From NET+POSITIVE Education, a hands-on opportunity to learn how to make a GREEN ROOF!
Taught by industry-professional Atom Cianfarani, Co-Author of DIY Guide to Green Roofing
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Announcing TWO workshops for the month of February…
Make a Picture Frame
Tuesday February 7th 6-9pm
Rusted Grain, 1212 Jefferson Ave
Bring a picture and build a frame for it using all reclaimed wood! Suggested donation.
Making Birdhouses for Gilda’s Club
Monday February 20th 6-9pm
Rusted Grain, 1212 Jefferson Avenue
Every year Gilda’s Club has a spring fundraiser in which they auction off birdhouses which are decorated by club members as well as local artists. This year Rusted Grain has committed to building several birdhouses in addition to teaching a workshop for anyone who wants to donate time to a great cause. All birdhouses made during the workshop will be donated to Gilda’s Club, raising funds to support families and friends living with cancer.
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We’re committed to creating local and green jobs for the Buffalo community. More importantly, we feel these jobs should leverage the waste in our society to create opportunity. We’re interested in a critical analysis of our economy to identify wasteful business practices that damage our communities and our environment, and opportunities that exist for new ventures. We’re determined to find solutions and to implement alternatives that put people to work.
As we look at the world, we see so much that has failed, so much that pollutes and wastes, and so much that just doesn’t make sense. We often ask, “Isn’t there a better way? Has anyone tried something differently and made it work? Can’t we do the right thing for workers, the environment, and communities AND create a modest profit? There are ways and the answers can be found through collectively innovating and acting?”
We value our role as mentors for young people in our community. We encourage our mentors to not only be good employees with a diligent work ethic and strong skills, but also good people driven by their own interests and passions and committed to service.
We’re interested in creating and promoting a dialogue. We’re committed to building the reuse industry so that others can benefit from the opportunity of material reuse. We advise and consult with not for profits and municipalities, community leaders and businesses to ensure opportunity is harvested from unwanted structures. Our blog communicates ideas and information we feel is critical to educating the community, promoting more responsible behavior, and expanding the industry of material recycling.
Our work as green demolition contractors was born out of the wastefulness of traditional demolition. We shared a growing concern about the material filling our local landfills; the growing environmental destruction that accompanies the logging industry, the source of “new lumber”; and the behavior of many businesses that fails to recognize environmental clean-up and responsibility as a cost of doing business.
We value relationships. We intend, through our work, to bring people together. We focus our work in the MidCity neighborhood, where we plan to be very active with rehabilitation and creative use of green spaces. We believe through collaboration, creativity, and hard work we can rebuild, reinvent, and reimagine a future for our community and create a net positive ecological, economic, and social benefit for everyone who lives and works in the Mid City community.
All photos by Caesandra Seawell, except for photo number 4 (Tree Planting) by Natalie Marino. All Rights Reserved.
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ReUse Action is now repairing and rebuilding wooden sash windows. We offer services from re-glazing, glass replacement to full reconstruction from scratch. Give us a call if you’d like to know more.
Most energy research shows that leaky windows are responsible for most of the heat loss in our houses. This is a difficult subject to find objective facts about because the replacement window industry overwhelmingly dominates the discussion.
A typical vinyl window advertisement highlights the following:
1. Low-U (or high-R) value of the gas-filled double pane glass
2. Low-E glass
3. Maintenance-free, lifetime performance
4. Cheap
5. Environmental benefits of increased energy performance
Being a scientist, I’ve looked into the physics of these claims and it’s not clear to me that claims made by the advertisements are really borne out in the actual day-to-day working setting of windows. Let’s go over vinyl window-makers’ claims one by one:
Glass is inherently a good conductor of heat. A high “R” value means it resists heat flowing through it. Windows will never come close to insulated walls in R-values due to the inherent properties of glass – IT CONDUCTS HEAT WELL.
Compare it with a 6½” thick fiberglass batt. The batt (if installed properly!) has an average R-value of about 19. Single pane glass has an R-value of 0.91 (source: www.coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm). This is about 95% less efficient than fiberglass.
Low pressure argon-filled, double and triple-paned windows increase this value to an average R-value of about 2-3. Often advertisements sell this by saying that the insulating value of a new replacement window is 100-150% greater than old windows. Technically true but not a huge difference.
Another factor to look at is how the R-value is measured. The R-value is measured at the center of the glass or between the planes of glass in multiple-paned windows. This is a somewhat ideal situation and does not account for the ENTIRE window; the frames and sashes, joints and construction.
Most green building guides suggest air infiltration is a far bigger affector of our energy bills and feeling of comfort. Simply put when we heat our houses the warm air inflates our homes slightly, like a balloon. The higher indoor pressure pushes air out of any small holes and lets cold air in to replace it. This is physics which cannot be changed and it’s these drafts that make our homes feel cold and raises our heating bills. Returning to R-values, high-R glass with a leaky frame is no savings. Heck, you could put a piece of R-19 fiberglass in the window hole but do no better overall because of the frame.
