Green Remodel Forum

My husband and I are in the process (slower than I'd like) of finishing our basement and in the interest of the environment (and my conscious) I'd like to make it as sustainable and green as possible.

I found carpeting that I really like at Nebraska Furniture Mart - it's made from 25% recycled material which seems to be the best I can find (after looking at Home Depot and Lowes) in our price point. It's just slightly over two dollars per square foot. I'm not certain that there is another place that has carpeting that has a higher recycled percentage or not. I'm not opposed to another type of flooring either, provided it's in my budget (cork, etc). So if anyone has other advice I'd be more than happy to hear them.

My main question is this, though...

Is it possible to get the materials for the basement (dry wall, lumber for framing, etc) that are more sustainable or am I stuck with what we can get from a standard home improvement store?

Bear in mind we're doing this ourselves.

The Soft Collection carpet made from corn cost $2 - $4 a square foot in Home Depot. They also carry Martha Stewart's 20% recycled carpet cost $1.70 - $4 a square foot. The Healthy Choice padding $.99 a square yard. These quotes are Prices in the Bay Area in California. You may want to install some rigid foam type material to insulate the floor to prevent heat loss through the basement floor.

For sustainable lumber, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council - promotes the responsible management of the world's forests.) wood is a good choice or reclaim wood works well also.

Whatever materials you use to finish the basement, it's better to air them in your well ventilated garage. As we all know, nowadays, almost everything contains some kind of chemicals that can pollute the air in the finished basement. So, it's better to air them for several weeks in the spring or summer and install them in the fall.

Great sharing...
Thanks for sharing this...

It really help that planning of a certain details give much desire to manage all the specific information to create a good designs.

Well if you are going to finish the basement by your own then I would like to suggest that you consult to a good architect or contractor who are constructing the building according to the LEEDS. They are now a days following the LEED educational videos to market their buildings.

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Nice one. I love how you think.

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