What images come to mind when you think of Colorado mountain homes? Are you visualizing pictures of attractive timber frame homes, stonework, natural and local materials, lots of windows, passive solar technology and homes blended naturally in to the surroundings?

Add expert financial management, sustainability and energy efficient home building to that list of images, and you will be describing the design-build philosophy of Trilogy Partners, award winning custom home builders located in Breckenridge, Colorado.

With years of experience in building custom Colorado mountain homes, Trilogy successfully manages the entire project including oversight of the design process, permitting, construction documentation, contractor coordination, and financial accounting.

Winners of the Summit County 2007 Builder of the Year Award, Trilogy Partners employs an integrated and seamless design-build process that serves the best interest of the client.  Committed to excellence in design and craftsmanship, Trilogy Partners are experienced custom home builders who micro manage all of the details, from the conceptual design phase right through to the completion of your beautiful Colorado mountain home.

Take, for example, the Trilogy Partners’ ‘Buffalo Terrace home.  Designed as a retirement home for the owners, Trilogy combined beauty, energy efficient technology, and green materials to produce a stunning illustration of the best in Colorado mountain homes, tastefully designed inside and out.  Utilizing timber frame design and meticulous attention to detail, ‘Buffalo Terrace’ proved to be a notable success.

Trilogy Partners specializes in energy efficient home building, and cutting edge sustainable architecture.  It’s more than just a design philosophy; Trilogy works to set an example of social and environmental responsibility by using new technologies and maintaining the highest eco-friendly standards.  For the best in custom home builders of Colorado mountain homes, contact Trilogy Partners.

Photo credit: Trilogy Partners

With more than 500 people killed by tornadoes this year, officials in Missouri and elsewhere are expecting growing interest in building codes.

Storm shelters that were common in the 1930s and 1940s are no longer part of the landscape, and fewer homes have basements.

“If anything, we’re moving away from having a place to go during a storm,” said Steve Melman of the National Association of Home Builders.

In places like Joplin, many residents are taking a second look at storm security after Sunday’s tornado.

Melody Ward, her husband and five children took cover in a 3-foot-deep crawl space. Their home was leveled, and most of them were hospitalized.

In their next home, she said, “I will do without a gourmet kitchen so I can have a basement.”

Friends and family paid tribute to victims of the Joplin tornado Friday, beginning the grim task of burying the dead as officials said the death toll had risen to 132.

Some officials say changes are in order. In Iowa, where most communities require buildings to withstand at least 90-mph winds, experts want more.

“It’s not sufficient to withstand the kinds of storms we’ve been seeing,” said David Brown, a building official for Ames, Iowa.

Source: Star-telegram.com

More than a decade ago a spec home we’d built went under contract. As a part of the sales contract the purchasers requested a radon test. When the test came back higher than that recommended by the EPA, the buyers requested mitigation. So we installed a foundation fan that completely cured the problem and the house sold. The installation was done by a company that specializes in radon mitigation. The cost was approximately $2500. Now, during construction we always install piping below basement slabs for radon mitigation to insure all our homes are radon free. Radon is a scary word, but the cure is usually simple and not overly expensive.

Quick Facts…

• Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that can enter the home.
• Most of Colorado contains high concentrations of radon, considered the second highest cause of lung cancer.
• All Colorado homes should be tested for radon.
• Radon reduction methods can be planned for and installed during new home construction.
• Home buyers and renters should ask if the home has been tested for radon and for the results.

What is Radon?

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas emitted from uranium, a naturally occurring mineral in rocks and soil. Normally, radon rises up through the soil and dissipates in the air outside. Radon becomes a concern, however, when it seeps through openings such as cracks, loose fitting pipes, sump pits, dirt floors, slab joints or block walls and accumulates in the home. See Figure 1.

Air pressure inside the home is usually lower than pressure in the soil around the house’s foundation. Because of this difference, the house acts like a vacuum, drawing radon in through foundation cracks and other openings.

Figure 1. Radon entry locations.

