Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Green driveway cuts pollution
OSHAWA, Ont. -- It's the latest thing in high-tech driveways, replacing that ugly black asphalt with an environmentally-friendly substitute that filters out impurities and keeps salt, sealants and other noxious chemicals out of municipal sewer systems.Just be sure to keep it watered, weeded and mowed.
That's right, the solution to paved driveways -- which serve to funnel all manner of toxins directly into the environment -- just might be the grass right next to it.
Passersby on Copperfield Road in Oshawa, Ont., have been doing double-takes since Marshall Homes recently installed a grass driveway for a model home that's decked out with a number of environmentally-friendly features.
"People were standing there thinking we were nuts when we first came here," said company president Craig Marshall.
"But then they see it looks really nice; it softens the look of the house, taking away the black driveway."
Not even heavy trucks and SUVs -- environmentally-friendly hybrids only, please -- will rip up or flatten the grass, thanks to a plastic support grid that sits just below the surface and absorbs the pressure of vehicles.
It's a technology that's been around for several years, but most installations in Canada have been in business settings and very few homeowners even realize it's an option. Now, with Canadians more concerned than ever about the environment, Marshall figures its time has come.
Grass driveways help to protect the environment by absorbing and reducing runoff going into the sewers, Marshall said, preventing things like driveway sealants, oil, salt, and car care products from going down the drain.
"It's all about water infiltration into the ground instead of running out onto the street and down into our sewers and into our lakes and rivers," he said.
"The more groundwater you can keep on the site, the less damage it's going to do to the environment and the habitats of fish and things in the rivers and lakes."
Marshall said the only major unknown about the grass driveway is how it will survive a cold, snowy winter, so he's not yet making it an option in his new homes until it can be fully tested.
"What we're planning to do is keep (the grass) low and use a snowblower on it and see how that works out and at the end of the winter we'll reassess," he said.
"We want to know how much maintenance it's going to take over the longer term versus an asphalt driveway, but one thing we do know is you won't have to spray it with tar every year, so that's one benefit."
Rick Cavallero of Invisible Surfaces, a company based out of Colorado that sells similar grass driveway technology, said snow isn't a problem for the surface, although constant traffic is.
He recommends that customers not go in and out of the same spot more than four or five times a day if they want their grass to last.
"It's not for every day, in and out constantly, because you're going to wear out the turf," Cavallero said.
But you shouldn't leave a vehicle parked on the grass for days on end either, he added.
"If you leave a car parked on it and it can't get sun for days at a time the grass will yellow out," he said. "It is turf, after all."
The cost of a grass driveway is estimated to be about $10 a square foot, which is a little less than an interlock driveway but about five times the cost of a standard driveway, Marshall said.
One environmentally-unfriendly element of the grass driveway is the extra water usage needed to keep it healthy, but Marshall said other water-saving upgrades in the company's model home more than compensate.
In addition to low-flow toilets, shower heads and faucets installed throughout the house, a special tank housed in the basement takes the water used during showers and baths and reroutes it to be used in the toilets.
"If this water wasn't coming from (showers and baths) it'd be coming from Lake Ontario, going through a treatment plant and then pumped all the way up to north Oshawa, consuming a lot of electricity along the way," he said.
The only drawback is the toilet water can end up being a little soapy, he said, but it's otherwise a "brain-dead simple way to save 30 per cent of your water usage and sewage usage."
There are also energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs in sockets throughout the home and all the paint is recycled with low levels of volatile organic compounds.
-- Canadian Press
Renovation & Design
Making sure you measure up to the task
HERE are 15 tips to make sure you measure up.1. Anything can be used as a reference for measuring. For instance, a dollar bill is roughly six inches long. Folded in half, it is roughly three inches long. Knowing the measurements of common household objects will come in handy.
2. Before purchasing wall coverings, measure all windows even if they appear to be the same size. The differences may surprise you.
3. Floor-length draperies should be sized a half-inch above the floor, or just short of the carpet pile. Place a piece of cardboard on top of the carpet for an even measurement.
4. To measure for custom picture frames, measure the exact width and height of the outside dimensions (including the mat) of your artwork to the nearest 1/8". Use these dimensions for the size of your frame, acrylic and backing board. Note: Frames custom-cut to a fraction of an inch are priced to the next whole inch.
