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SoBo has been dedicated to green building since the company’s inception in 2003. To us, green building is much more than a trendy feel good term. To us, it means being responsible designers and builders. That is why we are drawn to remodeling instead of building from the ground up. We are passionate about using what’s there and improving on it.
Conspicuous Consumption
We feel a strong responsibility for consuming resources. As remodelers, we create large amounts of debris that goes into a landfill. We also buy huge quantities of new materials. This reality weighs heavy on us at times. As a result, we dedicate large amounts of time and energy to reuse and recycle whatever we can. Old framing, metal ductwork, cardboard, etc: what can we do to avoid throwing all of this into the trash?!
Smart Spaces
One of our primary goals with every structure we touch is to make it run as efficiently as possible. We pride ourselves on having a holistic approach to how a space works. We strive to take all of a structure’s characteristics into account when we plan changes.
Superb insulation and quality windows translate into minimal heat loss during the winter and minimal heat gain in the summer. A high efficiency furnace or boiler means that you are using as little natural gas and/or electricity as possible. If we’re thinking of adding space, how can we keep the building envelope simple and tight to minimize excess heat loss/gain?
Breath Deep and Relax
Indoor air quality is a major concern. With increased attention to making a structure air-tight, there must be increased attention to the air we breath when inside. Especially when children are concerned. We strive to mitigate exposure to the toxins inherent in many home products.
Taking Control
Ultimately, there are hundreds of choices made with every construction project. Money drives a lot of these decisions. We must prioritize and allocate the money accordingly. Green building is no different. How important is it to you?
Here is some rhetoric to get you thinking:
- Insulation: We’ve tried almost every insulation available on the market. Spray foam insulation is wonderful. Lately we’ve come to the conclusion that fiberglass batts in joist and stud bays isn’t good enough. It’s time to realize that it is worth putting money into a home’s insulation.
- Heating: We’ve installed forced-air furnaces, radiant floor heat, hydronic baseboard heat, electric baseboard heat. There is no right or wrong way to heat a space. Here’s food for thought: why spend $20,000 for a high end radiant floor heat system and $4,000 on standard fiberglass insulation? Why not spend $20,000 on insulation and $4,000 on a simple forced-air furnace?! What if it cost $800 MORE a year to run the radiant heat because of the inferior insulation? What’s greener?
- Cooling: Swamp coolers, attic fans, and whole house fans use minimal energy to run. Forced air-conditioning can cost thousands every summer. This leads us back to the rhetoric about insulation!
What has SoBo done!?
The following list outlines some of the proactive “green” choices SoBo has made over the years.
- Reduce: Central to our design aesthetic is the idea of moderation. We believe in quality spaces, not enormous spaces. All of our additions, pop-tops, and remodels have a certain sensibility. Part of this choice is the belief that extravagance isn’t necessarily better.
- Recycling: Every one of our clients can vouch for us when we say that we recycle everything we can. Every job we’ve ever done, whether it be a client job or a speculative project, has had a major recycling effort. We salvage scrap metal, aluminum, copper, cardboard, and scrap wood.
- Reuse: Over the years we’ve diverted thousands of pounds of trash from the landfill by reusing it. Oak flooring is a great example of a resource that can be reused relatively easily. Framing lumber, decking, cabinets all can see 2nd lives in our projects. Eric made a play structure for his children several years ago. He built the structure around an old kids’ slide he found out on the sidewalk.
- SIPS: Structural Insulated Panels are the best way to create a tight, well insulated house. We’ve used SIPS on walls, floors and roof.
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