We were transferred to Western Massachusetts in late 2008 and bought a distressed 1959 ranch-style house in Longmeadow
that needed a lot of TLC. It was built by Chapdelaine Builders whose signature was to build each ranch with at least one steel eye-beam supporting the foundation – we have two.
In addition to updating the house, Ted and I wanted to upgrade the house and property, doing it as green as possible. The following before and after photos show what we're are doing to create a healthy home – from the inside, out.
Bedrooms
Our filter in approaching each projects is:
Budget – what's the best return on investment?
Will it cost the same or less going "green"?
Does it look good?
The bedrooms were attacked first. The master was uninhabitable, so we lived here, in the dining room, until the carpet was replaced with luxurious recycled content carpeting and the walls and trim were painted with Low VOC paint.
When we pulled up the carpet we hit pay dirt – hardwood in every room. We also removed two layers of wallpaper using Downy Fabric Softener (1 cap full per gallon) and hot water.
After a lot of patience, elbow grease, and adding a ceiling fan, the room is greened-up and ready for Todd when he's home from college.
Kitchen
This kitchen was late '70's vintage. Besides updating, things like the cook top needing to be moved from under a working upper cabinet. So before we started cutting holes in the walls we consulted with a kitchen designer so we ended up with a usable space and the proper work flow. Ted and I like to cook together, and because the most-used space in a kitchen is the sink, we decided on putting in a small prep sink near the cook top so we didn't get in each others way.
Rather than getting rid of the cabinets and counter tops altogether, we recycled them by putting them in the basement laundry room, Ted's shop, and the garage. What didn't fit in those spaces was taken to the Longmeadow recycle center and reused by another resident.
Cabinet Installation – beside replacing the cabinets, we removed a never-used back door (behind me) and replaced it with a high efficient, Low-E, double pane window.
The door on saw horses was the kitchen for 9 months!
Cork Floor Installation
We had a partially functioning kitchen here. Beside liking the way the floor looked, the closed cell structure of the cork is comfy, water repellent and it won't burn. Back-splash over the cook top is recycled glass. We still have a little more tiling to do and the window treatments are on the cutting table. Return to the site every week or so to follow our progress.
"Tushy Pear" on the wall is a photograph taken by my friend Lara Blair (www.larablairimages.com).
Like the 50's style table? We reclaimed this table from our town's recycle center and will be replacing the current laminate with one that works better with our color scheme.
