HOLISTIC HOMES

One of the fundamental principles of green construction is recycling and reuse. HOLISTIC HOMES are built with green construction materials embodying this principle, including

Reclaimed wood is gorgeous. Douglas fir, heart pine, red oak, American chestnut – these old-growth woods were originally harvested 100 to 300 years ago. Reclaiming these woods provides materials that are rich in color and character, creating warm and beautiful spaces.

As a green construction material, reclaimed wood offers aesthetic beauty, balance, and harmony. Using reclaimed wood is an environmentally friendly practice, reducing the ecological footprint of new construction and recycling resources that would have ended up in a landfill.

Reclaimed old-growth wood – rich in history, tone, and style – is also denser, stronger, and more stable than quickly harvested new wood. Old-growth timber is slow-growth timber – high quality, tightly grained wood. Old-growth forests grew slowly due to the extensive canopy created by larger trees. The canopy limited rainfall and sunlight, resulting in tighter growth rings and wider and taller trees. These qualities are not reproducible in today’s wood harvested from deforested and replanted areas.

Reclaimed wood has plenty of character. Sources include old barns, industrial warehouses, railroad trestles, 19th Century residences. Heart pine, American chestnut, Douglas fir, and red oak are woods of astonishing beauty and complexity of tint, tone, and grain pattern. Using these green construction materials maximize domestic beauty and greatly assist environmental recovery and renewal. TOP

Reclaimed masonry includes reclaimed brickwork and stonework, reclaimed cobblestones, and crushed concrete. Bricks and stonework are most often recovered from demolished buildings. Crushed concrete is salvaged from old buildings, sidewalks, curbs, and highway rubble.

Reclaimed masonry has multiple uses in green construction. Reclaimed masonry is used to build walls, stairs, and floors, as well as driveways, walkways, benches, and stone masonry projects.

Reclaimed bricks include antique bricks – often more than 100 years old – featuring beautiful colors ranges of maroon, dark purple, red, salmon, yellow, and gray. Bricks reclaimed from buildings and streets have charm and rustic elegance, as well as unmatched beauty and character. They may be used for paving, construction, and indoor flooring. The colors do not fade and these bricks are impervious to moisture and extremely durable.

Concrete is a key waste material from construction and demolition projects. Recycling concrete in the form of crushed concrete helps reduce landfill and conserves natural resources. The use of crushed concrete offers significant savings on materials and disposal costs. The green construction practice of using aggregates reclaimed from crushed concrete promotes better individual health, better community health, and assists in environmental renewability and sustainability. TOP