5. When measuring carpeting or sheet vinyl, get the longest width and length along the floor. Do not multiply them together. Most carpet and vinyl rolls are 12 feet wide. If the room is less than 12 feet wide, order a roll of carpet as long as the room, being sure to get enough to go through the doorway. Call a professional installer or measuring agent if the room is more than 12 feet wide.
6. When measuring for wood, tile, or laminate flooring, figure floor area as above, but be sure to order extra to account for the material you will have to discard when making cuts. Industry standard is 15 per cent waste.
7. To measure how much paint to buy for a room, add together the length and width and multiply by two. This number is the circumference of the room. Next measure the height of the room. Multiply this number by the circumference of the room. This will give you the basic square footage of the room. Measure any windows and doors in the room. Multiply the width and height of each opening, and then add them together. Subtract this number from the rooms square feet. Simple as pie!
8. The next time you are measuring corn syrup, honey, or maple syrup spray the measuring cup with PAM or a similar non-stick oil spray. Not only will it keep your measurements consistent, there's less waste and clean-up will be less sticky!
9. When measuring shortening or butter, dip the cup or spoon in hot water first. The grease will slide right off.
10. For those of you who would rather take 10 preschoolers shopping then sift flour, this tip is for you. To accurately measure flour without sifting (which is often the difference between cakey and moist brownies), whisk or stir the flour a bit before measuring since flour settles.
11. Here's a way to make a measuring cup that never gets dirty. Find two clear 16-ounce plastic cups and a liquid measuring cup. Measure one ounce of water in the measuring cup. Pour it into the large plastic cup. Draw a mark at the waterline with a fine-tipped permanent marker. Do the same with as many measurements as you need. Remove the cup of water. Place a clean cup inside your new measuring cup. These disposable liners are poor for the environment but help in a pinch when measuring non-edible products.
12. Sometimes markings on measuring spoon or cups become worn off and are difficult to read. When this occurs, paint a strip of red nail polish over the measurements. Sand them lightly and the numbers will stand out clearly against the nail polish.
13. If you're unsure how much batter your Bundt pan will hold, here is a quick way to measure its capacity. Using a cup for measuring liquids, fill the pan to the brim with water and note how many cups it holds. Use a permanent marker to write the capacity on the outside of the pan. Also, measure the amount of batter to make so that it is within the pan's capacity. A general rule of thumb is that a cake pan should be half to two-thirds full.
14. Spice up your life with this easy tip to speed up measuring while cooking. Get rid of the lids in spice jars that have holes in them. Keep the lids with holes for spices that you tend to sprinkle instead of measure such as, paprika.
15. Heading out to the lake? In order to measure your freshly caught fish accurately, measure the fish from the most forward point of the head, with the mouth closed, to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed, while the fish is lying on its side.
Speaking of measurements...
Did you know the largest animal in the world is the blue whale? It has a heart the size of a car and tongue as long as an elephant.
Did you know? In the course of a lifetime the average person will grow two metres of nose hair.
Solutions is compiled from various sources: bbqtricks.blogspot.com, hirstarts.com, diynetwork.com, healthy-quick-meals.com, immenseknowledge.blogspot.cominteriormall.com, robinsfyi.com, myfwc.com, tipnut.com, kidsgen.com, pictureframes.com, wikihow.com, dallasnews.com, associatedcontent.com. Thanks to all who contributed. Similar information may be found elsewhere.
Solutions sleuth Reena Nerbas is a home economist and speaks professionally on the topic of household challenges. She is also the author of two national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions and Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets. She can be heard on radio and television programs across Canada.
Renovation & Design
Toxics among common scents
SEATTLE -- The fumes that waft from top-selling air fresheners and laundry products contain dozens of chemicals, including several classified as toxic or hazardous, says a University of Washington study published last week.None of the chemicals was listed on product labels, nor does the federal government require companies to disclose ingredients in fragrances, said study author Anne Steinemann.
"I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found," said Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs.
The health effects of the chemicals are unclear, but Steinemann launched her analysis after years of fielding complaints from people who said air fresheners and other household products made them dizzy, left them short of breath or caused headaches, seizures or asthma attacks.
