<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" When the couple first saw the house, built on a river bend a few miles outside of Saratoga Springs, NY, it was close to collapsing. The foundation was caving in and the walls were seriously bowed. The layout was awkward and the architecture uninspiring. Three different outdated heating systems \u2014 forced hot air, electric baseboard, and propane \u2014 kept the inside chilly at best. But the location was everything Lu and Mark Samu had ever dreamed of, with rolling lawns, room to garden \u2014 and that view! Plus, Lu had been longing to renovate a historic home. A bidding war for the house was almost guaranteed. So the Samus wrote to the seller, whose family was only the second to own the house in 200 years, promising not to tear it down (as most other potential buyers were likely to do). Not long after initially glimpsing the house, they took possession. Then came the gut remodel to make it truly their own. The Samus&amp;#039; first task was to keep the place from falling down. They started in the basement, shoring up the crumbling foundation. Then their contractor used steel cables to pull the house back together, correcting the bowing in the walls. With the structural problems under control, the team could begin to transform the house into the comfortable gathering place the Samus envisioned. This process involved making the house tight and energy efficient; creating a layout that felt welcoming and open; and outfitting it with detailing and furnishings that would reflect the family&amp;#039;s laid-back attitude. While the walls were stripped to the studs, contractors applied new spray-foam insulation throughout, in order to reduce energy use year-round \u2014 an economic imperative in Saratoga&amp;#039;s cold climate, but also an environmental consideration. &amp;quot;The environment is what made us fall in love with this house,&amp;quot; says Lu, &amp;quot;so we really wanted to protect it however we could.&amp;quot; Radiant floor heating (more effective than baseboard or forced-air systems, since no heat is lost in ductwork) and a highly efficient German-made boiler and hot water heater keep the inside warm and oil bills down. Instead of installing an air-conditioning system, which they felt was wasteful, the couple opted for an attic fan to draw air through the house. &amp;quot;Unlike many new houses, this one has windows on two walls of every room,&amp;quot; Lu points out. &amp;quot;So we get great cross-ventilation from the river breezes.&amp;quot;  The Samus didn&amp;#039;t radically rework the interior layout, but they did relocate the front door to the center of the house and add a small foyer inside. They also built a modest addition to hold a laundry room, which they outfitted with cabinets from Aristokraft and energy-saving, front-loading stainless steel appliances. Upstairs, they created a master bathroom and closet in a former small bedroom, but otherwise made no major changes, to avoid damaging the existing wide-plank flooring. To give the house the character it lacked (and to reduce waste), Lu used salvaged doors, and reclaimed wood for shelving. &amp;quot;We weren&amp;#039;t trying to create a &amp;#039;green&amp;#039; house,&amp;quot; says Lu. &amp;quot;We just wanted to live lightly on this beautiful land.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s an approach that any homeowner, in almost any house, can easily adopt. Next: What does &amp;quot;green&amp;quot; mean?  Actually, a &amp;quot;green&amp;quot; building can be defined and interpreted in several different ways. Here are some of the most common considerations.  