Radon has been identified as a risk factor in developing lung cancer because it decays into radioactive particles that can get trapped in the lungs. These particles release bursts of energy that damages lung tissue. It is estimated that radon may be associated with about 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States, second only to smoking.

The chances of getting lung cancer from radon depend on how much radon is in the home, the amount of time spent in the home and whether a person smokes. See Table 1. Smoking, combined with radon, adds to the health risk.

Radon in Colorado

Surveys show that homes in most Colorado counties have the potential for radon levels above EPA’s recommended action level. EPA has developed three radon designations, ranging from Zone 1 with the highest recommended action level to Zone 3 with the lowest recommended action level. The EPA map of radon zones for Colorado (Figure 2) shows the majority of counties are designated as Zone 1, with no counties in Zone 3.

Figure 2: EPA map of radon zones for Colorado. Zone 1 (dark gray), high risk (greater than 4pCi/L). Zone 2 (light gray), moderate risk (2-4 pCi/L).

Because radon levels are influenced by a variety of factors—soil type and moisture, how “tight” the home is, type of heating and ventilation system, movement of air and groundwater, air pressure, and lifestyle behavior of the occupants—the only way to know if a home has elevated levels of radon is to test it.

Radon Testing

All homes in Colorado should be tested for radon. Only individual testing can determine which houses may have a radon problem. You cannot base your radon level on a neighbor’s test result. Every house is different. Measuring radon levels in the home is simple and inexpensive. Test kits include complete instructions and return postage for mailing samples back to the lab for analysis.

Short-term detectors (such as charcoal canisters) are used for two to seven days. They provide quick screening measurements indicating potential radon problems. Short-term detectors should be placed in the lowest livable level of the house, preferably during winter. Long-term detectors (such as alpha track detectors) are left in place for three months to one year. They provide the advantage of averaging seasonal variations associated with radon levels. Long-term detectors are generally placed in main living areas.

Radon test kits cost from $10 to $25 for a short-term kit and $25 to $40 for a long-term kit. Test kits are available from hardware and home improvement stores, or through mail order companies. Many communities provide free test kits at county offices, senior citizen centers or other locations. If test kits are not available in your area, call the Colorado Radon Hotline at (800) 846-3986 or the National Radon Hotline at (800) 767-7236. Research indicates some homeowners buy kits and then never send the samples in for the results. When you buy a kit make a commitment to obtain the results.

When buying a test kit, select one approved or listed by the EPA (see Figure 3) and follow the instructions carefully. If you do a short-term test, close windows and outside doors and keep them closed as much as possible during the testing period. Instructions are specific as to placement and the importance of not disturbing the test kit while it is monitoring the radon level of a home.

Figure 3: Examples of test kits approved by the EPA.

Homes that have a basement or combination slab-on-grade and crawlspace should be tested in each area due to potential differences in radon levels. Generally, radon levels are highest in the lower levels of the home. For this reason, some homeowners prefer to test in the basement and first floor, especially if they are used for living and sleeping spaces.

Once the test is finished, reseal or close the container and send it to the lab specified on the package right away. The lab fee for interpreting the results is usually included in the original cost of the kit. You may choose to have radon measurements performed by a professional. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Radiation Control Division, can provide a list of companies qualified to perform radon tests for homeowners in the state.

Understanding Test Results

Radon measurements show how much radon was present in the home during the test period. This level varies depending on detector location and the time of year it was used. As mentioned earlier, radon levels are generally highest when the house is closed and in the basement or near possible radon entry routes. Readings averaged over an entire year are usually lower than those taken in a basement during winter.
Radon gas is measured in units of picocuries per liter (pCi/L), a standard measure of radioactivity. The EPA set 4 pCi/L as a recommended action level. If a short-term measurement is over 4 pCi/L, the recommended action is to perform a follow-up test to better characterize the radon levels. If a long-term test measures over 4 pCi/L, action should be taken to reduce radon exposure.

Radon levels are categorized as low, slightly high, high, and very high. These levels are interpreted as follows:

Low—less than 4 pCi/L. It is unnecessary to take further action unless you desire.

