Walk around the corner and there it is a new construction or renovation project… Humans, like animals, will nest. We all will be at one point in our life searching for that one of a kind place to call home and to come to at the end of the day. The population is growing and as there are more and more of us, there will be more housing projects across the planet. The construction industry leaves an important footprint on Mother Nature. For centuries, we have been taking over farm land, urbanizing and depleting nature for building materials. Let’s be optimistic:there is hope for improvement.
My parents are renovating, it has been 19 years and we, the kids, have moved away to university, so without the fear of us trashing the place they are giving it a more updated look. Taking down walls implies redoing the hardwood floors. While searching for the perfect match, my parents discovered a more sustainable approach to their renovation: reclaimed products.
A company in Ontario scouts out old barns in the country and salvages the woods. Then they will bring those all barn planks to your house, nail it down, refinish it and here is your one of a kind hardwood floor. One of a kind: perhaps (I’m no interior designer) But certainly is a creative way to be sustainable! It definitely has a rustic look to it and a certain price tag too. For the conscious consumer, the price differential is minimal.
Looking into the concept of sustainable construction, making something new out of the old, I came across a great project OneNest, the first one of a kind fully sustainable, green-built home constructed of Structurally Insulated Panels and reclaimed product by the GreenSpur construction team, built last year. The building team has high hope that this will not be the first and only one!
I recommend that everyone should consider reclaimed products as the way of the future in construction and take advantage of the customer solutions that are available to us.
http://onenestproject.com/about/
Greg!! How cool is that! I really think that the reclaimed projects approach to home building and renovations is brilliant. Why – well it comes down to that whole shared value thing. When people are renovating or building they want something that performs well and looks good. Reclaimed materials do both!
After reading this post (and pondering my dream home…), I quickly googled reclaimed material/ project companies. There were dozens of different companies that do this in North America (and I am sure elsewhere as well). What was interesting however was how each firm positioned themselves. So claimed their products COSTed less, other said it LOOked better. Some “sold” it as a SUSTAINABLE alternative, and others as a historic ART form (like OneNest, the company you mentioned above). Combine, all these different positioning strategies therefore can appeal to many different consumer segments.
My guilty pleasure is the website houzz. It is like a website pictures of rooms and buildings. I have always loved the reclaimed materials used from a design perspective. This is one of my favourites: http://www.houzz.com/photos/322561/Jane-Kim-Design-industrial-dining-room
Great post! Your new house is going to be awesome!
Hi Greg!
Thank you for sharing that! Reusing is definitely an immense part of sustainability especially when it reuses what would otherwise be treated as waste. That is such a cool initiative and project and it is amazing that your parents are supporting it! I am sure your house will look great! It is also interesting what Jessica pointed out about this sustainable alternative having the potential to appeal to many different consumer segments. This is a perfect example of a project that incorporates the triple bottom line. This sustainable alternative has many more benefits than just the green aspect of it. It can definitely look great and cost less while improving the environment. This is something I will definitely want to do someday in the future when hopefully I will own my own house.
Maria
Hi Greg,
I’ve noticed at places around town that reclaimed wood is becoming a really popular material for furniture as well. So many custom furniture builders work with reclaimed barn wood – and charge a hefty premium for their one of a kind creations. Some of my favourite restaurants, especially those located in Gastown, have really embraced this trend. Personally, I love the look.
I think there is some good marketing strategy at play here too, because people view reclaimed wood as having an interesting history – not as being old or previously undesirable. Like most things that come back into style, there is usually some sort of marketing that accompanies the resurgence. It makes me wonder what other materials are out there, just waiting to be reclaimed. One interesting example I came across: building insulation made from recycled Levis! Check it out: http://www.levistrauss.com/unzipped-blog/2014/03/denim-insulation-101-how-recycled-jeans-can-keep-you-warm/