A PROPERLY MAINTAINED wooden window and storm window can get you an R-value of about 1-1.5! These values can be raised further with curtains and shrink-wrap plastic. In those terms maintaining the older windows is more cost-effective than replacement.
Low E glass is another misunderstood factor. E stands for “emissivity” which is the material’s ability to capture and radiate heat. Compared to a black body (which radiates all absorbed energy) glass is about 95% the same. This is simply a restatement of the fact that glass transmits heat very well as described above. Low-E coatings reduces heat, in the form of infra-red radiation, from entering our homes through the glass.
Low–E coatings reflect infrared radiation away from windows so that it does not get in and warm our homes. In warm areas with high air conditioning usage, where houses must be sealed to be efficiently cooled, this may provide a benefit. In Buffalo or other northern climates, one must consider whether this is a benefit when we have a few weeks of hot weather and nearly six months of low sunlight and cold temperatures. In mild weather when windows are open low-E has little to no effect.
Replacement window companies often advertise their windows as having “lifetime performance” and being “maintenance free”. Many objective articles suggest this is not entirely correct. My own personal, and anecdotal experience supports these results.
As stated above a window performs only as efficiently as the quality of the overall window construction – frames sashes, joints, installation, etc.
Vinyl is not immune to ultraviolet sunlight damage. Ultraviolet light from the sun eventually makes ALL plastics brittle. Despite claims of “lifetime performance”, cracking and drying will occur within a few years of exposure. You can’t stop it because it is fundamental physics that cannot be changed. Aluminum, steel and cast iron have been used as alternative frame materials, but physics intervenes again, and more energy is conducted out through these materials than through glass making them especially inefficient!
Heat-welded joints fare better than mechanical joints but still will succumb to UV damage and mechanical stresses from opening and closing. Air will then find its way through the joints – jut as it does with an improperly maintained wooden sash.
From personal experience I have found also that the seals that trap the low pressure gas between the double panes invariably fail. I only have a few vinyl windows and all three lost their seals within a year, and trapped moisture in the gas space. Moisture in the gaps and spaces freezes and further opens them and makes them no more efficient than my properly maintained old windows.
While I do not believe that vinyl or replacement windows are inherently bad, I urge people to critically examine their performance and weigh the costs of fixing or replacing existing windows.
Cost! This is the nuts and bolts of most arguments, and the topic most subject to manipulation. Replacements range in cost from a few hundred dollars apiece to thousands of dollars each. Quality varies wildly and generally high quality windows are more expensive. Cheap windows are – well – often cheap and perform poorly and for a shorter time. All replacements I’ve ever installed have failed quickly. In my time selling used windows, almost every replacement window had failed and was infiltrated with moisture, even expensive patio doors and windows.
High cost often comes with better materials and workmanship, and better and longer performance. It’s no wonder full historic reconstruction of windows is the most costly option, but they look the best and perform the best, benefiting from the best, most energy-efficient materials (wood!) and modern technological advances such as double-paned glass.
One thing to keep in mind is that existing wooden windows are actually fairly easy to maintain, repair and replace and often it costs less to do it. Additionally if a replacement fails or needs to be replaced it is considerably more expensive and laborious.
And. what if a stray football breaks the glass? One cannot simply remove the old and glaze in a new piece. Glass is relatively cheap and glazing costs a few bucks a quart. When a modern replacement breaks it requires custom ordering a whole new sash, or perhaps a whole new unit from the company that made it. One company’s sashes will not fit or repair another.
Wooden sashes are often interchangeable and can be modified to fit into existing window frames and in the worst cases a new sash or storm window can be fabricated from wood at a cost that is often comparable to a new lower-end replacement window. Again you can order a high-end replacement from a big name manufacturer but expect to pay thousands per unit – not including installation.
Again this is not to knock replacement windows but rather to give consideration of the value of existing windows before paying for the claims of replacement windows. My mom always said “The bitterness of low quality lasts far longer than the sweetness of a cheap deal” and this can be true for replacement windows in a northern climate!
Environmentally, replacement windows are sold as a “green” option. Any time something is replaced the waste goes to a landfill. This has a very high environmental cost, including contribution to global climate change, ground and water pollution, and waste of land and resources. Repairing and reusing existing windows, or anything for that matter, is always more environmentally friendly than replacing them.
Most moderate cost replacement windows are made of vinyl which is requires large amounts of petroleum to produce, ship and install. I don’t need to discuss all the problems regarding petroleum but will say it’s clear reductions in our usage of it would greatly benefit our environment and the world at large.
