Remodeling vs. New Building Reduces Climate Change Emissions

Researchers in England found that building a new home emitted four and-a-half times as much carbon dioxide as refurbishing an existing dwelling.

They also found that the carbon dioxide emitted as a result of the construction of a new building - from quarrying, brick making and so on - accounted for nearly three times more of a building's lifetime emissions than had been supposed.

Previously the amount of energy involved in the construction of a home had been assumed to represent 10 per cent of the energy used over the lifetime of a building.

In fact, energy involved in construction added up to nearly 30 per cent of the emissions over the lifetime of the building, according to the report "New Tricks with Old Bricks; how reusing old buildings can cut carbon emissions."  Telegraph, UK

So you can feel better about remodeling an old building than about building a new one.  Another benefit of remodeling old structures is reduction in urban sprawl.  When new wilderness or agricultural lands are transformed into suburban housing, we lose many additional benfits of nature's natural systems:  plants (especially native plants) provide air filtration, water capture and replenishment of aquafers and water tables, wildlife habitat, cooling of the earth, and natural processing of waste -- from animal carbon dioxide to poop :-)  Nature works hard for us and we can return the favor by reusing what we have already taken out of the natural system instead of adding to the concrete jungle.