One of the most important features of any home is it's curb appeal, and as you can see, this house has none. My goal is to turn this ugly duckling into a beautiful swan! Let's take a peek at what needs to be improved and greenified.
First, the house looks like it's missing something. With a lack of architectural and landscaping detail, this Dutch Colonial look like a real dud. A front porch will add loads of curb appeal, an additional outdoor "room" and an element of character that is sorely lacking. Another benefit: a porch will help to keep the front aka the south side of the house cooler in summer.
**Green Solution** Using responsibly harvested lumber, FSC certified for example, is a great way to get green. FSC stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, and the lumber they certify comes from responsibly managed and harvested forests. Lumber such as this is now available at the Green Depot, an up and coming green building supply chain.
Second, siding and paint. The colors presently used on this home are downright UGLY. And gasp - the siding is old asbestos shingles. This is a major environmental hazard if we remove them, plus it will cost us major bucks. What is our best green option here?
**Green Solution** Keeping the asbestos shingles intact doesn't present any danger to the occupants or neighbors of the home. Luckily, I found a exterior paint specialist called Rhino Shield, a national company with franchises across the USA. The Rhino Shield product is a ceramic paint that is sprayed on and lasts for up to 25 years with one application! It is 8 times the thickness of regular paint, and completely encapsulates the shingle and trim. (This is especially important for us with the asbestos). The ceramic paint is breathable, yet it helps to insulate your home from the heat and the cold. Have you ever noticed school buses with white paint on the roof? It's Rhino Shield paint and its applied for its insulation benefits, which effectively reduces fuel consumption. Rhino Shield paint comes in every color imaginable, has a 25 year warranty and is resistant to mold, water, heat, bugs, you name it. This is my answer!
Lastly, landscaping. Like I said in an earlier post - what landscaping? Most of the front and backyard has been or will be dug up as a result of construction, so we have to get ready to plant a new lawn and plantings, and cut back some of the aged growth.
**Green Solution** There are a host of new organic lawn care products that are now on the market that produce great results. Jonathan Green makes a great line, for example. Organic fertilizer, grass seed, and the use of native, drought resistant plants complete the picture. Something that needs constant watering isn't ideal anymore due to the overall reduction in rain accumulations. Furthermore, I found that local nurseries are willing to test your soil and offer you ideas about which plants to add to your yard, all for free. Utilize them!
The exterior is not yet complete, but I am hoping that the end result will look something like this in the end, which looks pretty homey to me.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Green House Makeover 3 : The Exterior
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4 comments:
Difficult to believe that Rhino Shield last 50 years. It's been out less than 5 years. Wow. What a claim. Rhino Shield people are the old "liquid siding" people who got a major suit against them by the FTC. Their paint is NOT Energy Star (go to www.energystar.gov and find out by yourself). Rhino Shield is made by Nationwide Chemicals out of Bradenton Florida - - anyone can go there and get the same thing, you just can't buy it with the Rhino Shield label on it. In addition, they are not allowed by the FTC to state that their product saves 30% on their energy bill. This is what got the liquid siding (kryton) people in trouble in April, 2004. Furthermore, you cannot compare architectural coatings (like house paint) to paint used on a bus. Two different products. But it was a nice try. Works in people's minds and that's what the Rhino people want you to think. Automotive paint does not equal house paint so don't even go there. I say SAY NO TO RHINO.
PS Even the Liquid siding FTC complaint notes that the use of caulking and sealants associated with the painting process actually insulates the home in some way. Hence more energy efficient. And this may or may not be the exact same product. Unless of course you have the formula handy. The encapsulation benefits for this particular house and its 25 year transferable warranty make it very attractive.
Well it looks like you have some good ideas for updating this house. What other ideas do you have for greening this project? Fine Homebuilding magazine Houses edition has some good articles on green remolding.
The Anonymous poster sounds like a competitor of Rhino Shield. First off the poster didn't say it was a 50 year coating (getting confused with another product you bash online?) I have Rhino Shield on my home and I'm a chemist. I did the research and it all comes down to this. Rhino Shield is hundreds of times better than ANY paint job you can get. You will recoup the cost in a couple paint jobs and it WILL last a long time. They have a 20 year weathering test by BASF that proves it doesn't break down. I did the numbers and I had to paint last year and I knew I would have to paint again in approx 4 years. So 2 paint jobs in 4 years and the Rhino Shield price was about the same as painting twice. With the Rhino I got the warranty for labor and materials. Now the only other question is will they be around????
I checked the BBB and my dealer and all dealers had high ratings. Checked with my state attorney gen office and they had no complaints. I then talked to a few references and visited a couple homes. It all checked out for me.
I suggest with any high ticket home improvement product you verify factual items. BBB, Attorney Gen, References etc...
The anonymous poster above could be ANYONE.
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