Can This Home Be Greened?

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This historic Craftsman home in Oakland, California, needs just a few eco-friendly updates. --JEREMY HARRIS

A tree-lined street in a friendly Oakland, California, neighborhood drew Daria Schwarzschild when she bought her charming Craftsman bungalow in 1999. The home features a living room with traditional wood trim and a large fireplace and a dining room that’s flooded with natural light. The ample back yard has beautiful lemon, orange, plum, apple and persimmon trees—plus room for a garden.

Daria’s well-worn 1970s kitchen—which has a mustard-yellow stove, burnt-orange countertops and crumbling particleboard cabinets—isn’t quite as appealing. "I’m open to finding out what sustainable materials are needed and even doing some of the work myself to lower the labor costs," says Daria, an office manager for an entertainment company.

At just over 1,000 square feet, this 1917 home is typical of Bay-area Craftsman homes. Though cozy, it feels a bit dark and cramped by today’s standards. The single-pane windows are beautiful but not very energy-efficient, and the plumbing and piping are outdated.

Daria has done some renovating: She remodeled the bathroom as a Zen retreat complete with clawfoot bathtub and candles. She also recently painted the exterior a lovely sage green.

Priority #1 

Create Kitchen Cabinets

Problem: Pantry storage in the kitchen is scarce—yet an entire wall is unused. Daria hides the flaking, particleboard cabinet doors with colorful concert posters.

Solutions: Few people actually need more storage, just more efficient storage. Daria could start with eco-friendly cabinets from SilverWalker, Neil Kelly or Green Leaf Cabinetry, which have no formaldehyde beyond what naturally occurs in the wood. (Typically used as a binder in particleboard, formaldehyde is a carcinogen that outgases into the air.) These cabinets tend to be pricier, but she can save by selecting doors instead of more expensive drawers.

For fun, colorful accents, she can choose SpectraDécor recycled-content drawer pulls. She could make her cabinets look finished, but keep the character, by putting her posters into vintage wood frames and fashioning them into cabinet doors.