A New Eco-friendly Upstairs with Net Zero in Mind

This is it!  We’re done today with our Net Zero Challenge with Canadian Geographic, a step done in our life long journey to live sustainably 😊

Here’s a sneak peak of the renovations we’ve been working on, which included re-insulating and air sealing our attic / bedroom. We did this by using as many recycled and upcycled materials as we could, including glass blocks and glazed doors that allow for passive light, and also ceiling fans and LED lights, which help to lower our energy usage. We added the framing for the future bathroom using wood we removed from other areas, and did the same where we needed to piece in some of the hardwood flooring. We purchased a whole lot of random recycled tiles for the future bathroom, and used non-tropical hardwood for our wall and ceiling cladding. Note: tropical hardwoods are not a sustainable option because not only are they shipped from long distances, but they are also slow growing and often hundreds of years old when they are cut down. We worked together as a family to demolish, design, and construct.

We wanted to show you that doing home renovations can be sustainable and affordable at the same time. Sometimes it takes a little longer to source the perfect items for your space, when tapping in to the circular economy, but in the end you will love those unique elements even more and will take so much pride in making them work in your space. We learned a lot and hopefully inspired a few of you to do the same when you need to do your own upgrades. There is a wealth of knowledge out there for lowering your carbon footprint as well as a huge circular economy to partake in. Let’s do it together!!!