by Philip Proefrock, LEED AP, GreenovationTV contributing writer

Photo by Cat Sidh under Creative Commons 2.0 license

Greener living often starts with the things you don’t do, rather than the things that you do. With home energy, the cheapest watts are those you don’t have to pay for (what Amory Lovins calls “negawatts“). It is far better (and cheaper) to invest in efficiency than to “slap on some solar panels” to run things.

Likewise, buildings and materials have “embodied energy” in the materials and effort that went into their original fabrication. This is why renovating an existing building has significant benefits over tearing down and building new, even if the new building would be more efficient than the existing one.

But, there are some new laws coming into effect that look like they may have a negative effect on renovation and remodeling projects. Rules from the EPA (PDF) on the handling of lead paint in existing buildings take effect this April, and remodeling contractors will need to ensure that they follow new procedures, which may increase cost on some renovation projects. And the new California green building code has prompted discussion about the valuation of existing buildings in green construction.

The new CALGREEN code (PDF), which takes effect January 1, 2011, is a statewide addition to the building code that joins other systems such as Green Globes and LEED that are used to evaluate the greenness of a building. But some groups feel that renovating existing buildings is being overlooked.

Preserving an old building should get more points than it does, says Linda Dishman, executive director of the Los Angeles Conservancy.

“If you save a historic building, you can get up to three points,” Dishman says. “But if you use recycled carpet, you get one point. Is saving a whole building really the same as recycled carpet?”

The new code does not mandate the renovation of existing buildings, but there may be cases where a developer would not find enough benefit in retrofitting an existing building, and would choose instead to demolish it in order to build new. But renovation may still make good economic sense over the added costs of demolition and new construction.

New laws dealing with lead paint exposure also may cause general impacts on renovation projects. For homes, apartments, and other facilities that may be occupied by children built before 1978, special measures need to be followed to ensure that lead dust and debris does not cause additional exposure hazards.

The new measures are prescriptive practices to be followed to minimize lead contamination during the process of renovation, including steps the contractor must take to seal areas of work, protect furniture and surfaces in areas that may be exposed to lead dust and debris, and cleaning and collecting waste in a thorough and responsible manner. At Treehugger, Lloyd Alter raised some concerns about the backlash from the new rules.

Seriously, I spend a lot of time proselytizing that renovation creates labour intensive green jobs that can put a lot of unskilled people back to work. Now, on April 22, they become highly skilled and regulated jobs that require special tools, expensive bug suits, goggles and double gloves. People will just tear the things down instead.

As I understand the requirements (and, to be clear, I am not a certified remodeler), if the materials and surfaces involved in the renovation have been tested and are determined to be free of lead, then the lead-based paint renovation, repair, and painting requirements do not apply. But if lead is present, then it is prudent to deal with it in a responsible manner. The new practices will help to protect workers, as well as children under 6, who are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead poisoning. While the added steps and the certifications contractors must obtain may represent some additional costs, lead containment is a reasonable expectation for a safe renovation. And homeowners may experience a benefit of less impact on the rest of the house from the improved containment procedures.

In some instances, the cost and labor involved in extensive remodeling of buildings with large amounts of lead paint may become cost prohibitive. Hopefully, creative approaches to renovation can keep existing buildings from the wrecking ball.

Philip Proefrock is a regular contributor to GreenovationTV and a registered architect with p s proefrock architecture, based in Michigan. He is a LEED accredited professional and has taught sustainable design architectural studio at Lawrence Technological University and assisted with LEED study groups for other building professionals. He is also an architectural photographer, writer and blogger. Philip is senior contributing writer for EcoGeek.org where he concentrates on green building systems, renewable power, and transportation, and a regular contributor to JetsonGreen.com

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