Slightly High—4 to 20 pCi/L. Short-term results should be followed up with long-term measurements lasting approximately twelve months. Occupants of homes with long-term results in this range should take action to reduce exposure within the next few years.

High—20 to 100 pCi/L. Follow-up testing of no longer than three months is recommended. Occupants of homes with long-term results in this range should take action to reduce exposure within the next few months.

Very High—over 100 pCi/L. Confirmatory short-term follow-up measurements should be performed as soon as possible and action taken.
The average indoor radon level is estimated to be about 1 to 3 pCi/L in the U.S., but it is over 4 pCi/L in most Colorado counties. The average outside radon level is about 0.4 to 0.8 pCi/L. The level of radon in a home may vary considerably from neighbor to neighbor.

Radon Mitigation

The cost of repairs to reduce radon depends on how the home was built and the extent of the radon problem. Most homes can be fixed for $800 to $2,500. A variety of methods may be used to lower radon levels in a home. These include sub-slab, drain tile, sump hole, and block wall suction. Sealing cracks and other openings in the foundation and covering sump pump holes are basic approaches to radon reduction; however, sealing alone is not proven to significantly or consistently lower radon levels.

The most commonly used radon mitigation technique, and generally the most effective method, is called sub-slab depressurization. This system uses pipes that extend from a permeable layer below the basement floor (such as gravel or drain tiles) upward through the structure, venting out the roof (Figure 4). This system collects radon gas before it enters the house and funnels it directly up through pipes and out of the home. If natural ventilation through the pipe system is not adequate to lower radon levels, a fan can be added in the attic to help draw gases through the system to the outdoors. Similar systems also can be installed in homes with crawlspaces.

Other methods used, although they have some disadvantages and may not be appropriate for a more permanent solution, include house pressurization and ventilation such as using a heat recovery ventilator (air-to-air heat exchanger). Whatever method you use, be sure to test for radon before and after the system is in place to be sure it is reducing levels to below 4 pCi/L.

Because the right system depends on the design of the home and other factors, most homeowners should not try to fix radon problems on their own. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Radiation Control Division, can provide a list of contractors qualified to perform radon mitigation in the state. Call (303) 692-3030 or visit www.radongas.org for more information.

When choosing the mitigation method, consider the radon levels, system operation, structural changes, cost, house size and foundation types. For houses with several foundation designs and levels, a combination of techniques may be needed.

Figure 4: Typical radon mitigation system (EPA).

Simple ways to reduce radon levels:

• Keep windows open on both sides of the lower floor of your house when possible.
• Ventilate crawlspaces under your house.
• Open basement windows early in the spring and keep them open when possible until late fall.
• Seal cracks in basement floors with polyurethane caulking compound.
• Pour water in floor drains once a month to make certain that traps do not dry out.
• Keep stairwell doors, fireplace dampers, and laundry chute doors closed when not in use; keeping them open can suck air from the basement into the living area of the house.

Radon Resistant New Construction

Radon reduction methods can be planned for and installed during new home construction. Installation costs are generally much lower during construction and careful planning allows a variety of strategies to be integrated to ensure the most effective radon reduction system possible. The average cost to install a radon mitigation system in an existing home is about $1,200 to $2,500. Installing radon-resistant features during construction of a new home will cost $350 to $500. New homes constructed in areas of the state known to have high levels of radon should include at least:

• A passive sub-slab or crawlspace depressurization system.
• Foundation barrier techniques such as a layer of gas permeable material under the foundation (usually four inches of gravel), plastic sheeting over that material, and sealing and caulking of all openings in the concrete foundation floor or the floor above.
• Dedicated intake and/or combustion air for exhaust and combustion appliances.
• Installation of a gas-tight three- or four-inch pipe that runs from under the foundation (under the sheeting covering the soil in crawlspaces) through the house to the roof.
• A roughed-in electrical junction box for future installation of a fan, if needed.

Home Buyers and Renters

Home buyers and renters should ask about environmental issues concerning property such as whether the home has been tested for radon and what the test results showed. Testing your home does not mean lowered sales value or less chance of selling. It means you can accurately inform potential buyers or renters of the existing condition of the property. Taking precautions now to mitigate for radon means your family’s health is protected against adverse radon effects.

