A Green Home Renovation Project Reveal: See the colourful results
When I first met my clients to discuss two bathroom renovations, it was evident from the start that a green home renovation was their top priority. Since one of my clients lives, breathes, and works in the 'green industry' we came up with a plan to create two new spaces in their home. For this project, we tackled the primary bathroom and the main floor powder room.
Design and Products
For both bathrooms, we looked at a number of options that would best suite my clients. Since this home is fairly new for my clients, they have no intention of moving in the near future. As such, the design was created specifically for them.
Product
When the time came to choose product that would be considered 'green', it was relatively easy to make selections. Brands are going the extra mile to ensure that their products meet green standards.
Plumbing
Faucets
I chose Delta for all of the faucets for this space. Delta is
...committed to products and practices that maximize water savings, minimize environmental impact and take nothing away from our customers' experience.
The faucets all are WaterSense® labeled which means products
- Perform as well or better than their less efficient counterparts.
- Are 20 percent more water efficient than average products in that category.
- Realize water savings on a national level.
- Provide measurable water savings results.
- Achieve water efficiency through several technology options.
Toilets
When we were looking at the toilets, we chose a contrac® toilet. Contrac® takes environmental responsibilities very seriously which include
- recycling materials
- clean air technology
- water conservation
- Rainforest Alliance Certification
- Sustainable Forest Management
- Alliance for Water Efficiency
- comply with LEED standards
Counters
For the counters, I looked at a variety of options. We ended up going with Meganite® Mt. Carrara. This is the first time I have ever used Meganite® in a project. While it carries GreenGuard, GreenGuard Gold and Recycle Content (SCS), it is also antimicrobial.
AcryMed has antimicrobial protection integrated into the solid surface sheet during production. It is specially developed to enhance indoor environment surfaces by protecting the surface against deterioration, stains and odor-causing bacteria.
Meganite®.com
Tile
For the tile on the floor and the bath/shower, we chose a tile that is an Ecotile brand tile. What exactly does that mean?
"The ecotile brand is given to products that satisfy ALL of the following requirements:
- Manufactured using environmentally friendly process
- Manufacturing facility has been accredited by a 3rd party green certification program
- Accreditation standards are audited regularly to ensure best practices
Vanities
When it was time to address the vanities, we knew that we were going for vibrant colours. For the gorgeous colours for this project, our finisher used a water based Polyurethane and a water based Polyurethane matt top coat.
For the vanity materials, the MDF we used is “NAF” (no added formaldehyde). We also used PureBond® hardwood plywood which is
- formaldehyde-free
- environmentally safe
- soy based
- made in NORTH AMERICA
- cost competitive
- versatile
Construction
- All of the debris went to a facility in Calgary where it was sorted and recycled. On average, 50% percent gets recycled however at the time of this blog, we did not have our numbers for this project.
- The lumber was all FSC certified.
- The plywood for the floor patching was repurposed.
- For the glue, we used wood glue instead of using construction adhesive to prevent less off-gassing.
- The drywall had a high recycle content which met the green certification for recycled content.
- Our plumbers used environmentally friendly glue (less off-gassing).
Paint
We used a low VOC primer as well as VOC paint. We chose our colours from Sherwin Williams and used their Harmony paint line.
Lighting
We chose LED lighting for the bathroom and had dimmers installed for both bathroom.
Other Material
While our goal was to use all environmentally friendly materials, we did chose a wallpaper for the powder room that did not check the marks on our list.
Hard or Easy?
Many of you may be thinking how hard this was to pull together. To be truthful, it was not difficult at all. Our group of trusted trades sourced their materials effortlessly. I had my checklist with me by my side, and made conscious decisions for every piece that went into these two bathrooms.
My clients wished for this process to be an easy one, and it certainly was. There is a misconception that being 'green' is hard or difficult. It's not. Every chance we get to make an impact on our beloved earth, we should embrace it. Let's face it, a bathroom has a faucet so why not choose one that is certified Water Sense?
In the coming months, I'll be writing more about this topic and how these two bathrooms were a 'test' for green home renovations. I can't wait to share with you the exciting news!
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Shop the Look
Wishing to get a start with your own Green Home Renovation products for your bathroom? I've rounded up some of my favourites faucets for you.
The items below contain affiliate links. Any purchases, at no additional charge to you, are most appreciated and make this blog possible.
Bathroom Faucets
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