Non-exposed Wood

Boron has long been recognized as an effective and very safe pesticide in wood. In part, it effectiveness comes from its ability to diffuse freely throughout the wood, thus protecting even the center of large timbers, which are not affected by pressure treating. Unfortunately, the diffusability... Read more

While expanded polystyrene (EPS) is the only type of rigid foam insulation that is currently made with neither CFCs nor HCFCs, it has one environmental drawback: pentane emissions during manufacturing. EPS is produced by expanding styrene beads using pentane gas, a hydrocarbon that contributes to... Read more

The 1992 Energy Policy Act, signed into law in October, sets maximum water use standards for most plumbing products manufactured after January 1, 1994. Most toilets will be limited to 1.6 gallons per flush (a higher limit of 3.5 gpf will apply to most commercial toilets). Kitchen and... Read more

NRG Barriers, Inc. of Saco, Maine, has become the first polyisocyanurate foam insulation manufacturer to totally phase out CFC-11 use in a complete product line. As of January 1, 1993, 100% of NRG’s commercial roofing insulation products will be produced with HCFC-141b, according to Technical... Read more

In what is described as a major policy change, the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA) is launching a campaign to emphasize the environmental benefits of wood and appeal to growing public awareness about the environment. “We want the [building] industry to know that we’re concerned about the... Read more

Andrew St. John, Editor. Boston Society of Architects, 52 Broad St., Boston, MA 02109; 617/951-1433 x221, 617/951-0845 (fax), $25.

The Sourcebook for Sustainable Design is a true labor of love. It is the first attempt we know of at a comprehensive listing of products and materials that are useful,... Read more

Lumber from 100% recycled plastic has been around for several years now. Due to the large number of companies making recycled plastic lumber (currently about 22 in the U.S.), and the range of processes and feedstocks used, product quality varies greatly. ARW Polywood comes strongly recommended by contractors who’ve used it.

... Read more

from NAHB

With the upcoming release of its booklet

What Remodelers Need to Know and Do About Lead, the Remodelers Council of the National Association of Home Builders is providing a valuable service. The booklet, to judge by a late draft, will be effective in educating builders and remodelers about the dangers... Read more

CoHousing development—is it sustainable? Kathleen O’Brien thought maybe; I think yes. Yes because CoHousing offers another scale of social organization—an intermediate scale between the single family and the town or municipality—thereby expanding the palette of technologies that can be applied. It does this simply by being a... Read more

Steve Loken has been building houses and enjoying the Montana wilderness for fifteen years. In the mid-’80s, Steve began to see a conflict. The forests he so enjoyed were disappearing, the houses going up were getting bigger and bigger, and the lumber they had available to them was getting worse and worse. Out of that realization grew the idea... Read more

By Dorothy Mackenzie; Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 300 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010. 176 pages, hardcover. $35.

Design for the Environment by Dorothy Mackenzie is a gallery of environmental design solutions, mostly from Europe. The book covers an extremely broad range of topics, including building design,... Read more

In what could become an exciting new trend for environmentally conscious remodelers, Neworld Bank of Massachusetts has announced a reduced-rate loan available to homeowners in the state for “green” home improvements. The improvements covered include:

•energy-efficiency retrofits of insulation,... Read more

By Jim Broadstreet; Loompanics Unlimited, Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368. 162 pages, hardcover, $19.95.

Building With Junk is an excellent guide for owner/builders who are trying to build an affordable and interesting home for themselves using recycled or used materials. It provides ideas for sources of scrounged materials, methods... Read more

The Naturally Elegant Home (see review, page 14), are proliferating nationwide. One innovative item, introduced last year by Feeny Manufacturing Company, replaces the common corner-cabinet lazy susan with three rotating bins for separating recyclables. The... Read more

for Roof Sheathing

An emergency ordinance amending the South Florida Building Code to deal with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Andrew includes a provision requiring that only

5/

8" or thicker plywood be used for roof sheathing. The provision applies both to repairs and new roofs, and... Read more

In October, 1871, in small barn on Chicago’s Southwest Side, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a kerosene lantern. The tinder-dry wood-frame building ignited in a fire that destroyed half of Chicago. Devastating fires were not new to our nation, but this was exceptional. Something had to be done. We had to begin building structures... Read more

with Resource Efficient Construction

The ReCraft 90 demonstration house built last year in Missoula, Montana by Steve Loken has received a great deal of attention for its use of leading-edge building materials. Concerned with dwindling supplies of solid, large-dimension timber, Loken chose to use... Read more