Waste- The Environmental Impact of Siding Removal

Our project this past week was not without its environmental impact. We ripped close to 800 sf of siding off of our house, most of which is a hazardous waste. On paper, the option with the least impact to the environment would have been to leave the siding on the house. This would have prevented 1.6 cubic yards of asbestos siding and tar paper from entering the landfill.

One must consider, however, the impact of improving and renovating older homes. A nice looking home helps the entire community. It helps to create a sense of place, a sense that the neighborhood is a "good" neighborhood that should be preserved and promoted. One of the best ways to lessen the impact of homeownership on the environment is to buy a used house in an urban area close to things like a grocery store, restaurants, bookstores, etc... a downtown area. By making these homes MORE attractive, we can hopefully "stem" the tide of mass construction spreading across the farmlands.

The Waste:
~1.6 Cubic Yards of Asbestos Siding (~546 sf) and Tar paper (wrapped in 16 heavy duty plastic bags and duct tape)
~1/2 Gallon of Nails and Screws
~A VERY Large Pile of 1x3 Wood Boards
~200 sf of Steel Siding

How We Lessened the Impact:
1) I posted an ad on Craigslist and Freecycle offering asbestos shingles free to anyone needing to patch up their house. Sadly, no one took me up on this offer (which did surprise me, as I have seen people asking for them).

2) We carefully saved all of the nails and screws, and will hopefully be able to either reuse them for other projects or recycle them as scrap metal.

3) Our wood pile is full, so we plan on offering the wood as firewood or taking it to the city recycling center to be mulched.

4) We carefully removed the steel siding so that it could be reused, either on our backroom renovation or on someone else's house or shed. At the very worst, we can recycle it as scrap metal.

5) Finally, we bought as many of the needed tools used as we could. We couldn't find respirators used, but did find an old chipped chisel (perfect for chipping out the nail heads) and a set of vice grips that were perfect for my tiny hands.

This Weekend's Projects

This weekend, we worked on sundry and miscellaneous outdoor tasks.

First, we trimmed the bushes:


I'm going to extend the stone barrier (on the left) all the way down to our garage; I'm trying to decide what to do about the gaps between the bushes. (You can't see the additional 3 bushes to the right of the picture, but they continue the line down to the garage). I'm thinking of putting up some fencing of some sort (picket or wrought iron... whatever I can find for free) just between the bushes (to continue the line), and then planting flowers on our side.

Then, we attacked the wood pile; we made quite a dent, and have a lot of wood for fires this summer.

Before:


After (not quite done):


Our wood pile NOW:


Finally, we faced the garage, spurred on by Chile's challenge of garage decluttering.

As you may remember, this is the garage before (several months ago):


You can see previous efforts here and here...

Here's what we accomplished today:

Hiking and camping gear hung on nails, organized, and stored in storage tubs we already owned.


An open space cleared by freecycling a large quantity of items we didn't need, but hadn't gotten rid of yet. Here's to more usable space... just in time for summer!

Wanton Waste and TV Home Improvement

No progress on the bathroom today; I am holed up in a hotel room on a business trip. We don't have TV at home, and I so am watching HGTV. I am watching people smash toilets, attack cabinets with sledgehammers, and otherwise destroy or trash perfectly usable items. It kind of makes me sick.

What have I seen destroyed in 1 hour of home improvement and decorating shows?

• A Yellow Toilet. Now, I know that yellow toilets are not the most popular decorating choice... but did they have to smash it? Surely someone could use it... even as a garden planter.
• A Blue Recliner. Perfectly usable, not stained. Admittedly very comfortable. Its only sin? Lack of fashion. Sentenced to the trashcan (instead of a local thrift store or freecycle). Hopefully someone rescued it.
• A HUGE Bathroom Mirror. Sure, small framed mirrors are the mainstay of modern decorating. Sure a big full wall mirror is outdated. However, it is so USEFUL. You could cut it down into smaller mirrors and frame those... or you could find a home for it with someone who needs a big mirror, like a musician, music school, or dancer. Why did you need to smash it with a sledgehammer?
• A Full Kitchen of 50's Wooden Cabinets. Again, again. Someone could use them, even if just as garage cabinets. I know I could! And, I'm sure there are lots of you LOOKING for a matching cabinet or two for your 50's ranch restoration. No need to smash them.

Too bad they are not showcasing positive deconstruction techniques. Too bad they are promoting destruction instead.

Alternatives to Removal?

As I mentioned below, I have popcorn ceilings throughout my home. Below I discussed testing the material in order to possibly remove it. However, removing the popcorn ceiling would add to the landfill, as it is non-recyclable and unable to be reused.

What are some possible alternatives to removing the popcorn that will still give me a nice ceiling?

• Install a new drywall ceiling below the original ceiling.
• Install a beadboard ceiling.
• Install a tin or aluminum ceiling tile system.

All of these materials could be either salvaged or bought from a job overage AND there would be no waste to dispose of.

Asbestos and Popcorn Ceilings

There are popcorn ceilings throughout the entire house. Popcorn ceiling manufactured prior to 1978 likely contains asbestos.

I HATE the popcorn ceiling. It would be pretty easy to remove myself IF it doesn't contain asbestos. But, if it contains asbestos, I'm leaving it up there because the removal is hard and costly, even if you do it yourself.

I can have samples of the material tested for asbestos. It will cost me $100 to $200. And, if I find there is asbestos, I am legally required to disclose this fact when we sell the house.

Do I test or not? I can't afford to have the asbestos removed if it is there, so it will stay, and the disclosure will likely decrease my resale value. But if it isn't asbestos, I can remove the ugly popcorn ceilings and increase both my enjoyment of the house and it's resale value.