If you're thinking about renovating your home, it can be overwhelming to know where to start, particularly if you have a small apartment. Graham Hill (founder of TreeHugger) recently came to Maxwell asking for advice, so the Re-Nest editors put together a go-to list of home resources—including great websites, books, architects/designers, and stores—for people looking to renovate green. This is an ever-evolving list, so if you have something to add, tell us in the Comments!
Websites:
- Re-Nest and Apartment Therapy: what can we say? This is our full time job and we try to be a informative and inspirational for people looking to renovate their homes.
- TreeHugger
- EnergyStar.gov
- GreenHomeGuide.com
- Buildinggreen.com
- Fine Homebuilding.com
- ThisOldHouse.com
- Tiny House Blog
- YoungHouseLove.com
- Jetson Green
- Ecolect- Discover Sustainable Materials
- GreenBuildingAdvisor.com
- Natural Home Magazine
- Home Power Magazine
- Building Design+Construction Magazine
Books:
- How to Live in Small Spaces: Terence Conran
- The Eco House Book: Terence Conran
- GreenSpec Directory 7th Edition: Environmental Building News
- Green Building Products, 3rd Edition: The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building: Alex Wilson
- The Not So Big House Collection: The Not So Big House and Creating the Not So Big House: Sarah Susanka, Kira Obolensky: Books
- Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live: Sarah Susanka, Marc Vassallo
- Good Green Homes (9781586851798): Jennifer Roberts
- Recycled Home (9781845974510): Sally Bailey, Ryland Peters & Small
- The Home Improvement Guide: Ten Pound Books
- The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space: Azby Brown
- Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home: Azby Brown
- Eco-Renovation: The Ecological Home Improvement Guide (9781890132385): Edward Harland, Duncan Roberts
Architects/Designers:
- Michelle Kaufmann: www.mkd-arc.com, blog.michellekaufmann.com, and michellekaufmann.com
- Nathan Kipnis Architecs, Inc.
- Farr Associates
- Verde Design Studio
- Leger Wanaselja
- Jeremy Levine Design
- Kelly La Plante
- Clay Baker Design
Stores:
- Green Depot
- Green Home Chicago Design Center
- Grasshopper 510
- Habitat for Humanity's ReStore
- Eco Home Improvement
- Granada Tile
- Kelly Green Design
- Environment Furniture
- Build It Green! NYC
- Green Home Environmental Products
Appliances/Products/Materials:
- Summit Appliance
- 3Form Material Solutions
- Marvin Windows and Doors
- Spray Foam Insulation
- Rockwool Insulation
- Cellulose Insulation
- Cement Fiberboard Siding
- RetroPlate Concrete Flooring
- EcoSurfaces Recycled Tire Flooring
- ModularArts Ceiling Panels
- Engineered Flooring by EcoTimber
- Best Eco Paints 2009: No-VOC and Non-Toxic
- How To Find Truly Green Products
- Top 10 Green Building Supplies by Sustainable Industries
- Top 10 Green Building Products from Building Green
(Image: Liz Vidyarthi | Nick and Rachel's Creative Warehouse Loft. Last published 2010-08-03)
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Also check your local utility companies as they often have big rebate programs for adding insulation, replacing windows, etc.
Here are a few off the top of my head for the Seattle/Pacific Northwest area:
Websites:
chezerbey:
http://www.chezerbey.com
[ok, shameless plug there, but we're doing our own green remodel on our 100 year-old home]
Northwest EcoBuilding Guild:
http://ecobuilding.org/
City of Seattle Green Home Guides: http://www.cityofseattle.net/dpd/GreenBuilding/SingleFamilyResidential/Resources/RemodelingGuides/default.asp
Books:
Green Home Primer:
http://www.greenhomeprimer.com
Architects:
Balance Associates Architects:
http://www.balanceassociates.com
Johnston Architects:
http://www.johnstonarchitects.com
Build LLC:
http://www.buildllc.com
Blip Design:
http://www.blipdesign.com
Stores:
Ecohaus (formerly Environmental Home Center):
http://www.ecohaus.com
Re-Store:
http://www.re-store.org
Wow - This is a GREAT post. Thank you! And thank you LaurenZ for the Seattle resources. Another one I use is Second Use: http://www.seconduse.com/
For New Yorkers looking for a Green kitchen, check out Purekitchen in Brooklyn. www.purekitchen.com
If you want to know what kinds of chemicals are in the building products you purchase, check out the new searchable database from the Pharos Project - www.pharosproject.net. It has a listing of building products, as well as a searchable database to screen chemicals and materials. A great new resource!
Thanks for the great resources and I’m glad to see that Michelle Kaufmann is part of the list since she’s one of my favorite green architects. I do love the following 2 online stores for contemporary and sustainable furniture and home furnishings. Both resources have a modern take on green design within their selection:
http://www.branchhome.com/
http://www.vivavi.com/
I use both websites as an inspiration for my blog about design that’s modern yet eco-friendly at http://www.eco-chic-design.com/ and discovered many new products through them.
American Clay Plaster and Milk Paint for truly green painting options.
Bill Hutchins at Helicon Works is a fabulous green architect in the DC area: http://www.heliconworks.com
Also in the DC area, Amicus Green is a green home improvement store: http://www.amicusgreen.com/index.html