Archive of entries posted by Sundong Kwong
Is Gas Cooking Safe?
The safety of gas cooking has long been investigated by the research community. Gas burners can produce nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and other pollutants. Here are highlights from two recent specific studies. A project by the Lawerence Berkeley Laboratory (paper submitted to the Environmental Health Perspectives earlier this year) found that these pollutants […]
Energy Improvement Opportunities
This is a 100+ year old house. Obviously there are many energy efficiency shortcomings (hence many improvement opportunities). The house has been vacant for over 2 years so we don’t have the latest operational information. Exterior Walls. Before taking the walls apart, we already expect little to no insulations for houses of this age. The […]
From Foreclosure To Green Home: Property Inspection
Property Inspection The offer for the home included ten days for detail inspection of the home before the deal becomes final. Unexpected costs need to correct problems uncovered during the inspection can be basis to renegotiate the price of the offer or to retract the offer. Items of particular concern were the sewage system and […]
Acquiring A Foreclosed Home For Green Remodel
In April 2013, Tom Smith (owner of Summit Energy Solutions) found several homes for sale in Bridgton, Maine. One of them, a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1716 sq ft home built circa 1900, got his and Dave Robinson’s (founder of GreenEarthEquities) attention. The house was foreclosed by Fannie Mae and put on the market at […]
The Green Countertop Dilemma
During a visit to Eco6Design in Half Moon Bay, California, I was drooling over all the fabulous “eco” options for countertops. Serious eye candy! Vetrazzo, Fireclay Tile, Stone Age, IceStone, Fuez. I was itching to go home, rip out my pale-avocado-tile-with-black-grout counters and start afresh. After all, at 30-plus years old, they’re beyond dated, they’re […]
Partnering With Green Hearted Companies
Green Remodel Forum is excited to partner with GreenEarthEquities and Summit Energy Solutions in an energy efficiency remodel. As Green Remodel Forum is an informational website for up to date information on how to make your home green, healthier, more comfortable, durable and achieve energy efficient at the same time, we are always looking for […]
Finding California Native Plants For Your Garden
I recently visited Botanical Garden at Berkeley with some friends from the East Coast. The Botanical Garden is a 34-acre research garden and a living museum. It is famous for its diverse collections of plants and many of them rare and endangered. There are nine major geographic regions with emphasis on plants from Mediterranean climates, […]
Windows: To Replace Or Not To Replace
It is difficult to decide whether to replace those old windows. Sometimes only few windows out of many in a house are beyond repair. New windows cost a lot of money – $6000 to $23000 for an average home to replace all windows. Here are some considerations: Energy Efficiency Today, most windows are made of […]