Recently in Building Techniques Category

Is remodeling the solution for reducing an office's energy consumption...and costs?  According to a study by energy efficiency company, Johnson Controls Inc.,  there are ways to save energy, and ways to "think" you're saving.  They took a look at the effect workplace comfort has on employee productivity and energy conservation.

"Employers may be tempted to turn down the thermostats this fall, but this quick fix could lead to hidden costs," said Clay Nesler, Johnson Controls' vice president. "Energy efficient systems and equipment is the win-win alternative, allowing businesses to save energy and money without sacrificing workplace productivity."

• 69% of the 800 US office workers surveyed for the study said they are "willing to sacrifice" their preferred ideal temperature on the job if that helps conserve energy.
  
• 45% said they think their employers are not doing enough to make their offices more energy efficient.
• 78% of workers said their productivity falls when they feel too cold or too hot at the office
• 98% said their offices are too hot or too cold at some point.

Solutions to Workplace Comfort

The study found that as a result

• 49% said they use a fan when they feel too hot,
  
• 28%  use a space heater
• 30% said they leave their office building to warm up or cool down by taking a walk.
• 41% report their discomfort to an office manager or facilities worker
• 69% try to remedy the situation by adding or removing a layer of clothing.

The findings provide further insight into employee behavior and workplace conditions.

Remodeling efforts to recover from fire damage can be driven by insurance claims, appraisals and payments.

In researching health insurance, I ran across an "insurance evaluator" who helped homeowners after recent California fires.  The court notes prove helpful for both homeowners and service providers. 

A lot of the monies that will be available for recovery and remodeling after a disaster result from getting the paperwork right!  And it starts BEFORE the fire.  And it continues AFTER the fire...and BEFORE work begins.

This excerpt of the court documents points to some best practices for both homeowners as they gather information for risk management -- and service providers who need to provide helpful estimates and evaluations:  

In late October 2004 Allstate provided Kacha's attorney, Peter Lawrence, and Dawson with a draft form appraisal award. The form included several pages of damaged items Kacha claimed were covered under the policy, such as kitchen cabinets and flooring, garage cabinets and flooring, and carpet and interior walls. For each item, the form provided: "Damage, if any, to the [e.g., kitchen cabinets] attributable to the fire of October 26, 2003." The form included a line for the entry of a dollar amount for each item.

The appraisal was held at Kacha's home, on November 15 and 16, 2004, and January 4, 2005. Allstate presented an appraisal brief that stated, "[T]his is not your standard appraisal where value of the loss is the only issue; there are still many issues regarding the existence and scope of damage that have not been resolved between the parties. This is due in large part to the insureds' prematurely demanding appraisal without coming to an agreement upon a scope of loss or even providing Allstate with the specifics of their claim." The brief asserted that damage to numerous items was not caused by smoke or heat from the Cedar Fire.

On November 15, Allstate provided the panel members with its draft appraisal award form. The parties had not yet agreed to the form, however, and Judge Joseph instructed them to do so before the conclusion of the hearing.

On November 16, the parties stipulated in writing that the appraisal panel "should utilize replacement cost value less depreciation to determine the actual cash value of the loss." The parties also stipulated to the amount of loss for certain items, including interior light fixtures and cleaning of windows, HVAC ducts and "[o]zone." The same date, Kacha increased the value of his loss to $858,393.87, and that prompted Judge Joseph to schedule the third hearing day.

Insurance services cover a range of helpful information management opportunities to "meet in the middle" of fair settlements that help homeowners manage their risk. Professional Insurance Evaluations is just one of the companies that provides a wide range of such services to sort through the complications of insurance and recovery:

Claims Recovery

Professional Insurance Evaluations maximizes your insurance policy claims by knowing exactly what is covered in your policy, determining the extent of the damage, and aiding you in any disputed claims resolution process.

Fire Insurance Claims

Professional insurance Evaluations can help with your claims resulting from fire damage. In the event of a fire, often times the damage is severe and the claims large, we can help recover your losses for known and unknown hidden damages to real and personal property.

