possible new forum topic: renovating and adapting existing structures

The natural building forums are great, but many of us are not in a position to build our own homes.  It would be nice to have a dedicated forum for those of us who find themselves living in existing (less-natural) structures that could benefit from retrofitting but which we don't intend to tear down.  Old buildings have their own set of issues to consider - inadequate insulation, toxic materials like lead/asbestos/vermiculite, ventilation, heating and cooling, non-ideal orientation relative to the sun, etc.  I'd love to be able to talk with others to share insights and cautions as we try to turn existing buildings into more efficient, livable spaces.

Is there enough interest to start such a forum?

I'm curious about this too.  

We have an oldish standard North American house that has challenges from time to time.  Each time we choose the upgrade that is most eco-friendly for our budget and local building codes.  So, no rocket stove alas, but we got a geothermal heat pump instead.

It would be interesting to have a forum on how to work with the house we have.  Great idea.

What might be the name of such a forum?

Some possibiilities:

renovating existing structures

retrofitting existing structures

updating existing structures

or the subject of this thread: renovating and adapting existing structures

Nice list.

Any one-word ideas for a forum title?  We're trying to get most of them down to one word. Something that Google will love but will also tell readers what the forum is about, and be kind of funny.  No pressure.  This is the hardest part of making a new forum.

You're off to a good start.  Keep the ideas coming.  

r ranson wrote:Nice list.

Any one-word ideas for a forum title?  We're trying to get most of them down to one word. Something that Google will love but will also tell readers what the forum is about, and be kind of funny.  No pressure.  This is the hardest part of making a new forum.

You're off to a good start.  Keep the ideas coming.  

Retrofit - not funny though.
Revamps - still not funny

Shit...

Maybe "Curative" - not that funny

I think I suck at this...

I think "renovations" or "retrofitting" might be sufficient since it would presumably be in the "building" forum. The "working on an existing structure" piece seems to be implied in those words.

Rejuvination? Re-building?

I grew up in a 2 story blocky house that was built in 1905, moved some miles and dropped into the basement and jacked back out. So it had nothing straight. It had plaster lath walls inside. In the attic we found tube and knob wiring. I won't describe a lot of it but in 15 years we literally rebuilt the place from scratch. I'd love to see something about giving some love to a residence with wear and tear ...

(edit to add a second entry into the ring)

This seems like the sort of topic that will draw lots of spam from those wanting to sell Building Products. Extra vigilance would be required.

Permietecture

This is good. I'm never leaving this house,so I need to make the best of it.
For example,I longed to get off of city water at least,for flushing my toilet and washing cloths.
I figured out my pump,header tank, piping and controls.
When I went to calculate tank size and collection area,I was shocked to find I needed a bigger roof, and a swimming pool,and still it would only cover 10 days put of the month!
Wtf? How much damn water were we using?

One low flow toilet later,and my bill has been HALVED. As a plumber I have been ambivalent about replacing toilets for efficiency reasons.
The first generation of low flush toilets didn't work for shit(😉) ,but this one flushes better on 1.5 gallons than the old one did on 5...
Next up, our cloths washer. My indestructible 16 plus year old Maytag is great, except it uses at least TWICE as much water as a modern one.

Turns out, getting off grid with water is like getting off grid with electricity. First minimize usage.

I may be "stuck" in this house, but it can still be made more efficient,for the environment,and for me.


So yeah, I  "vote"  aye for a Green Rehab forum.

I like William's 'green rehab' for a forum title.

We're in the 1950's here with a 1970's remodel that's not an improvement...I think it could be an active forum.

Three words.

Cherished Money Pit

Another fan of 'green rehab' here.

I like both "green rehab" and "permietecture". I'm leaning more towards "green rehab" since "permietecture" seems like a better fit at the "building" level. Also, we could put "permie" on everything here, which would be a bit silly after a while.