Imagine a type of warm that is uniform, invisible, silent and energy efficient. No dust, no loud furnace and gushes of air, no odd high pitched squeal or clanking from a radiator &mdash just quiet, comfortable heat at your feet. Radiant floor heating offers a great efficient alternative to other mechanical systems, and rather than heating the air, it only heats you. More

Bathrooms are one of the sanctuaries of our homes, but unfortunately they can also be one of the most water and energy consuming and mold prone areas of the house. When looking to green your bathroom it can be helpful to look to one of building's greenest guides, LEED. Below the jump we'll take you through all the major points in the LEED system that can help you get a healthier and more peaceful bathroom. More

Earlier this week we told you how to find a good contractor &mdash well, finding a contractor is one thing, but ensuring the construction process is a relatively smooth experience is another. For tips, we once again turned to green architect Nathan Kipnis to find out how to work with a contractor, and not get ripped off! More

During Home Hacks month we're giving advice on how to get things done in every room of the house. But sometimes a project can be too big or difficult for the best of us, and that's when it's time to turn to a contractor. But finding and working with a contractor can be a daunting task in and of itself, so we turned to seasoned pro and green architect Nathan Kipnis for his tips on when to use a contractor, how to find one and how to ensure they do a green job to boot. More

Ever wonder how container architecture works? Where do the containers come from, how are they modified and exactly how much do they cost? Well, we're hoping to do a container house at our architecture firm, so earlier this week we headed to the south side of Chicago to Vaccaro Trucking, Inc., a container shipping, storage and modification company. More

Second-hand. Hand-me-down. Left-over. Whatever you call it, it still means used. And who wants that? Well, we here at Re-Nest hold a special place in our hearts for the pre-owned and refurbished, because we know that reuse means less waste of natural resources and money. And while some things are clearly better new, salvaged building materials and furniture can be luxurious in a way that off-the-shelf products rarely are — that is, hand crafted, laboriously detailed, and well made. More

The ZeroHouse, at first glance, may look like something straight out of the future. But upon closer inspection, the self-sufficient house is cozy, extremely well-designed, and ready for a live-in investor. More

We all know that keeping humidity in our home during the winter is important for our skin, throat and overall health, but did you also know that it’s vital to the health of our home? If humidity levels dip too low our furniture and house will deteriorate and certain germs will thrive. Click below the jump to find out what humidity levels you should keep in your home year round, and different techniques to do so. More

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Wattbot, a new online tool that does a custom calculation to determine which home improvements will give you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of energy savings. This week, Wattbot launched its public beta for users in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, and New York. If you live in one of these areas, go ahead and give it a try. (And even if you don’t, you can pretend you do while giving it a test run. I won’t tell!)

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As I get older, math increasingly becomes a private affair. Once considered to be good at it, I can now be found hiding out in the bathroom, counting on my fingers, when it comes time to divvy up a restaurant bill. Or quietly tapping on my calculator under my desk just to make sure that 60 inches is still 5 feet. (You never know when these things might change.)
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