Business Interruption Claims

Business interruption insurance protects policy holders from losses due to the interruption of business operations. Time element losses of business income, extra expenses, loss of rents or additional living expense are measured and valued.

Expert Witness

An insurance expert witness provides support in a legal case by having knowledge about insurance, claims handling, and insurance policy coverage analysis that can be relied upon in litigation of disputed claims.

Catastrophe Expert

Professional Insurance Evaluations is an expert in insurance policy claims resulting from catastrophe property damage. General adjuster, Kevin Dawson worked on insurance claims resulting from Hurricane Katrina, the San Diego Cedar Fire, and California wild fires and many other catastrophes during his long career serving policy holders and insurance companies.

Water, Smoke, Storm, Vandalism, Vehicle, Explosion Damage Claims

Professional Insurance Evaluations can help recover insurance policy holder claims resulting from water, smoke, storm, vandalism, vehicle, and explosion damage to property and time element losses.

 

Read more at Professional Insurance Evaluations, a California service company

The FY10 Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants have been posted to the brownfields website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicat.htm

The proposal deadline is October 16, 2009.

These grants may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum).

Opportunities for funding are as follows (See Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 66.818):

Brownfields Assessment Grants:

(each funded up to $200,000 over three years; $1,000,000 for Assessment Coalitions) provide funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning (including cleanup planning) and community involvement related to brownfield sites;

Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants:

(each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) provide funding to capitalize a revolving fund and to make loans and provide subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites;

Brownfields Cleanup Grants:

(each funded up to $200,000 over three years) provide funding for a grant recipient to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites that are owned by the grant recipient.

Please note there are two significant changes to the Proposal Guidelines for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants in FY2010:

(1) Applicants applying for a cleanup grant must own the site that is subject of their proposal at time of proposal submission;

(2) For RLF proposals only - Applicants who are currently recipients of a Brownfields RLF cooperative agreement, whether awarded under CERCLA 104(k) or CERCLA 104(d) are ineligible to apply in the FY2010 RLF competition. If you are an existing RLF cooperative agreement recipient you may be eligible to apply for RLF supplemental funding in early 2010.

EPA encourages applicants to read the guidelines carefully before applying.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced that $4 million is available to improve methods to detect and control lead-based paint, mold and other housing-related safety hazards that harm children. These grants will be awarded competitively to multiple Academic and non-profit institutions, State, Tribal or local governments that advance the recognition and control of residential health and safety hazards or improve our understanding of the link between housing and health.

"Anything HUD can do to continue to improve the methods for protecting our children from dangerous home hazards is crucial to American families, their children and their future," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "Investing in healthy homes is not only good for health reasons, but good for the environment and the economy as well."

These grants will further the implementation of HUD's Healthy Homes Strategic Plan, and the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes, both recently released, which encourage government agencies, other research organizations, and scientists to develop and support a portfolio of rigorous healthy homes research. In addition, both documents recommend that agencies and sectors work together to provide guidance and technical assistance to support safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly housing options.

HUD will award approximately six to ten grants ranging from $250,000 to $800,000 each. Applications may be downloaded from the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control's Website. The application provides instructions, including submitting proposals by Federal Express (FedEx), United Parcel Services (UPS) and overnight Express Mail delivery services. The deadline for receiving grants is 5:00 PM eastern time, August 18, 2009.

I love light, as we all do.  But balancing cost of good lighting with quality is a design challenge.  Retrofitting lighting systems can save significantly on office or manufacturing facility energy costs.  Here are six lighting retrofits that community colleges in California have been implementing to save on their energy costs ... and their environmental impact.

New Generation 25 Watt T8 Lamps
The Philips Energy Advantage 25 watt T8 fluorescent lamps were tested at an elementary school in San Diego CA.  They showed that the 25W lamps saved as much as 7W per bulb, but some application limitations were noted, such as a warm up period was required for full lighting, they are not recommended with occupancy sensors or dimmin ballasts, and they have a higher per bulb cost than 3100 lumen T8 bulbs. 