Resources Available From EPA:

• A citizen’s guide to radon: The guide to protecting yourself and your family from radon
• Building a new home: Have you considered radon?
• Home buyer’s and seller’s guide to radon
• Radon: The health threat with a simple solution

Phone Numbers:

• American Lung Association: (800) 586-4872
• Colorado Radon Hotline: (800) 846-3986
• National Radon Information Line: (800) 767-7236
• Radon Fix-It Program, Consumer Federation of America: ( 800) 644-6999

Web Sites:

• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment:www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/rad/radon/index.htm
• List of radon measurement and mitigation providers: www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/rad/radon/radonlists.htm
• Healthy Colorado Homes: healthycoloradohomes.colostate.edu

¹ Colorado State University Extension housing specialist and professor, design and merchandising. 4/04. Revised 12/07.

Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado counties cooperating. CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.

Source: www.ext.colostate.edu

Smaller homes are big these days, according to Build Direct. Studies show that Americans no longer want or need large floor plans and more square footage than necessary. These days, homeowners and buyers are downsizing for four main reasons:

1. Economic/financial reasons
2. People want to live simpler lives, partly because of the struggling economy
3. Parents have become empty nesters and no longer need the extra space
4. Increasing desire for energy efficiency

Are you looking for a design-build firm to help you build just the right size home in the Breckinridge area? Trilogy Partners can help you do just that by formulating a space that will meet your current and evolving needs. We are known to have built and designed some of the most energy efficient homes in the entire country. Call Trilogy Partners at 970-453-2230.

Image provided by Trilogy Partners

Whether you are living in a large home or smaller apartment with modern interior decor, you should consider adding chic and stylish 21st century modern rugs for display in your living room, dining area, bedrooms, kitchen, patios and bathrooms. Modern rugs have become the accessories of choice suitable for all styles of contemporary home settings. Rug manufacturers and rug designers have come up with all types, shapes, sizes, styles, textures, colors and designs to match and complement whatever theme or motif and budget you have. You can choose from a vast array of hand-knotted, hand-tufted, machine-made or flat weaves in a variety of textures, colors and patterns that will add inspiration and style to every space in your home.

Luxury homes of the rich and famous are adorned with the best and most expensive handmade natural silk and wool customized designer rugs. When you reach this status in life to afford these uniquely braided designed and handcrafted expensive avant-garde rugs, they become necessities and worth their prices for their top quality and longevity.

If you prefer handmade rugs, you need to know the many new and innovative techniques being implemented by handcrafters from different countries. New spins, old designs in more artistic vibrant colors, and creative new designs are revolutionizing the modern rug industry. For instance, you can opt for a silver shag which would complement a silver bathroom mirror and silver bath curtains.

Other types of rugs are fabulous modern Persian, Tibetan, and Gabbeh rugs with an almost infinite variety of textures, patterns, swirls, geometric shapes, subtle, soft and bold designs. There are also less expensive rugs available if you search the websites of modern rug suppliers. Synthetic rugs are a viable option and are still capable of  transforming a  dull looking space into an alive and radiant atmosphere. Rugs can be manufactured from the sturdy polypropylene or cheaper, wool-like acrylic in soft and comfortable textures. A huge selection is available online and many stores offer special promo sales and substantial discounts up to 60% with free shipping.

At the end of the day, you can be confident that your family and friends will adore the sleek, fresh and new look created by the modern rugs in your home.

Please visit http://www.braidedovalrug.com to learn more about the different types of rugs that will best fit your needs and budget!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fem_Mascenon

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Bernard Brucha of Mash Studios designed a dresser for CB2 and is featured on its blog. (Just Ries, Just Ries / April 22, 2011)

As one of the many vendors who sell designs to CB2, the affordable modern offshoot of Crate & Barrel, Bernard Brucha was used to working anonymously. Last year, one phone call changed all that.

“They asked if they could use my name and likeness on the website,” said Brucha, founder of the Venice, Calif., furniture firm Mash Studios, who now appears in a designer profile on the CB2 blog.

