Luxury Home Magazine

Pacific Luxury Living Luxury Home Services | 49 The “Green” Benefits of Quality By Glenda Anderson, CEO & Master Designer, Details International, Honolulu Sustainability’s Cooking in the Kitchen! By Doug Pierce, Mokulua Woodworking Ltd. High-end renovations provide the perfect opportunity to adopt green practices. The obvious areas are energy efficiency, environmentally friendly materials, and design that incorporates natural elements such as daylight, prevailing winds, and shade trees. But another aspect to consider is how to reuse existing high-quality materials. You can extend the useful life of such materials (and increase your return on investment) while avoiding depleting the resources and energy necessary to create, market and distribute replacements. For example, if you have a beautiful stone countertop that you still love, a skilled carpenter can raise it and only replace the outdated cabinets underneath. This is a feasible practice in baths as well. If you have high-quality plumbing fixtures that are showing their age, why not replate them? If they are still efficient and stylish it just makes sense. We have clients with oceanfront properties that are affected by the elements and love the idea. Ultimately, with careful thought you can rejuvenate the home you love and maintain its high standards for quality while spending less and lowering your impact on the environment. The idea of sustainability to most homeowners seems like a daunting task only obtained on a large-scale building project. There are however, ways to incorporate energy and carbon saving items into even the smallest of home remodeling projects - some of which may surprise you! Kitchen remodels continue to be the most common home alterations that add enormous value to your home; especially when you integrate sustainability. Appliances are more efficient than ever and custom cabinetmakers offer certified and reclaimed wood cabinets. Partner those kitchen staples with energy saving lighting and low flow plumbing and you have a kitchen that you and the planet can be proud of. The cost? Marginally more expensive upfront but the long-term savings more than recoup your initial investment. If you are thinking about remodeling your kitchen take some time to talk to the experts. While many say they are “green,” few have the knowledge to take your kitchen remodel to the next level. If you have any questions about how to make your project more earth friendly please go to Mokuluwoodworking.com. Questions? Comments? Future requests? Let us know what you would like to hear more about at: info@lhmhi.com Goes Green ~ Eco Column