T5 or T8 High Bay Lighting in Gyms and Open Areas
According to Bright Ideas Lighting Company, "Many people are strongly pushing 4 lamp T5 highbays to replace typical 400 watt metal halide fixtures.    While I think this is not a bad option, in many cases the high bay T8 6 lamp fixture is a better option. Despite the long life rating claims for T5s we are seeing a surprisingly high rate of failures.  We seem to be changing a lot of T5 ballasts in areas where they are less than 2 years old."
 
LED Exit Signs
There are no simpler applications of savings in 24/7 lighting products that will save you money for energy and maintenance than LED exit signs!  Illuminated exit signs are an important and legally required safety feature in your facility. In the case of an emergency such as a fire, their operation is critical in protecting the well being of your congregation's members. By design, exit signs operate 24 hours per day, and can consume large amounts of energy to operate.

Many exit signs in today's buildings use older, incandescent and fluorescent/compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) technology. To make matters worse, many older exit signs require frequent maintenance due to the short life span of the lamps that light them. For example, many older exit signs consume over 350 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and cost $28 each annually to operate.

Recent advances in LED lighting technology have allowed exit sign manufacturers to develop signs that harness the advantages of this technology at competitive costs. In addition, exit signs are easy to install, if you can install a light switch or electrical receptacle you can install an exit sign. ENERGY STAR labeled LED exit signs use approximately 44 kWh of
electricity annually to operate. Low energy use not only means less pollution but also lower electricity bills as a LED exit sign usually costs less than $4 annually to operate. labeled LED exit signs use approximately 44 kWh of electricity annually to operate.  

Bi-level Stairwell Lighting

The Bi-Level Smart Stairwell Luminaire meets lighting and safety code requirements for occupied interior stairwells, while saving energy by sensing occupancy at every fixture and drastically reducing the lighting level during the many hours when no one is present. The fixture is practical for both new and retrofit applications, and it can also be used in other low-occupancy locations such as break rooms and hallways.

This luminaire operates at two lighting levels. It maintains a low light level when the space is unoccupied and quickly switches to full light output when occupancy is detected. These integrated controls, coupled with a high-efficiency electronic ballast, reduce system operation and maintenance costs and extend lamp life.

These bi-level lighting solutions save up to 70% energy savings over traditional products and lamps need replacing less often for additional savings in maintenance costs.

Occupancy Sensors in Classrooms, Offices, and Gyms

Occupancy sensors turn lights on when people need them in a room, and turn them off when the room is empty.  Automated sensors make up for human error or negligence in turning lights off when not needed.  Operated with infrared sensors, occupancy sensors ssave energy, are convenient, automatic lighting that can easily be retrofitted in offices, classrooms and other areas that are periodically used.

Daylighting Control
Sunshine is wonderful...in the right place at the right times.  Good controls are the design key to saving energy with daylighting "In fact, if designed correctly, daylighting control has the ability to delight occupants. By removing glare and making the amount of light flexible to meet different needs, daylight can replace a significant amount of electrical room lighting.   New retrofitting products such as solar tubes, shelves that bounce light, indirect lighting designs and blinds that direct light where you want it are just a few of the "passive" approaches to daylighting controls. 

Daylighting not only saves energy, but is being proven to improve spirits of the people in the room, raise productivity, and reduce illness and sick days.  Not bad for simple sunlight!

RE Stores are growing organically.  Reused building materials are available as used building materials, salvage, architectural salvage and fill a need in between garage sale stores, Lowes, antique store and definitely eclectic salvaged treasures!

RE Store is an outlet REsources  in Bellingham, WA that pulls reusable materials out of projects and they then set up a store to handle all the materials.  They are now the largest retail store in downtown Bellingham.  The store staff are paid employees, and they use volunteers from community service programs, and interested volunteers as well. 

These people are like minded and concerned about their communities.   Newish items run about half of new prices.  Other items are based on gut feel.  Donations are accepted and sometimes are bought at about 25% of their value. 

Goals for used building materials are to keep things out of the landfill, help low income families, and assist artists.  Lots of used building material treasure hunting goes on here!

Kinds of used materials vary from:  doors, dimensional lumber, cabnitry, hardware, windows, flashing, plumbing, hardware, toilets and sinks, lighting fixtures, and even science room cabinets.  Salvaged materials look for cool and valuable.  Appliances are sometimes usable such as refrigerator and ovens.  