Brucha is not the first American designer to be promoted as a rising star by a retailer. Nor will he likely be the last. A quick flip through catalogs and visits to stores over the last few months has revealed a growing trend: In a recession-rocked economy, home décor manufacturers are using established brands and building home-grown designer-name franchises to entice increasingly savvy customers and hoist up the bottom line.

“As manufacturers swallow each other up, design becomes the differentiator,” said Grant Kirkpatrick of KAA Design, an architecture interior and landscape design firm that recently launched the Rusa outdoor furniture collection for Design Within Reach.

“Corporate America used to think beauty was frivolous,” he added, “but the great revolution has been that design sells because people want beauty in their lives.”

And home décor manufacturers, which, contrary to popular belief, are staffed by product developers and buyers but rarely maintain in-house design departments, are happy to oblige. In addition to Brucha’s Mash Studios, CB2 offers goods by some two dozen young designers and artists. Williams-Sonoma‘s West Elm hypes its ongoing collaboration with event designer David Stark and 24 others in the “We Love” page on its website. On a more upscale note, Garnet Hill has exclusive bed and bath linens by fashion designer Eileen Fisher. And Ballard Designs recently paired with Atlanta interior decorator Suzanne Kasler, a designer for Hickory Chair furniture and Safavieh rugs.

“Working with Ballard Designs has been a way for me to share my design aesthetic and bring some of my ideas to products that are affordable,” says Kasler, who is known for high-end interiors.

“Connecting with a designer is a great way to inject a fresh perspective to your assortment in an increasingly noisy and crowded marketplace,” said Ryan McKelvey, president of Ballard, which launched more than 100 Suzanne Kasler items last August. It was the first such collaboration in the company’s 27-year history and is showcased in 37 million catalogs mailed out each year.

This marketing approach is certainly not without precedent. Ikea and Design Within Reach have built reputations by cashing in on designer currency, often providing headshots and biographies of creators on catalogs, websites and in-store displays.

In the 1990s, Target pioneered the idea of designer exclusives, teaming with architect Michael Gravesto produce modernist housewares, and the chain continues to partner with of-the-moment international designers such as Philippe Starck, Tord Boontje and Marcel Wanders for limited-run collections. The retailer also has an ongoing line of home accessories created by interior decorator Victoria Hagan.

Crate & Barrel has a 4-decades-old relationship with the Finnish textiles and table wares company Marimekko, which has produced exclusive designs that account for 5% of the store’s merchandise, and in mid-May will open the first of a string of Marimekko store-within-a-store boutiques at its store at the Grove in Los Angeles.

“Marimekko had to come to us and say you need to use the name more,” said Raymond Arenson, executive vice president of merchandising and design at Crate & Barrel. “We do tend to be shy of using the name. We’ve always thought to shout another brand within our brand seemed odd. Once you become a vehicle for brands you are a department store and not a brand yourself.”

If the business model of the 2000s was brand building, it might be said that, for many home décor companies, the 20-tween years will be about strategic alliances — using other brands to survive and evolve.

“In today’s flattened market, the ability to have product that is not available anywhere else is a significant competitive advantage,” said Russ Gatskill, chief executive of Garnet Hill. Not every venture has been a hit, he conceded. The catalog company tried to sell the trendy Indian block print bedding of John Robshaw, but Gatskill said, “It did not resonate with our customer.”

Many in the home décor industry find less risk in heritage brands: In addition to Marimekko, Crate & Barrel reissued Classic Century, a 1952 collection by modern dishware designer Eva Zeisel. TheSundance catalog carries reissued pottery from Los Angeles-based Bauer; Garnet Hill carries Pendleton blankets and Frette sheets as well as exclusives from glassmaker Simon Pearce and linens and bath goods featuring licensed designs from the archives of preppy prints queen Lilly Pulitzer.

Such licensing arrangements, Gatskill said, “allow us to expand into new product categories where we may not have perceived expertise.”

