The concept of renovating being a green initiative manifests itself on many levels when it comes to Pinnacle Group Renovations’ process.
Green Earth Recycling
We all know that we live in a highly consumable society with a disposable mindset, though many of us are working to change this. Making the decision to renovate one’s house vs. selling and buying new, in essence captures this consciousness of becoming a less expendable society, similar to teaching our family’s how to use our infamous Blue Recycling containers now a common sight in Calgary! Embracing the concept of working with what you already have really does have many green pay offs at the end of the day!
Consider this – when our renovation families first meet our talented design team, our architectural designer helps maximize the strengths of the existing floor plan, while finding innovative ways to create spaces that appropriately meet the renovation needs of the family. Not every home renovation needs to be a ‘gutted to the studs’ project – we are committed to providing the best possible, environmentally conscious design to get the end result you need. Even in the instance that it is a complete home renovation from the ground up, there are many elements of the existing house that can be refurbished or reused. For example, a renovation project we just completed saw salvaged slate from the exterior of the home painstakingly reclaimed and re-installed on the newly renovated exterior; in addition quartz brick from a former fireplace was re-cut and used to frame the new spectacular main floor aquarium. Similarly, bricks from the old fireplace were reused when designing the cozy new master bedroom fireplace area. Amalgamating the old and the new is not only a green concept, but for some homeowners, this emotional connection to the past plays an integral part of creating meaningful design choices and peace of mind.
Renovating your home also provides the opportunity to update and change the not-so-environmentally-friendly building products of the past. From environmentally friendly paint products to energy efficient appliances, there is always room for improvement. We can dramatically reduce the carbon foot print of a home with eco- conscious choices like the installation of a new furnace, hot water tank and window systems. Thickening exterior walls, reinsulating ceilings and using products such as open-cell spray foam to provide increased insulation to outside wall cavities, all improve the insulation value of a home. It is not uncommon for us to reduce a home’s carbon foot print by 40% or more with these types of changes!
Pinnacle Group Renovations is committed to recycling as much renovation debris as possible from our sites. Working with our trade partner Clean Earth Recycling (www.recyclingcalgary.com), specialists in recycling construction material, it is possible for us to recycle as much as 65% of construction and demolition waste material from our renovation sites – now that is impressive! We had a unique experience recently when we presented one of our clients with potting soil to be used in their new temperature controlled solarium that was in fact compost from the recycling debris removed from their job site!
We are committed to incorporating green initiatives into our renovation process and encourage you to inquire about ways in which we can help you reduce your carbon foot print when renovating. For more information on Pinnacle’s carbon reduction initiatives we invite your inquiries!