Public donations. Deconstruction crews take houses apart by hand.  Salvage crews reclaim used remodeling parts.  Pickup crews pick up used building materials and appliances from homeowners.   These salvage operations are all safer and more time efficient than mining the landfill.

Employees at Re Store are over educated, environmentally minded and have a very positive energy!  Their dedication shows in the service and sorting skills applied to the used and salvaged materials.

They can presort, restore and make it recyclable.  And can recycle other materials such as asphalt roofing materials to recycle 60-80% of a building. It can take 3 weeks (300-400 hours) vs. 2 days to deconstruct a house...save the homeowner landfill costs and give the homeowner a tax deduction.  Reuse of the materials can help cover costs.  Breakeven is the mission, the goal.  Mission driven vs. profit driven.  But they are sucess driven for the community!

A deconstruction industry is forming, and new tools are being designed for effective work productivity.  Deconstruction provides a lot of jobs, and teams typcally work with crews of 6 people on their deconstruction and recycling projects.

One new tool is a pneumatic nail remover  -- and is seen as the most exciting new tool because it saves time, and can save additional amounts and kinds of wood.

Reality inspires community!  People support and gather around solutions to real needs -- the Re Store is about connections!   

Building deconstruction and demolition can be profitable...and definitely a greener use of natural resources...even if they are used!  (Especially when those materials are used!)

There are some pathways to explore if you want to deconstruct buildings...or use the materials.  Here are some tips:

Prices for deconstruction vary from $3 to $14/sq ft. depending on location and market timing.  Labor is usually priced per square foot.  The value of materials vary. 

• Mundane materials can run $2-4 per sq ft of materials. 
• Other valuable materials vary greatly -- the sky's the limit.

There are other reasons beyond value of materials to consider responsible deconstruction of old buildings.

• Cost avoidance -- avoid disposal costs, 
• Avoid taxes -- tax benefits to property owners,
• Value of antique and reusable materials
• Babysitting disposed materials. 
• Saved labor rates. 
• Saved landfill tipping fees/disposal 
• Donation of materials for tax deductions
  

Clever contractors can deconstruct and salvage a building in smart ways that saves costs.  Experience, creativity and efficiency make a difference. 

Owners benefit financially because they get tax deductions for the value of materials they donate to nonprofit organzations vs. landfilling.  Habitat for Humanity ReStores is an example.  Local historical societies sometimes have antique parts shops to help restore old properties.

A general list of materials that can be salvaged from deconstructed buildings include:

• Antiques, artifacts, ornaments, mundane building materials.
• Fixtures (the older the better for high end design -- antique salvage is a strong market) 
• Appliances: antique water heaters, stoves, etc. can be sold for @$20.
• Fixtures: toilets and sinks can be valued in restoring old buildings
• Doors and windows -- There are a thousand and one uses for doors
• Flooring is easy to extract and marketable.  Very valuable.   Oak or fir go for $14 sq ft. 
• Roofing - slate and tile are popular and valuable
• Siding - common used building materials include aluminum.  Wood siding can also be used for millwork.
• Heavy timbers - very active.
• Dimensional timbers have less market, but old growth, heart pine, Douglas fir, etc. can be milled and converted to other products.

Reuse isn't the only market for salvaged materials.  They also have "recycled content"  potential:  lumber can be ground into use for fuels, mulches, etc. Gypsum drywall can be used as soil amendment or returned to factory, or used for other agricultural purposes.

New construction can also use recycled materials and reuse materials:  High end use of these salvaged materials can create a distinct green statement and brand a design or construction firm as a "green building" company when they excel at the practical and aesthetic use of recycled content.

For more resources about green building and salvaging, check out  GreenBuildingTalk.com

Used building materials are a time honored conservation strategy.  My father was an old world carpenter who maintained a shop that was half workspace and half storage of used building materials from previous jobs that could be used in future jobs.  It was part of his work habits to conserve good used materials.  Maybe that was because we didn't have curbside pickup of trash -- we lived in the country and had to haul our own trash to the city dump and pay to dump it.  So the trash was minimized ... and the annual trip was seen as a necessary evil, not a solution.  That meant we learned every trick to use old building materials like wood and brick and even old nuts and bolts.

