Comments on: Give your bathroom a green makeover

By: Pedro Joaquin Sanchez Belmar

Pedro Joaquin Sanchez Belmar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:23:33 +0000

Navigating the maze of marketing materials for the greener of new-build homes can be quite a bewildering business. Code for Sustainable Homes level this? Code for Sustainable Homes level that? Eco Homes Excellent? Or Very Good? For the average homebuyer who fancies himself or herself as an environmentalist, it can be hard to know exactly what it all means.
A growing number of buyers have decided that the best approach to going green is to give draughty and badly insulated older houses a makeover, rather than to buy new ones. They are discovering that excellent results can be achieved — and often for modest sums.
Sarah Harrison, an environmental consultant, bought an unmodernised Victorian semi in 2000 in a conservation area in Camden, North London, intent on testing how such a home could be improved. In six months, she lined the walls with wool fibre, installed a wood-burning stove, state-of-the-art double-glazing, a rainwater-harvesting system and solar panels. Household carbon emissions have been cut by 70 per cent, and water consumption by 30 per cent. Harrison says: “We turned off the heating in March and we have only needed to turn it on twice, for an hour each time, since.”
Pedro Joaquin Sanchez Belmar

By: Chris Chambers

Chris Chambers — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:09:22 +0000

Great info Tracy. Dual flush toilets save you money by reducing your water and sewer costs. Over the course of a lifetime, the average person flushes the toilet nearly 140,000 times. This wastes a significant amount water. We are slowly adopting the dual flush toilet in the US other countries such Europe, Australia, China have been using dual flush toilets for years.

By: james webber

james webber — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:30:05 +0000

Rubber flooring from start to finish, the Rubber Floor Store is dedicated to bringing you high quality, beautiful rubber flooring solutions. You’ll love finding the one that’s right for you, you’ll love the easy installation, and you’ll love to way they look.

By: Rachel - Staged Makeovers

Rachel - Staged Makeovers — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:49:35 +0000

There are tons of great tips in this article. Thanks so much for sharing. I know they will come in handy in the near future when I remodel my bathroom (a work in progress). Please check out my blog for other bathroom makeover tips http://www.mystagedlife.com

By: June’s top eco-features at EcoStreet at EcoStreet - Raising Green Consciousness since 2002

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:34:33 +0000

[...] Give your bathroom a green makeover [...]

By: Anna Hackman

Anna Hackman — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:10:12 +0000

Hi Tracy. Good article. I would just like to add one thing to your list. An exhaust fan to reduce moisture in the bathroom so that you do not get mold. Mold causes a lot of health problems.

I have a broan automatic sensing fan that goes on when it senses moisture. Pansonic makes one too. Some are quiet. Just make sure if you get an automatic one that no one turns the switch off. Otherwise, it will not work.

If I remember correctly, Energy Star in the US gives rebates in new construction for ones with timers because of the switch issue (people forgetting to keep the switch on the on position.) People should check their local, state, county, etc goverments to see if they can get rebates for exhaust fans as well as what kind.

Also, put a motion sensor on your light so if you forget to turn off the light, it goes off for you. However, if you are on the toliet for awhile, it may not sense you and turn off the lights! Check to see if there are sensor with body heat sensing. anna http://www.green-talk.com

By: Nikki

Nikki — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:06:13 +0000

Great information, Tracy. This will come in handy when I move into my new house – which needs a complete refurb! How about some posts on greening a kitchen and other rooms too

By: Blue Sky Mining » TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week.

Blue Sky Mining » TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week. — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:00:35 +0000

[...] EcoStreet: Give your bathroom a green makeover by Tracy Stokes “Whether you are planning a complete bathroom overhaul, or just want to make a few inexpensive changes, we can help you make your bathroom an altogether more eco-friendly place.”… [...]

By: Tracy

Tracy — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:52:27 +0000

Thanks for letting us know about those paints Vanessa, and about the white Swedish floor soap, it sounds brilliant. I had never heard of it before.

By: vanessa cooper

vanessa cooper — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 08:14:07 +0000

we stock earthBorn natural claypaints & proAqua eggshell paints which are great for bathooms as they allow surfaces to breathe as well as absorbing variations in humidity. We also stock a white swedish floor soap to whiten pine flooring which is great for bathrooms.