Other retailers, particularly young modernist-oriented CB2 and West Elm, which don’t have designers on staff, forge relationships with lesser-known names.

“We’re building our brand on the shoulders of all the new fresh designers,” said CB2 director Marta Calle. “We don’t know how many people actually know who they are, but we think people deserve to know.”

Working directly with a designer instead of buying already manufactured goods from a factory is a more arduous process. It requires finding resources and materials, creating prototypes and getting designer approvals before products can reach the shelves. According to Calle, it is well worth the effort.

“Having merchandise that doesn’t look like cookie-cutter products churned out by a computer brings credibility to a brand,” she added. “And there is no greater joy than seeing a young designer who thinks there is no way in hell he can get his product made and then we do it and get him a royalty check.”

Having collaborated with some 25 designers and artists in the last few years in a design scene she compares to indie music and film, West Elm Creative Director Alex Bates calls the trend a celebration of individual talents in a world of mass-produced goods.

“Consumers are romantic. They care about how they spend their money and love the stories behind the things they buy,” she said. “I mean, who really needs a vase? But if you buy one that you love and it supports a new artist, it’s a win-win.”

Ceramist Sarah Cihat, who became a darling of the DIY décor set with her Rehabilitated Dishware, agreed. “Design has become more accessible and people actually seem to care about it,” said Cihat, who worked with West Elm on a June collection based on her over-glazed vintage plates. “They are interested in the person behind the piece that they put into their homes and ultimately their lives.”

For everyone involved, this wave of designer décor is a tide that lifts all boats.

“Companies are getting a product specifically for them, and are able to charge a little bit more if it has an association with a designer,” said Mash Studio’s Brucha, who created one of CB2’s hottest sellers, the lobster red Shop chest.

Designers who license their creations get to see their visions realized by companies with the resources to manufacture and sell products.

And for the consumer, the product has cachet, because it’s not something that the company just bought off the floor at a trade show in Shanghai, Brucha added. “People who buy my furniture at CB2 think, ‘Oh he’s an L.A. designer who lived in Brooklyn. He’s one of us.'”

Source: LA Times

Using green building materials and products represents one important green building strategy. In fact, the nationally accepted benchmark for high-performance green building, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, includes Materials and Resources (MR) as one of eight categories used to measure a home’s overall performance.

Green building materials are renewable, recyclable, and consist of salvaged or refurbished materials. They offer specific benefits to the homeowner including reduced maintenance and replacement costs. For example, a deck constructed of a plastic wood product (100% recycled plastic) never needs to be painted or stained and will last longer than a wooden deck. Energy and resource conservation are also benefits of using green materials. Photovoltaics and low-use water fixtures are two green products that help conserve energy and water. Additional benefits of using green building materials are improved occupant health and productivity. Using synthetic green products in the home results in lower chemical emissions, and they contain fewer pesticides and pollutants.

Depending upon project-specific goals, an assessment of a potentially green material may involve evaluating one or more of these criteria: resource efficiency, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation, and affordability. Often, it is difficult to accurately assess the environmental performance of a building material or product over its entire life cycle. Another viable option, therefore, is to rely on third-party certification organizations. For example, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies wood products that come from sources that follow a set of FSC sustainable forest management practices. Other recognized third-party certification organizations include: Green Guard, Green Seal, Green Cross, Energy Star, and Scientific Certification Systems.

In addition to self-assessment or third-party certification, you can use material lists and databases to find green materials and products. GreenSpec, a fee-based service, is a comprehensive source of green building product information. It includes more than 1,850 green building products and materials selected by the editors of Environmental Building News, a monthly newsletter published by BuildingGreen, Inc. (www.buildinggreen.com). Organized in Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) MasterFormat, GreenSpec includes descriptions of each product, along with environmental considerations and manufacturer contact information.

Other notable sources about green materials and products include:

• Oikos
• Center for Resourceful Building Technology (www.crbt.org)
• EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (www.epa.gov/oppt/epp)
• California Integrated Waste Management Board (www.ciwmb.ca.gov/GreenBuilding/Materials/default.htm)
• Santa Cruz County Green Building Materials Guide (www.ecoact.org/Programs/Green_Building/green_Materials/index.htm
• Alameda County Waste Management Authority Green Building Materials Resource Guide
• Ross Spiegel and Dru Meadows, Green Building Materials: A Guide to Product Selection and Specification, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1999.