The solution to conserving materials was to carefully use every bit of material bought for a job, and to save anything left over -- both new materials and used materials.  Recycling used materials is smart. Using "used" saves money.  AND it saves our increasingly precious natural resources.

But what are the tricks to maximizing the value of used building materials?

Pre-planning the job.

During the design phase of your job, when you're sketching possible solutions...revisit your stash of used building materials.  Sort through your used hardware.  And used plywood,.  And used boards.  And used or remnant laminate.  Let your imagination roam among your current resources -- your treasure chest of used building materials and make them an integral part of your design.

Designing with used building materials

Used materials have not only pragmatic value...but aesthetic value.  The patina of old wood is rich and textured with use.  Old paint can be decorative and unique.  Used hardware has character.

Sourcing used building materials

Architectural supply houses deconstruct old buildings and make these used, aesthetic and practical materials available for new projects.  Habitat for Humanity also has a growing chain of reuse materials that are salvaged materials from remodeling jobs and old buildings.  These used and remnant materials are sorted and stored to protect their value and integrity.  And the discounts are amazingly affordable.

The Habitat ReStores of used building materials are found on the Internet by searching for your local region (city, county, or state) and "Habitat Restore". 

Local building tear downs

Many people have old buildings on their property that they want torn down (with a treasure trove of used building matrials!).  Reasons vary.  Often they don't have the tools or the truck available to handle the job of reclaiming or storing the used materials themselves, but would welcome your help in tearing down the building and hauling away the valuable used building material salvage...in exchange for your proud acquisition of the used building materials.  

Sometimes people advertise that they are looking for a deal to exchange labor for the used building materials and salvage.  Sometimes it the "friendship network" that connects you can connect you with used materials.  Sometimes you can find reclamation opportunities at a local resource center such as the local hardware store, lumber yard or restaurant bulletin board.

Salvaging new construction materials

When you see a construction site -- whether it is a new home or a remodeling job, you can stop and ask the owner and construction supervisor if you could have their left over and salvaged, used building materials.  You could work out a deal for a good price...and save them tipping fees at the landfill.  You can also purchase excess materials they purchased because they need a safety factor on large scale jobs -- this excess inventory can often be bought at a savings.

Consider all your costs

Before you scavenge for new or used building materials a long way from home, consider your own costs:  the fuel, the wear and tear on your vehicle and the storage costs.   It pays to save...but it pays more to carefully time your used material purchases to meet your needs. Most people don't have a working shop in which they can store used and salvaged materials for some future possibility.  Storage takes money to heat and cool, to pay taxes on...and to clean. 

But reclaiming used building materials has many benefits ... for you, for your community and for our natural resources.

My father was an old world carpenter and everything had its place in his shop.  His six kids were allowed -- even encouraged -- to "work" in his shop, but tools were expected to be put back into place and cleaned properly.  Period.

I was thinking about that today when I was cleaning my studio.  Old equipment tucked away.  Old supplies.  Old batteries.  Old...underused...makiing clutter.

Tool Inventory

It's time to do an inventory on my tools, and remove those that aren't being used properly in today's workflow.  Tools just get old, especially power tools.  Their parts freeze and batteries leak and they lose value just sitting unused.  And they take up valuable space, and the clutter makes it more difficult to find adequate space for productive work.  So...

Clean Up the Shop

It's time for cleanup.  Take an inventory of where all your tools and equipment are kept.  Include every toolbox in every nook an crannie...every truck, locker, cage or closet. Review your inventory. Clean and fix these tools or pass them along to someone who can put them to better use.  Recycle dead batteries at your home center or building supply store. 

Storage System  

Rethink your storage sysem.  Put some thought into what is convenient for your upcoming remodeling projects and put a system into place for easy locating, cleaning and replacing your tools each time.  Your productivity will take a jump and I'll bet you do a bit of whistling occasionally as you enjoy your new working space that lets your creativity and craft shine!