"After you hear about a hundred of these stories, you realize there's something going on," she said.
The report is the latest in a string of unsavory news reports about consumer products, from the presence of lead in children's toys to the discovery of hormone-disrupting compounds in plastics and baby lotions.
Steinemann's study focused on six widely used products: dryer sheets, fabric softener, laundry detergent, a liquid spray air freshener, a plug-in air freshener, and a solid disc deodorizer used in commercial-airplane toilets. A contract laboratory sealed each product inside a container, then used two types of instruments to identify chemicals emitted into the air.
Collectively, the six products gave off nearly 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including acetone -- the eye-stinging ingredient in nail-polish remover and paint thinner. (VOCs are compounds that vaporize easily, like paint and gasoline fumes. Many VOCs are known to be harmful.)
The study didn't report the levels of individual chemicals, but all six of the products emitted at least one substance the federal government classifies as toxic or hazardous.
Among them are three chemicals the Environmental Protection Agency considers "hazardous air pollutants" with no safe exposure levels: acetaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both likely human carcinogens; and methyl chloride, which has been linked to liver, kidney and nervous-system damage in animals.
A spokeswoman for the Fragrance Materials Association of the United States, an industry group, said all ingredients are tested for safety and the results reviewed by independent scientists.
"We are certain that, when used in compliance with standards, these fragrance ingredients are safe and can be used ... with confidence," Cathy Cook said in a written statement.
For most healthy adults, slight exposure to toxic or hazardous chemicals is probably not much of a health concern, said Lance Wallace, a retired EPA scientist who is collaborating with Steinemann. But up to 30 percent of people are sensitive to perfumes and other fragrances, he pointed out.
-- Seattle Times
Renovation & Design
Many causes for plumbing odour
Q: We purchased a five-year-old, three bathroom, cab-over home two years ago and noticed an unpleasant odour in one of the bathrooms. This odour appears to be worse in winter. We checked the floor for mildew, etc., when we had the bathroom floor tiled this winter and there were no problems. The toilet does not have a slow leak.After doing the "sniff test" we determined the smell was definitely coming from the main floor bathtub drain. My husband took out the plug and cleaned a lot of guck out of the drain and I attempted to remove any residual odour by using a "green" vinegar-baking soda-hot water solution. The smell stopped for about one day and now it is back. The lower level bathroom, with a bathtub, and master en-suite in the cab-over, with a shower, are not affected.
What could be causing this odour and what suggestions can you give us to eradicate the stench?
-- Harv & Pat Rosenbaum, e-mail
A. In many cases, the origin of seemingly mysterious odours in homes can be very difficult to pinpoint. Fortunately, plumbing odours are usually much easier to diagnose, as there are a limited number of possibilities. I will discuss these and try to help you identify the source of the problem.
The first possibility for the drain odour, and easiest to remedy, is debris in the drain, itself. This could be a combination of hair, soap, and various hair products that get stuck to the sides of the plastic drain pipes or in the trap underneath the tub. Correctly, you have taken the first step to address this problem with your environmentally friendly drain cleaning method. Unfortunately, while your solution may have temporarily eliminated some of the debris, it may not have cleared the drain of excess hair, which can still allow build-up of new soap and continued odours. While not as green as the vinegar and baking soda mixture, use of commercial drain cleaners may be more effective in removal of excess hair in the drains, allowing proper drainage of soapy water from the tub.
The second location of possible build-up of similar materials may be more insidious. All bathtubs have an overflow drain near the top of the tub that is rarely needed, unless the tub is overfilled. It is common for some people to fill the tub with too much water, so that a significant amount is drained through the overflow, once they enter the tub and displace some water. If this water is full of soap, bath oil, or bubble bath, it may also be causing a build-up within the overflow waste piping. This piping is connected to the drain piping below the tub, so an odour could easily be detected through the drain at the bottom of the tub, if this were the situation. The same "sniff test" you did on the tub drain should be done at the opening in the cover to the overflow, which is located below the tub spout. If the smell is stronger in this area than at the drain, the cover should be carefully removed and drain cleaner or a pipe cleaner used to clear this area, as well.