To learn more about Green Materials and Products, visit:
www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm?fileName=090101a
www.ecoact.org/Programs/Green_Building/green_Materials/material_selection.htm
www.ciwmb.ca.gov/GreenBuilding/Materials/
www.austinenergy.com

Source: HGTVPro.com

Many homeowners are now leaning towards going green to save energy costs and to create a more comfortable and healthier place to live. There are many ways to go green from switching to energy-saving appliances to repainting your homes with non-toxic paints. These kinds of changes you may feel comfortable doing yourself. But should your project be more complex, you might want to consider getting some help.

Remodeling whether green or not can be a huge undertaking. It’s one thing if you’re going to be turning a bathroom into a mini spa. But many makeovers involve changes to floor plans, electrical and mechanical infrastructure, or structural elements. There may be a significant amount of demolition and even exterior reconstruction if you plan to add windows, doors, and skylights. Any physical change to the exterior envelope of the house is going to be rather complex and will involve careful planning, design, and materials selection.

Why Hire a Remodeling General Contractor?

Professional remodeling contractors have the skills, knowledge and experience to successfully plan and complete a remodel. The pros will save you from major stress and significant time commitments during the course of the project. And because you will avoid costly mistakes, you probably won’t end up paying any more for their expertise than if you had done the project by yourself.

And since you are specifically doing a green remodel, you will need additional expertise. Installing solar panels, adding insulation and eco-friendly home fixtures must be left to your trained tradesmen. Contractors can also identify other things that need upgrading during the process of remodeling such as defects in mechanical systems, wiring problems, mold issues, and structural abnormalities. These can and should be remediated during the course of the remodel.

Tips on Hiring a Contractor

There are many people in this world who call themselves contractors but lack the expertise you will be needing for your project. Putting the project in the hands of the right person is critical to the success of the project. So where to start. The best source of information on a contractor comes from direct referrals. Friends and associates can often recommend someone who did work for them. You can also contact professional organizations such as the National Association of the Remodeling Association (NARI) or the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers. Ask for a project resume, sample budgets and inquire into the method of accounting the contractor will employ. Do check references. Do make a call to the Better Business Bureau. And if possible, ask to see other completed projects in person. The contractor should at least have a portfolio of photographs from completed projects to show you. And certainly, if this is to be a green remodel, the contractor should have a commitment to green practice and procedures as well as expertise in the specific areas of sustainability you wish to employ. And last but not least, be open in discussing a budget and put procedures and policies in place, and in writing, to help control the project costs. It’s better to delay the project and take some time in the beginning to lay everything out with the contractor than it is to rush in and have things spiral quickly out of control.

Source: TreeLiving.com

Brendan Coburn, an architect, turned the interior of an 1847 row house into a sleek, modern space. The switchback staircase in the middle of the house has landings made of slabs of glass and is topped by a skylight.

IN late 1999, when Bertina Ceccarelli moved from California to New York to work for an Internet startup called GiftCertificates.com, and bought a one-bedroom apartment in Murray Hill, among the first things she needed was help with the outdated kitchen. A friend suggested Brendan Coburn, a former boyfriend whom she described as a “brilliant architect.” Ms. Ceccarelli was impressed by such a glowing recommendation of an old flame, and even more impressed by what Mr. Coburn envisioned.

“He sketched everything out perfectly, to a T,” said Ms. Ceccarelli, now an executive vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is headquartered at the Bronx Zoo. “Originally, I just wanted to redo the kitchen. But Brendan suggested things like staining the floors black to emphasize the horizontality and make the space seem larger. I was bowled over.”

At the time Mr. Coburn was working from his parents’ apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, and at night, he and his client, then in their mid-30s, often studied drawings and examined samples of cabinetry and countertops over drinks.

