Renovating Respectfully

When Laurie Bomba's cabinetmaker Damian Altenhofen suggested she go green by using lyptus to build some cabinets in her Mission Hills home, she was hesitant. Because her home was built in the late 1920s with dark walnut paneling and trim, she had leaned toward the classics like mahogany for previous projects. Damian explained that lyptus, when stained, looks similar to mahogany, and it's more sustainable. Lyptus is grown primarily in Brazil on deforested plantations.

It grows from seed to maturity in 15 years, compared to 80 years for other types of trees, and when it's cut down at the base, a new tree will grow using the old root   system, further reducing the amount of time to the next harvest.

Hearing this, Laurie felt lyptus was the right choice for her home and decided to ground her upcoming remodeling project in green, including ordering the rapidly renewable wood as well as salvaged wood, reusing hardware and doors from the house, painting with low-VOC paint and experimenting with LED lights.

Saving the Forest
After working with Damian and Schloegel Design Remodel on building lyptus cabinets and other woodwork on the third floor, the Bombas decided to finish their basement. “Laurie is very  environmentally conscious,” says Gayle Jagoda, CKBR and design consultant for Schloegel. “When they decided to finish the basement, it became an exciting opportunity to use green products in this area.”

The major component of the project was the wood. After seeing samples reclaimed from a sugar mill in the Ozarks, Laurie chose old-growth pine, which was used to panel the walls and ceiling, and to build a seating alcove, fireplace mantel and wine cabinets.

The family preferred the salvaged version because they could avoid cutting down trees. Plus, it's denser and has a different grain pattern and color than new-growth pine. “Early pine has more character,” Damian explains. “The rings are closer together and it's not quite as yellow as what you would find at Home Depot today.”

The light blond color lightens the space that Laurie describes as previously being a “wet dungeon.” The wetness issue may still be a problem in the future, so they left the stone exposed — lending a certain amount of textural drama — and dug a drain membrane around the perimeter of the walls. The kids have made the basement their new favorite place, with a wrestling room and ping pong table.

The table and bench built into the alcove was an inventive and tricky solution to a space that wasn't level or symmetrical. Damion created this cozy gathering space while concealing pipes, ductwork and even the sump pump. He also elevated the platform 6 inches with marine-grade plywood and plastic legs to protect it from any water that might seep in.

Reducing Energy Consumption
Gayle notes that first they had to replace the old windows and a patio door because they leaked too much air. Once they had a tighter envelope, they worked with Matt Ponzer of PK Electric to convert some of the Bombas' existing fixtures to accept LEDs. This type of light is up and coming, but it still has some kinks to work out, including color tone and dimmability. “Many of the LED lamps still have a cool-colored temperature so the light appears bluish white,” Gayle says.

Laurie is testing bulbs over the mantel, where one sconce is a warm yellowish pink with incandescent bulbs and the other slightly greenish-blue with LEDs. She remains persistent with them because they contain no mercury and require less energy than CFLs.

Working out better for the Bombas are the LED can lights that Matt installed — whole LED fixtures, not just bulbs — and LED track lighting, which dims to about half way.

Improving Air Quality
The Bombas used a nontoxic paint from Benjamin Moore, and in the case of the ceiling in the media room, no paint at all because they would have had to use KILZ, a noxious product as a primer. “We decided to love our ceiling as it is,” Laurie says. A new cased opening to the room mostly hides the exposed ceiling anyway.

One area they had to compromise on was the vinyl mats used to line the walls in the wrestling room. There was just no alternative resource that would provide as much   bodily protection and be good for the environment.

With three boys, Laurie says the family uses every square inch of the relatively large house. “We're using more than our share of resources, so we recognized that at least we should be thoughtful with this project,” she says. “And the more you know, the better choices you can make.”