Lipstick on a Pig

This is a re-post from early this year, long before the presidential race got caught up in this cute phrase:

That is what you get when you do green remodeling in the wrong order. The right order is making you are remodeling green from the beginning – air sealing and insulation, moisture control, and high quality HVAC systems for starters BEFORE you select the pretty “green” materials like bamboo floors, recycled tile and the like. If your project is leaky and inefficient, wasting energy and water, and is not durable, then no matter how many green materials you install, it will never be a green home, it will just be a pig that you put lipstick on.

While there are some materials that are really toxic and dangerous, they are really few and far between. Most available building materials can fit into a green renovation project, provided the project is truly green, and they are used properly.

If you want to remodel green, learn the basics by taking classes and getting good advice on your first projects. Make sure that the building is planned to be efficient and durable, then start looking at green products to include in the job.

This post was originally published on www.housingzone.com