The following article was written by one of our regular customers and our store has a leading role! You can listen to Kelly’s December 7th interview on WGBH radio here http://www.wgbh.org/programs/The-Callie-Crossley-Show-855/episodes/Tuesday-Dec-7–This-New-Old-House-22415 and follow Kelly on her blog at Kellygoesgreen.blogspot.com.
Something Old for Something New
I recently conducted an experiment as I started my life over again. I am newly divorced, having left my marriage with nothing. No savings, no equity, no furniture, nothing but my daughter and my dog. They are the only things in my life that matter, really.
Here is my experiment… I bought a 1976 split entry (yes, the Cadillac of architecture from a period known for its lasting beauty). My goal was to furnish the entire house with nothing new. So every piece of furniture, every spoon, every towel – is reused. I thought it would be difficult to accomplish this task, but it was surprisingly easy! Not only did I save a ton of cash, I kept some really great stuff out of the landfill. Add to that, no natural resources were extracted, and nothing new was produced and shipped around the world for my benefit.
You may be thinking, “That’s great for you, but I couldn’t do it”. To that, I say, Yes you can!
I started by letting my friends and family know that I was doing a reverse yard-sale. I asked them to locate household items they no longer needed, or had doubles of. The only rule was they could not give me anything and use that as an excuse to buy something new for themselves. I was shocked at the amount of kitchen utensils, towels, sheets, curtains and small appliances I received. I tried to pay my generous donors, but they wouldn’t take my money. Most were happy to gain the extra space in their basements, closets, and kitchen drawers.
For big items, like my couch and dressers, I used Craig’s List. The trick to Craig’s List is to check it daily. I shopped for a while before I bought anything. It is important to get a sense of what is plentiful and a general price range for the items you want. Don’t just grab the first thing that you like (unless you absolutely love it). Also pay attention to the time of year. For me, May and August are the bumper months. I live near a college, so May is graduation and August is the time when rentals turn over. Focus on your Must Have’s first, then worry about the extras later.
I also regularly checked the Swap Shop at my local transfer station. Many towns have this, a small building or area dedicated to gently used items that still have life left in them. Coffee makers were especially abundant at my Swap Shop.
Freecycle is another great resource. Many communities have a chapter of Freecycle, so hop online and find yours. Yard sales, of course, are the old standard. They still work.
I furnished my entire house for less than $1,000.
Now on to the environmentally friendly part…
A split entry lends itself to adding an accessory apartment. My daughter, dog and I don’t need 1,880 square feet. I have everything I need on the main floor, leaving the ground floor open for a tenant. Having the utility room down there made adding plumbing for a kitchen and full bath relatively easy. There was a half bath already, I just added a shower. There was also a wall of cabinets adjacent to the utility room, so adding a kitchen sink was a snap.
I found most of my remodeling items at my local ReStore, which is an incredible wonderland of left over and second hand remodeling supplies (4th Streen in Dover, across from the train station). ReStore benefits Habitat for Humanity, so your purchase does double duty: keeps good stuff out of a landfill and contributes to a worthy cause. The inventory of ReStore changes almost daily. I found enough gorgeous cork flooring to do my kitchen and bath for about 20% of retail price (yes, 80% off!). Other items I picked up included a microwave-hood, countertops, kitchen cabinets, lighting fixtures, drop ceiling panels, bathroom fan, and so much more. I have yet to walk out of that store without something great. The 10% off from my Green Alliance card helped a lot.
A friend of mine, another single mother with a toddler, has moved into the ground floor. The addition of a housemate has been a wonderful experience. We help each other out with child care, dog care, cooking and general companionship, while having our own space as well. Having 4 people in the house, rather than just 2 reduces our carbon footprint.
I saved so much in furnishings and remodeling, I thought I would splurge on some non-toxic, no-VOC paint. With 2 toddlers in the house, I didn’t want any nasty off-gassing. The really good stuff costs about twice as much per gallon as the mainstream paint. I went to Greenovations on Rt. 1 in Portsmouth. I was absolutely delighted when I used their Safecoat paint. The coverage was wonderful. I only did one coat with touch-ups, rather than my usual 3 coats. It ended up costing me less than my usual paint and I saved so much time.
Finally, I conducted an energy audit of my home soon after I moved in. I used Energy Audits Unlimited, and the owner, Paul Button gave me $100 off with my Green Alliance card. The card more than paid for itself with just that one purchase!
Picture The Professor from Gilligan’s Island crossed with Crocodile Dundee (yes, I know, I have just aged myself). This Professor Dundee guy came dressed in camouflage. He wasn’t a hunter or in the military – he just liked pockets. Lots and lots of pockets. He needed them to hold all his gadgets and gizmos.
Professor Dundee started in my attic, and then worked his way down and all around my house, just like a home inspector – well a home inspector that crawled into some very tight and yucky places. He looked for obvious leaks and gaps in insulation, potential mold hazards and efficiency of the heating system.
Next came the gizmos (those are larger than gadgets in case you are wondering). The best gizmo is the blower door. This is a vinyl sheet that is framed securely around the front door opening, so securely that it is air-tight. In the middle of this blower door is a super powered fan and some various gauges. We closed all the windows and turned on the fan. It was amazing at how fast the air was sucked out of my house. I accidentally opened a door and had to physically fight it from slamming back shut.
Once there was a substantial difference in air pressure between in the inside and the outside, the gadgets came out. One took thermal pictures and actually showed streaks depicting airflow. I could see air rushing into the house from all the cracks and gaps. The worst single offender was the hatch to the attic.
There were humidometers, presurometers, and I think a warp core.
I found out that my boiler is 84% efficient (which is not good). I found out that I have NO insulation on the ground floor. My dryer vent is more of a gaping hole of rodent invitation. There should be a few more holes in my house that don’t exist… like vents in the bathroom.
What did I find out????
I need to insulate the attic and build a simple hatch to make the attic scuttle more airtight. My chimney chase is wide open, and I should also put insulation around my hot water pipes. If I get a rigid vent for my dryer, it will reduce fire hazard and increase my dryer’s efficiency.
There is much, much more I found out, which is all in a dandy report.
Every little thing was itemized – how much it would cost, how much savings on my oil bill I should expect each year, and how long it will take to recover the cost (ie how long the improvement will take to pay for itself).
According to my report, if I did everything recommended, it will cost me $3,214 and take 3 years and 9 months to see a positive return on my investment (with today’s oil prices). If I do just the basic items, it will cost me less than $2,000 and I will see the cost recover in less than 2 years.
I have done all of the recommended improvements, even though oil prices are pretty low right now. The insulation companies aren’t terribly busy now and the work ended up costing much less than estimated (only $2,100 for everything!) I am now looking forward to seeing my oil bills!
We are so lucky to live in a part of the world where resources are plentiful, but it is amazing how much we throw away and waste here in the United States. Going through this experiment has changed the way I look at my material possessions. There is very little need to buy anything new, and finding used items has become a fun treasure hunt. I have now applied this principle to most aspects of consumption, including clothing and books. I am shocked at how much money and resources I wasted buying new things.
I highly recommend starting a new trend with old things!
Resources:
Craig’s List: www.craigslist.com
Freecycle: www.freecycle.org
ReStore: www.senhhabitat.org/restore/
Greenovations: www.seacoastgreenovations.com
Energy Audits Unlimited: www.energy-audits-unltd.com
