The Start of Eco-Friendly Nursery Renovations

Reader Contribution by Jessica Kellner

The house I live in is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. (You can see photos of it here.) This is in no great part because of me and my husband, James. We were incredibly lucky to fall upon the place, which was remodeled with much love and intention by its former owner. It boasts a huge array of smart, efficient attributes: in-floor heat under concrete floors, a passive solar sunroom, 13 skylights (11 of which are operable), an indoor garden, an on-demand water-heater, a wood-burning stove, several well-placed entrances, excellent ventilation and more. We feel so lucky to have moved in somewhere that was designed by someone who cared about creating a home perfect for comfortable living, rather than one designed cheaply for resale value.

The one room in the house that has never been remodeled since its 1950s origins is what will soon become the nursery. The house only has one real bedroom — it’s a loft-style room above the living room. Another loft — accessible by ladder — makes for a great guest room or office, but not so much a nursery. So, we’re remodeling what has up until now been called “the shop” into an eco-friendly baby nursery. In this case, remodeling means essentially stripping it down to its bare bones. We will of course reuse the beams that are in decent condition, but with years of weather and termite damage, those beams are few. We are excited to be adding something new to our living space, and we’re determined to create an eco-friendly baby nursery and make this room honor the integrity of the rest of the house.

The first thing was to start demolition, which James began last weekend, pulling out years-old drywall and insulation (wearing a breathing mask, of course) and the ancient single-pane rotted windows. We’ve been working on choosing materials for what will go into the space. We have an efficient window consultant heading out this week. We’re hoping to install radiant in-floor heat in this space as we have it in other parts of the home and love it. And we’re discussing the insulation options. I’m also eagerly anticipating lime paint samples (recommended by doctors in Germany for children’s rooms because of its antibacterial qualities) from Unearthed Paints so I can choose colors (we’re far from painting, but I’m still excited). I’ll keep you posted as we move forward, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear your stories or even see photos of your own eco-friendly baby nursery renovations!

Here is a shot of Unearthed Paint lime paint in a baby’s room.

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