The new Popular Mechanics book “When Changing a Lightbulb Just Isn’t Enough — 150 Ways To Slash Your Household Bills & Save Money, Too,” ($14.95, Hearst Books) argues that homeowners can be more energy-efficient without spending a small fortune to retrofit the home. How? Through such projects as closing fireplace flues, zone-heating the residence, installing an attic fan or taping air-duct joints. The book’s authors intend the following “10 steps to a good green start” to make it easier (and less expensive) to undertake eco-friendly renovations.
1. Get organized. Your many house, yard or cleaning projects can make for unnecessary clutter and confusion. Make sure to set aside and group your tools, materials and tasks for each project. Try to keep everything separate from the start.
2. Buy a clipboard. Keep all your sketches and shopping lists in one place. You want to be ready to buy everything at once.
3. Don’t procrastinate; organize. It’s easy and tempting to put off all the work until the weekend, but during the week, check the tools you’ll need and their necessary bits, blades and abrasives. You don’t want to waste time making extra trips to the hardware store. If you’re building, make a neat sketch and figure out your materials beforehand. Plan the project’s steps, and make notes. To avoid last-minute surprises, make sure to inspect anything you plan to remove or repair.
4. Start early. Sleeping in might be one of the joys of the weekend, but when you’ve got large projects that require daylight, starting early ensures that you get the job done on time.
5. Begin with the heavy part. Do the hardest work in the morning, when you’re still refreshed and full of energy. By the end of the day, you’ll probably be too tired to do any heavy lifting or thinking.
6. Don’t rush. Rushing a job might give you the chance to enjoy more of your weekend. But if you make mistakes, you’ll spend more time fixing them later.
7. Remember that you don’t do this stuff every day. Expect the job to take longer than you thought it would. Don’t get frustrated. Give yourself plenty of time.
8. Expect the worst. When you’re dealing with old plumbing and electrical, problems typically run a lot deeper than anticipated. If you’re prepared to do more work than required, you won’t be disappointed.
9. Always have a Plan B. Things rarely go as planned when it comes to renovations and remodels. Start out with a small repair on the toilet, and before you know it, you’re remodeling your bathroom.
10. Cut to the chase. You have to be ruthless when you do repair and remodeling work. For example, if you were prepared to simply unthread some rusty old plumbing, you might find yourself struggling for an hour just to get the stuff apart. In that case, you would be better off just slicing the parts off with a reciprocating saw and starting from scratch. Wrestling with old components that have outlived their service life is a waste of time.
