What exactly spurs someone to take on a project like this? After 5 years in a small pre-war bungalow, my wife and I decided we wanted more room to start a family. So for us, this project was born out of a need for more space.

However, at some point along the way, our priorities changed. We still need the extra space, but I came to realize we could build a better home instead of a bigger home.

I’m sure “better” means something different to everyone, and for us it originally meant a modern esthetic with nice fixtures. And while we still want this, I’ve also come to appreciate how sustainability must work into the equation. So I’m left wondering… how green is green?

I’m not sure I have a definitive answer for this, but we are trying to do as much as possible given our budget. I’ve heard many claims that “green” doesn’t necessarily equate “expensive”, and while this is true in some cases, it’s hard to argue when you look at the budget. The fact is, we could have built a much larger home if we wanted, but instead we reduced the footprint so we could build it greener. I’m not suggesting it’ll be the poster-child for LEED construction, but it’ll definitely be better than it would have been.

I’m planning on discussing these more in future posts, but here a few things we’ve considered with the design of the house:

• Window shading
• Passive lighting
• Passive heating & cooling
• Rainwater collection
• ICF / SIP construction

• Spray foam insulation

  Beyond the products & practices we’re considering, I’m often asked about the existing house. Why did we decided to bulldoze it? Why not build on the existing foundation? If we are going to demolish it, what will happen to the waste?

  These are all excellent questions, and I must admit I hadn’t actually considered all of them. We had originally intended to build on our existing foundation, however proximity to our neighbors made this problematic. And I would love to recycle/reuse everything… I just don’t think that’ll be entirely possible.

  Crushing and reusing the foundation is an intriguing possibility given our flat roof (we’re investigating covering it with crushed gravel). As for the rest of the house, we’re going to be selling/giving away as much of it as possible (the kitchen cabinets, radiators, boiler, etc). However, I realize that won’t make much of an impact and I assume most of it will end up in a landfill.

  Not exactly the most eco-friendly solution, but that’s where we stand today. I hadn’t considered recycling the rest, but it’s something I’m definitely going to look into it now.

  So these may not all be the greenest of steps, but hopefully they’re steps in the right direction.

  Photo via Flickr user CasualTea

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