I have a belief that we should live our lives in a way that impacts the earth in the least way possible. I think this comes from many years camping and hiking where you go by the principal take only photos and leave only footprints. I’ve taken this belief to the way I approach renovating as well.
And yes we have a worm farm for excess food, we have solar panels and a slow combustion heater but to me this also means where I can I will reuse items, recycle or provide others with an ability to use something we don’t need any longer, I look for those options.
This thought process can be of benefit throughout many aspects of the renovation process.
- Construction
- Interior fitout
- Furniture
- In the garden
Where I can I will look to buy secondhand or environmentally sustainable products when completing any jobs or improvements to the house. It takes longer and required more planning and research than just going down to Bunnings however there are also many benefits to this approach.
The key benefit of completing a repair or renovation in this manner are cost savings and from a creative viewpoint it often results in a unique look or finish to the end result.
Construction
During the construction, I’m always on the lookout on eBay, Trading Post or other sites for different items that I require to complete my next project. Additionally it also pays to visit a good demolition or second hand building yard around Sydney for timber, old doors, windows as well as reclaimed bathroom and kitchen items.
A quick online search will provide you with the nearest one to your home.
We are restoring an older Californian Bungalow and are looking to replace the aluminium windows that have been installed in the house with some traditional cedar and stained glass windows.
There are a multitude of options available to the renovator to repair and restore beautiful old timber and stained glass windows that only require time, sandpaper and some varnish or paint
Interior Fitout
A friend of our recently changed the basin in her small bathroom in a unique way. Instead of buying a standard new vanity she found a small cabinet in the style she wanted then bought a single bowl type basin. She finished the cabinet in a simple whitewash finish.
The plumber when he came to remove the old basin simply put the 2 items together inplace.
Many Secondhand building yards contain plenty of options for basins, doors, windows etc.
Another simple idea to consider if you are thinking about redoing the kitchen is reusing kitchen cabinets in the new kitchen and only replacing the bench tops and doors this will not only save you money but decrease your impact on the environment.
Furniture
There are also second hand furniture sellers where you can pick up tables, wardrobes, shelves etc for very cheap prices most only require a sand and new coat of paint or varnish.
The article below provides a more creative view to reusing old items and is a great example where a lateral approach to old items can yield unique results
eBay is particularly effective for old furniture, just make sure you look closely at the photos and read the descriptions carefully so you know what you are buying.
Gardens
In the garden there are many ways to reduce your footprint and recycle items.
- Using wet newspaper on your garden beds under mulch is a great weed suppressant. It also breaks down and adds to the soil.
- Many plants grow easily from cuttings or seeds, you can easily plant out your garden over a year or 2 by simply finding seeds or taking small cuttings of the plants you like.
However its also quite easy to find factory seconds or used landscaping products on eBay or Trading post etc. Our house when we bought it had almost 700 pavers covering 80% of our available space in the back yard. As we started landscaping the yard I stacked them down the side of the driveway, took a photo and posted it on eBay. A week later they were sold for $250 and someone kindly came and took them off my hands. It also saved me $150 and a lot of sweat by not having to take the pavers to the tip.
I’ve present some simple ideas in this piece where I have decreased not only the cost of my renovations but the impact as well. I’d be interested to get any new ideas or articles from people on ways they have creatively approached a renovation.
