COLLABORATIVE PLANNING

We start every renovation with collaborative planning between our clients, their architect/designer and our Greening Homes Team. Working together early, we can find synergies to ensure you love your design and that it fits your budget.

WASTE DIVERSION PLAN

Before starting a project we create a custom waste diversion plan. This identifies all potential recyclable materials that can be re-used onsite and materials we can donate, to maximize the amount of waste diverted from the landfill.

THERMAL IMAGING

With our own thermal imaging camera, we can walk through our client’s home and find potential air leaks, gaps in insulation and other sources of heat loss. Many air-sealing techniques are low cost and our camera can pinpoint where to start.

SMART WASTE SEPARATION

We use a combination of onsite waste sorting and special bins to maximize the waste diversion from landfill. Typical construction sites in Ontario divert only 12% of all construction and demolition waste. We can divert five times this amount with our low cost sorting systems.

COMMUNICATIVE SITE SIGNAGE

We use our site signage to promote the green elements of our projects to share what makes a Greening Homes renovation more sustainable. We hope to inspire others to plan a renovation using a healthy approach.

INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND BUILDING METHODS

Using innovative materials and building methods is key to our modus operandi. We stay current with new building techniques to meet the needs of our clients. This photo features an ICF block (Insulated Concrete Form) that we used on an addition project near Eglinton and Laird.

RECLAIMED MATERIALS

We incorporate reclaimed materials in all of our projects where possible. From structural beams used to make exposed wood roof trusses or other materials to make shelving, we work with our clients to find creative solutions when determining how reclaimed materials can be used.

MATERIAL REUSE

When we approach any project, we take account of materials that can be reused to reduce what ends up in the landfill. Simple approaches to material reuse include patching existing floors, and stripping and refinishing old trim and doors.

REFURBISHING MATERIALS AND OTHER ELEMENTS

Renovating a home is about adapting it to meet the current needs of its owners. Rather than completely removing existing elements, we have the in-house skill to adapt, alter and incorporate them into the finished renovation. Here we see an existing 100-year old staircase we adapted to meet a new second floor.

FSC LUMBER

Renovation projects, especially additions, use a lot of framing lumber. We source FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) lumber for 90% of our framing needs. FSC lumber is widely available, making the cost difference between it and non-FSC lumber negligible.

INSULATING PIPES

Any domestic hot water pipe in a home would benefit from added insulation. These pipes move hot water from the boiler or tank right to the tap. With simple insulation wraps, we can help you reduce heat loss. It`s simple and efficient.

FOIL SEALING HVAC DUCTS

All forced air ducts in your home have connections and bends. By taking one added step and foil-taping all of our seams we can help you reduce potential air leakage when transporting cool or hot air from your A/C or furnace.

LOW VOC GLUES, CAULKING AND ADHESIVES

We are committed to creating healthy homes! We don’t just look to low VOC paints when renovating a client’s home, but also to low VOC  caulking, glue and other construction materials. We use low to no VOC glues and adhesives for less obvious elements like attaching subfloors, gluing connections of trim and caulking a bathtub.

RECYCLED DENIM INSULATION

We use recycled insulation made from denim for insulating interior walls to improve sound transmission between rooms and floors.

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

In this photo, a drain water heat recovery system wraps around the plumbing stack. It uses waste water to pre-heat the new water entering the hot water tank. Simple systems like this can save up to 10% of your yearly energy bill.

CLEAN AIR DURING ALL CONSTRUCTION

Clean air for our crew onsite and our client’s family living in the home is very important to us. We use HEPA air filters and a series of dust doors to minimize any harmful dust produced during the renovation. We take further action and protect all HVAC ducts from potential dust infiltration.

LIMITING WASTE CREATED BY CREW

Have you been to a construction site and seen fast food containers and disposable coffee cups? We have. Our Greening Homes crew use reusable coffee cups and other containers to limit the amount of waste produced during the project.

SMART TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM SITE

We select projects that are accessible by TTC and bike to facilitate our Smart Transportation Policy. Yes, some of our team have trucks, but we they are used for moving materials and tools (not for everyday commuting).