money love to tear-down the old, and go with the latest trend or craze.

And, let's be honest. We love to oblige them.

jarvis design · 11-02-2009, 01:46 PM

I chuckle a little when I think of 30-40 years down the road when some contractor gets to rip up my work!! I too build things to last and use a lot of the same materials you mentioned.

It reminds of all the times I have had to rip out a tile shower or cast iron tub with a mud bed. Compare that to a bathroom built since that time and it is a joke!!

I always tell me customers that our jobs are designed to last a lifetime. That means the only reason it is being ripped out is because someone wants something newer, not because it has failed.

JohnFRWhipple · 11-02-2009, 02:01 PM

We like to leave smiley faces on the inside of the framing so when someone is met with the challenge of demolishing my bathroom and freak out because the guy used wood glue and #8 3" screws instead of a couple of framing nails he has a laugh.

Sometimes I write "How's your demo day going?"

I wouldn't want to demo my work.

s.kelly · 11-03-2009, 04:52 PM

Love to hear that attitude. I think somewhere along the way in the states we forgot that quaity is worth more and should be sought out. Wallyworld and others taught everyone that low price(cheap) is it's own reward, even if it is all just so much shiny crap. Don't fix it, throw it out, it is cheaper.
Saddens me.

woodchuck2 · 11-04-2009, 07:37 AM

I like some of you opinions and thoughts but the problem with todays society is that it has become a throw away society. Alot of items are cheap and often it is cheaper, faster and easier to just replace than restore. We also have fads/trends now that the consumer tries to follow. If you look at alot of older homes "100-150 yrs old" alot of the construction was similar and alot of your appliances were just basic and very much the same from home to home. Reason being they were a new idea at the time and there was no selection to chose from. Everything back then was also built to last, no one had the money to just keep buying and replacing. How often do we see a fridge from the 50's that is still functional? If you can find one that hasnt been junked then it most likely still functions. The only reason why they were scrapped is because they were not large enough and didnt have all the bells and whistles of todays fridges. Plaster and lathe is another example, tough as hell and if applied right looks good. Drywall on the other hand will still sag over time and the nails/screws tend to work loose.

JohnFRWhipple · 11-05-2009, 10:08 AM

Is there any basics that some of you do that help make you Greener than the next guy?

It's sometimes a fine line between going green and using products that work. Some of the low VOC contact cement products we just don't use because of poor performance.

We have switched to yellow carpenters glue instead of bull dog or titebond. The job site fumes are way down and the old school glue works great.

Garbage is my big issue - it is a constant battle to recycle but the North Shore Transfer Center takes everything. recycling stations every where.

It used to take 5 - 20 minutes to unload my F150 heeped to the sky now the same load can take 20 - 45 minutes to unload with the extra 3 - 4 places you need to go to unload cardboard, metal, drywall, paint etc.

Makes me so mad that we take the care and the time - then the big bin trucks drive in with there mixed lots and dump away....... ?????

10fingers · 11-07-2009, 01:22 AM

I hear on Van Isl (or is it Saltspring?) that it costs more to get rid of drywall than it does to buy it. This true?