Can This Home Be Greened? A Florida Fixer-Upper Gets a Green Remodel
A personalized remodel can be eco-friendly, resource-conscious and under budget.
May/June 2009
By Greg Hardwick
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Phyllis and Tim Dyer hope to improve their home's accessibility, efficiency and sustainability for around $50,000.
Photography By Greg Hardwick
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Phyllis and Tim Dyer live in a single-story home in Eustis, Florida, a cozy town nestled in central Florida’s Lake County, about 50 miles southeast of Daytona Beach. The couple purchased their 1959 lakefront home in 2000 to escape increasing urban sprawl in Orlando, and they began considering renovations about three years ago. They don’t want to expand the 1,950-square-foot home, and they are determined that their renovations create “sustainable value” for about $50,000.
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The Dyers started renovating the home last year, and their efficiency improvements have already halved their electric bill. They replaced most of their home’s windows with efficient, low-emissivity (low-E), double-glazed aluminum windows and sliding glass doors. They also replaced the 25-year-old HVAC unit with a 5-ton, 13-SEER heat pump with a variable speed air handler.
The Dyers have clearly defined goals for the remainder of their renovation budget: to further improve efficiency; to renovate their kitchen; to replace floors throughout the home; to accommodate the needs of their son, who sometimes uses a wheelchair; and to plant native, water-conserving landscaping.
Longtime subscribers to Natural Home, Tim and Phyllis turned to us for help in determining a way to accomplish these goals while staying “as green as possible.”
Replacing and redesigning
Finishing their efficiency improvements and reworking the kitchen to be more pleasurable and functional will make Tim and Phyllis’ home less expensive to operate and more fun to live in.
1. Improve energy efficiency
Though the Dyers have already made some strides, taking a few more steps will maximize their home’s efficiency.
Solutions: I recommend replacing the windows in the back porch and master bath with energy-efficient windows that meet the same specifications as the new windows in the rest of the house.
The Dyers also should replace their attic insulation. In a 50-year-old home, the original insulation is likely inadequate and worn out. In Florida, ceiling and attic insulation levels should be at least R-30, which is about 8 inches of cellulose. I recommend completely removing the existing insulation and installing new cellulose.
After improving the thermal envelope, one of my favorite energy-conservation components for Florida homes is a solar-thermal water heater. This house has great southern exposure, a significant factor in choosing solar. The Dyers should also make sure any new appliances meet Energy Star requirements, and replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents or LEDs.
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