There are some environmental savings from properly working replacement windows but as above it’s dependent on their quality and how well they are maintained. And it should be noted an uninsulated and drafty house with the most expensive windows is still going to be cold and expensive to heat.
Finally, ReUse Action is offering services to repair window sashes, glass, minor repairs all the way to complete fabrication of new sashes and storms. ReUse Action is also accepting wooden window sashes, even if they are in rougher shape. However, we generally do not accept windows with broken glass and we reserve the right to reject any windows not suitable for rebuild or parts. If you have windows you’re looking to see re-used or you have larger window restoration projects please contact us.
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With this article, we’re announcing the latest ReUse Action service: Wood Window Rehabilitation.
We can give free estimates and do whole house restoration of wood windows. Before you buy new, give ReUse Action a try. Call us today for an evaluation of your project.
Stay tuned for more articles on energy-saving renovations.
Most Buffalo homes were equipped with wooden (usually pine) double hung sash windows. These can be quite weather-tight when maintained properly, but few windows have been maintained at all. Painters slap coat after coat of paint, sash cords break, weather stripping deteriorates, glass breaks, glazing disintegrates. You end up with loose, drafty, poorly-functioning windows.
All these problems can be fixed. You’ll have good-looking, weather-tight, non-drafty windows that open at both top and bottom (better ventilation in the summer).
Trevor recently rehabilitated the windows in his home. Here’s his report, with photos:
“The process was to remove sash, strip all paint/glaze from sash and jamb, prime, re-glaze, replace all sash cord/chain, remove old shellac and refinish, paint exterior, install weatherstrip, new parting strip, lubricate pulleys, and paraffin slide pockets in jambs. I used a bronze spring strip (like you would find on doors), it worked great. Weatherstripped top and bottom with bulb gaskets and meeting rails between sash with an adhesive strip. They are tight and work wonderful. Best of all they retain the character of the house.”
If you’d like some help along these lines, give us a call.
Jamb before rehab. Lots of paint, broken sash chains, no weatherstripping, glazing and exterior paint deteriorated. Work to be done!
Sash before rehab. The paint and glaze both need to be removed and replaced.
Sash stripped. Remove the old paint, fill holes with spackle. Ready to re-glaze.
Sash glazed and primed. Ready to paint when it's dry.
Leaded glass rebuilt. The upper sash was glazed with a leaded glass panel.
Jamb primed. The door to the sash weight pocket is taken off so the weight can be re-hung.
Window with spring brass weatherstrip. This thin piece of metal, installed between the sash and the jamb, will keep out drafts.
Window completed. Good as new, still showing patina and other good signs of age. Weights hung, shellac finish removed and redone, weatherstrip installed, a little paraffin to make things slide easier.
Window completed - better than vinyl in so many ways.
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Last Tuesday night we had 12 people attend the How to Make Your Own Organizer workshop at Action
HQ in the Rusted Grain woodshop. Each participant made an “organizer” out of wood scraps and old dresser drawers that we taken from trash piles at the side of the road. It amazed us how varied and creative each organizer turned out. Take a look at the example below!
Jeanenne made a spice rack for her kitchen. Ikea made a knick-knack holder. Cayla and Emmanuel made a small bookshelf. To see more pictures of the workshop, click here. If you like what you see, want one yourself, but aren’t keen on making one…we have a variety of organizers available for sale, ranging from $25-50. Please contact megan {at} reuseaction(.)com if interested.
We loved hosting this workshop and are planning the next one in the series: Make Your Own Kitchen Utensil. Stay tuned for dates/times!
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Using old dresser drawers, plywood and wood scraps, the ladies in the woodshop will be conducting a class on how to make your own storage unit/organizer. A perfect holiday gift or to help aid in your New Year’s resolution of being neat and tidy. There will be a few designs to choose from. Workshop is free, donations accepted. RSVP is greatly appreciated as we will be pre-cutting some pieces in preparation for the workshop. Full details:
Action HQ (1212 Jefferson)
6pm-9pm
Note: The woodshop is NOT HEATED (yet). Please bring extra layers. We will provide the tea and hot chocolate!
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way ReUse Action acquires materials in Buffalo through green demos and salvage jobs and have come to the conclusion that what we are doing is much like mining for coal, only better. What we are essentially doing is a more sustainable form of mining, in cities. We are learning to use our city as an incredible and harvestable resource! Harvesting material that is destined for a landfill, learning how to process it, reuse it and resell it. We are “a community of tradesmen and women, artists, designers, and community members…” changing the definition of the demolition and building industries. And we are also learners and educators in this amazing process, excited to hear about new ideas and to share our experiences. Part of ReUse Action is and always will be about education…knowledge sharing about the material reuse industry, training folks to work in green demolition and building, working with homeowners and DIYers to give them skills to try on their own homes and with their own green build projects.