If the first two checks do not yield the results you seek. In that case, there is likely only one other possibility for the source of the odours. The problem, which I suspect is the true culprit, is improper venting for the tub drain. This may be much more difficult to determine, but proper repairs will yield a permanent solution.
To explain the problem of improper venting, without getting too technical, we must understand one basic principal of modern plumbing drains. Sufficient quantity of air must enter the top of the plumbing drain system, through the vents, to allow for proper drainage. Also, the drains must be configured according to specific guidelines, addressed in the plumbing codes, to allow for proper venting. If the venting is missing or the pipes improperly designed or installed, the drains many not function properly.
Sometimes, lack of proper venting can cause drains to run too slowly, which may lead to easy blockages or slow draining. In other cases, improper venting may cause drainage to be too fast, which can allow the water in the P-traps under bathroom fixtures to be siphoned out. In that situation, the traps may not be effective in achieving their primary function, to prevent sewer gas intrusion into the home from the drain system. The water in the bottom of the trap, which is located directly below the drain in your bathtub, must remain in place to prevent gasses from escaping from the larger drains, below. This gas can be quite strong smelling and noxious to occupants. I would suspect that this is the true cause of your problem and figuring out where the mistake has been made is the next step to eliminating the smell.
Improper venting issues can be due to either blockage of the vent pipes as they exit the home through the roof or improper pipe design or installation. Determination of either of these defects may be well beyond the capabilities of the average homeowner. Evaluation by a licensed plumber, which may involve walking on the roof or entering the attic and basement, may be the only way to see where the source of the venting defect is. If simple cleaning of the bathtub drains and overflow doesn't help, listen for gurgling noises after the water is fully drained, following a bath, which will be a sure sign to call the plumber.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P.O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
Renovation & Design
Technology makes green innovations in the home
NEW YORK -- A decade of quantum technological leaps mean today's designers have in their hands a virtually bottomless toy box of new materials and methods.Take the award-winning installation Lightshowers put on by DuPont Corian at this year's International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Egg-like polished rocks and smooth slabs of Corian were underlit, with nature sounds generated from a hypersonic speaker; when a person crossed the sound wave's path, it essentially "woke" the sound.
Or look at Vetrazzo, a Richmond, Calif., countertop maker that turns a good portion of the state's recyclables -- old traffic lights, curbside trash, windows, even dishware factory rejects -- into chic countertops.
The technology boom echoes an earlier era: The icons of early 20th century Modernism -- Breuer, Le Corbusier, van der Rohe, Gray, the Eames, and others -- eagerly adapted machine-age materials like tubular steel and moulded plywood into furniture that was new, daring and still accessible.
Now advances are not just industrial -- they're green. Eco-friendly paints and adhesives, water-driven machinery, precision lasers, even organic powder coatings for steel are all relatively new technologies borne of the industry's desire to balance style and stewardship.
With computers, designs are generated, presented and communicated digitally for what the industry calls "rapid prototyping and manufacturing." What it means is that software helps the designer draw, say, a chair, then it creates a 3D prototype in a few hours, which can then be produced with minimal waste in a variety of customizations, a process that used to take months.
Emmanuel Plat, president of ConranUSA, is excited about the technology used by a Swedish design firm called Front.
"An artist uses a special pen to sketch her design in the air -- she can't even see what she's drawing," he said. "A motion capture camera records her strokes, then the image is prototyped -- the process is really remarkable."
But does the "wow factor" translate into useful furniture? Max Shangle, chair of the furniture design program at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich., says products made with revolutionary technology must still resonate with the consumer.
"The question isn't, 'Can we make it?' but 'Should we make it?' At the end of the day, we have to produce things that appeal to and satisfy the consumer," he said. "Using a radical new material isn't enough."
In his book, The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman chides those who put artistry or gadgetry before good design. "Well designed objects are easy to understand," he writes.
For that, consider the LED lights that now may line the perimeter of a sofa, a room, even a swimming pool.
On the creative horizon, Don Goeman, EVP of Research, Design and Development at Herman Miller, sees organic LEDs, as well as programmable lighting scenes, "and smart surfaces that are changeable and customizable."
Says Shangle, "The potential to change the landscape of product offerings in the home furnishings marketplace is limitless."
That makes the new generation of modern home furnishings just as exciting as the first.
-- The Associated Press