Energy efficiency: Green projects usually seek to reduce fuel consumption and resulting carbon emissions by keeping energy use to a minimum. The Samus did this by insulating thoroughly and by choosing efficient products like windows and doors, heating systems, and appliances, such as the Ariston washer and dryer, left. Resource conservation: Fossil fuels are not the only important natural resources, of course. Saving water \u2014 by means of water-conserving toilets and showerheads like the Toto products the Samus used \u2014 and reducing material waste are equally important. Using reclaimed or recycled materials is a great way to conserve resources. Buying local: Long-distance transportation creates polluting carbon emissions. Buying local products \u2014 like brick and stone \u2014 that don&amp;#039;t have to be shipped is green.  Indoor air quality: Good ventilation keeps indoor air cleaner, as does avoiding products that off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs), potentially harmful chemicals.  General contractor, Lucianna Samu; 518-320-5775. Landscaping, Grasshopper Gardens; 518-793-9623. Decorative painting, Deidre Gatta; Artistic Designs by Deidre, 518-475-7973. Windows, Marvin Windows &amp;amp;amp; Doors; marvin.com. Doors, TruStile; trustile.com. Door installation, Harbrook Fine Windows and Doors; 518-437-0025. Subfloor system, DriCore; dricore.com. Radiant heating system, Ultra-Fin; ultra-fin.com. Boiler and hot water heater, Viessmann; viessmann-us.com. Insulation, Icynene; icynene.com. Generator, Kohler; kohler.com. Ceiling system, BHK of America; bhkmodernaceilings.com. Central vacuum system, Beam; beamvac.com. Paint, Glidden; glidden.com. Carpets and area rugs, Shaw Industries; shawindustries.com. Lighting controls, Lutron Electronics; lutron.com. Moldings, Dixie-Pacific; dixiepacific.com. Grill, Weber-Stephen; weber.com. Gas stove, Jotul; jotul.com. Outdoor spa, Sundance Spas; sundancespas.com. Outdoor furniture, Brown Jordan for La-Z-Boy; lazyboy.com. Garden accessories, Smith &amp;amp;amp; Hawken; smithandhawken.com. Engineered decking and railing, Trex; trex.com. Tools, Black &amp;amp;amp; Decker; blackanddecker.com. Exterior: Roofing, underlayment, and stonework, GAF; gaf.com. Siding, Bevel in a Box by Boston Cedar &amp;amp;amp; Millwork; bostoncedar.com. Columns, Fypon; fypon.com . Trim, Dixie-Pacific; see above. Brick, Pine Hall Brick; pinehallbrick.com. Living room: Wall color, Isabella #2511, Glidden; see above. Living/dining room: Flooring, Mannington; mannington.com. Painting, Deidre Gatta; see above. Mantel,* Bill Muscara; 516-606-2668. Chandelier, Conant Custom Brass; conantcustombrass.com. Foyer: Built-in hutch, Alex Stivala of Carpen House; 315-823-1717. Back door: Painting, Deidre Gatta; see above. Lantern, Thomas Lighting; thomaslighting.com. Kitchen: Wall color, Kitten White #671, Glidden; see above. Lighting, Thomas Lighting; see above. Cabinetry, designed and made by Alex Stivala of Carpen House; see above. Countertops, Danby marble from Vermont Quarries; 802-775-1065. Sinks, Native Trails; nativetrails.net. Faucets, Graff; graff-faucets.com. Range, BlueStar; bluestarcooking.com. Range hood, Vent-a-Hood; ventahood.com. Microwave,* refrigerator, and dishwasher,* LG Electronics; lge.com. Refrigerator drawers,* Ariston; ariston.com. Cabinet hardware, Atlas Homewares; atlashomewares.com. Window blinds, Graber; graberblinds.com. Cookware, Le Creuset; lecreuset.com. Blender,* Waring; waring products.com. Food processor,* Cuisinart; cuisinart.com. Small appliances,* Krups; krups.com. Accessories, L&amp;#039;Occitane; loccitane.com. Skin products,* Lush; lush.com. Laundry room: Wall color, Sugar Almond #2514, Glidden; see above. Cabinets, Aristokraft; aristokraft.com. Washer and dryer, Ariston; see above. Whirlpool sink, MTI; mtiwhirlpools.com. Floor tiles, Mannington; see above. Ironing center,* Iron-Away; ironaway.com. Iron* and steamer,* Rowenta; rowenta.com. Master bedroom: Wall color, Wood Lily #736, Glidden; see above. Curtains, Calico Corners; calicocorners.com. Bedding, DKNY; dkny.com. Fireplace, Heat-n-Glo; heatnglo.com. Fireplace installation, Saratoga Fireplace; 518-580-9276. Master bathroom: Bathtub, Native Trails; see above. Toilet,* Toto; totousa.com. Ventilation fans* and in-wall speakers,* Broan-NuTone; broan.com. *Product not shown. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/a17707/green-home-makeover/?src=shelter_footer>