I’m excited to say that as part of creating a network of information about using cities as a material resource, Rusted Grain is hosting the first of many “how to” workshops on woodworking and material reuse. Though this first workshop is not necessarily addressing material reuse, it is a precursor to anyone wanting to experiment more with material reuse…and that is tool sharpening and maintenance! We all know how those hidden nails in salvaged wood can put a nick in your best chisel…
Tomorrow @ Action HQ:
Chisel Sharpening!
1212 Jefferson
6:30-7:30pm
If you’re just getting into tool maintenance, we’ll share what we know, but if you’re an expert we’d love to hear about your experiences as well! Bring your own tools, or practice sharpening on ours. Contact Megan @ 912-5529 if you need directions.
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With more than 17,000 vacant properties in the City of Buffalo, one would hope we could transform a larger percentage of those lots into productive space, even if only for a few growing seasons. Other cities, like Detroit, are figuring out ways to turn formerly residential land into small farms or large gardens that grow food for their soup kitchens, congregations or the needy. The problem is that dirt you put a house on isn’t the same kind of dirt you grow tomatoes in.
What are some solutions? Most urban gardeners don’t have the patience to remediate soil over several years, so we either have to dig out the dirt and replace it with truckloads of soil OR truck in lots of soil to fill raised beds. Another way is to make your own dirt.
I’m trying a combination of strategies with The Garden of Stewardship over on East Eagle. The garden is on the property of Sheehan Health Network. It was a big fenced-in grassy area. We cannot dig into the ground because it’s a very thin layer of dirt covering an awful lot of clay. The grass/weeds are using what little dirt there is. So, I decided to smother the grass and build our soil on top of it. I am calling the strategy, the Urban Café Gardening Method to acknowledge the fact that all the materials we’ll use are found readily in cities–cities with coffee drinkers anyway! Here’s how you can replicate it in your space.
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There’s a rumor going around, “that Caesandra is stealing plants from the ReUse Gardens.”
Well, that’s only partially true. Friday morning, I ran into board member, Keith James, as I was removing runners from the overgrown strawberry mound in the Children’s Vinery.
I explained to Keith that the original strawberry plants–known as “mother plants” were in their 3rd year of growth. This means, their strawberry yield will start to diminish. The plants suffered a lot of trauma over the winter by not being mulched with straw or leaves. The runners also taxed the mother plants to the point where there were a lot of leaves, but few flowers/fruit this past season.
The runners draw energy from the mother plant and even send out runners of their own. These runners do put down roots and eventually make a new strawberry plant which can also bear fruit.
However, in the case of the strawberry mound in the Children’s Vinery, the runners spread out into the walking path and into soil that was not of the same quality or depth. Those new plants should be pulled and relocated because they won’t produce very good fruit. Runners continue to grow all summer and you have to continue to cut them. Last summer I taught several workshops about strawberries and gave away the runners to folks that attended the workshops.
Friday morning I also spent a few minutes cutting the scapes off the garlic we planted last fall. If you do not remove scapes–the garlic clove will grow you a beautiful flower, and only some small garlic bulbs for cooking! Cutting the scape sends the energy back down into the clove, causing it to expand and produce a big fat head of garlic, which you can throw in your pan with tomatoes and onions or rub on bread or slather your neck to deter blood suckers.
Later, Keith brought over about a dozen volunteers from Sacred Heart who were going to weed the Children’s Vinery. Keith asked me to give them some pointers. I recommended some tools and showed the young ladies the difference between the strawberry plant leaves and invasive knotweed so they could identify the problem plants. Many people compost weeds because the heat eventually breaks down the plant parts and seeds. I cautioned the volunteers to keep the knotweed plant parts separate from the other weeds and to make sure not to put knotweed into the compost pile because it will re-root and spread. I also pointed out many of the plants that aren’t currently blooming, but shouldn’t be pulled because they’re perennials.
If you would like your strawberry plants to continue producing the MOST amount of berries for you each year, you should remember the following maintenance:
1. Cut the runners–throw them out or give them to friends or transplant them elsewhere in your garden.
2. Strawberry plants like a little dappled shade
3. Bundle straw around the crown and under the leaves so that your berries are kept them off the damp ground.
4. Slugs are snails with no shell. They like strawberries as much as you and me–make sure you check the berry for holes before you pop it in your mouth or you will eat the slug that is eating the berry from the inside OUT (ewww).
4.5 Slugs also like beer as much as you and me, but the salt in beer will kill/drown them. Set out little shallow plates or yogurt cups with beer and it will help reduce your slug population.
5. In late October, trim back the leaves on the strawberry plants and bury the plants under no less than one-two feet of straw or FREE AUTUMN LEAVES! Remove the blanket of leaves in April.
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