Once his work was done, Mr. Coburn called Ms. Ceccarelli with a proposal. “Could we have dinner and talk about something other than your apartment?” he asked. The dinner turned out to be a bona fide date — no samples of kitchen tile or wood veneers this time. The next day Ms. Ceccarelli broke up with the man she had been seeing, and by March 2001 she and Mr. Coburn were engaged.

But their wedding, which took place five months later, occurred during a tumultuous period. Mr. Coburn’s father had died in May. His brother had divorced. Then came Sept. 11.

“It had been an intense year, with lots of untethering in the world,” Mr. Coburn said. “All these things made us feel that we needed to build a home.” Weeks after the attacks, they began house hunting.

The couple had two criteria. As Mr. Coburn summed them up: “The place had to be a dump, so we could redo it. And there had to be a garden on the south side of the house.” He loved row houses, the defining architecture of his Cobble Hill childhood, but having grown up in one that faced east and west, he knew they could be dark.

The house they settled on, a two-story structure on Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens, had been built in 1847 and according to Mr. Coburn, “had been getting worse for 150 years.” Ms. Ceccarelli agreed. “During the open house,” she said, “people were literally rolling their eyes.”

They bought the building for $575,000 in March 2002, and over the next nine months spent $550,000 to transform it, a cost that would have been far higher had Mr. Coburn not served as both architect and general troubleshooter, working closely with Marty McKenna, his general contractor. They moved into the house in March 2003, three months after the birth of their son, John.

Few people strolling along Sackett Street would guess that behind the worn red brick facade with the weeping cherry out front there sits a sleek modern structure in which everything — walls, floors, the top-floor extension — is brand-new. The parlor floor seems as open as a loft, and even on the darkest days, the rooms are unexpectedly bright.

“The big design idea,” Mr. Coburn said, “was to make the house into a light box, one that captures different light all day long and all year round.” To achieve this, he used two major elements.

One involved building a switchback staircase in the middle of the house, punctuated with landings made of slabs of glass and topped by a skylight that lets sunlight flood the room. The other involved constructing huge windows facing the rear garden. “One of the most compelling architectural qualities of row house neighborhoods is the relationship between the house and the garden,” Mr. Coburn said. “And Brooklyn is particularly blessed when it comes to finding and exploiting this relationship.”

For some couples, allowing one member to design an entire building would be a sure-fire recipe for disaster. Marriages have teetered over the choice of doorknobs. Yet Ms. Ceccarelli struggles to remember something about which the two of them disagreed.

“The only thing we didn’t see absolutely eye to eye on was the Viking stove,” she said. “I wanted something sexier, like maybe a Gaggenau. But really, it was such a silly conversation.”

And while Mr. Coburn privately yearns for a proper dining room, as opposed to the table by the front window that seats six, there too the couple were on the same page.

“We had to be honest with ourselves,” Ms. Ceccarelli said. “We hardly ever use the dining-room table. Most of the time when we have guests, everyone sits in the living room and we serve them wine and cheese.”

The parlor floor opens onto a deck that leads down to the garden, designed as a series of outdoor rooms. John has a treehouse, with a secret door so his friend from next door can visit. The tenants in the basement apartment also have outdoor space.

The second floor is home to Mr. Coburn’s tiny office, along with what he describes as the “TV and Lego pavilion.” In the rear is John’s room, outfitted with his father’s wooden building blocks, along with a huge map of the world on which John can trace his mother’s travels — most recently a safari in Bangalore, India — and a large plush tiger. (Having a mother with an office at the Bronx Zoo has its upside.) The top floor is devoted mainly to the couple’s bedroom.

Architects invariably yearn to build something of their own, or at least to get their hands on buildings they can retrofit. Mr. Coburn is no exception. “If it were up to me,” he said, “we’d have a tiny Greek Revival farmhouse somewhere in the country and change row houses every couple of years.”

Ms. Ceccarelli looked slightly ashen at the possibility. “Um, maybe not,” she said. “I didn’t quite sign up for that.”

Source: nytimes.com E-mail: habitats@nytimes.com Tina Fineberg for The New York Times