
Photos by Angela Shoemaker
 It’s a Snap
It’s a Snap
Old-fashioned linoleum goes high tech with Marmoleum Click panels by Forbo Flooring. Completely biodegradable, the snap-together 12-inch-square tiles and 12-by-36-inch planks can be installed without glue over any hard-surface floor. Create stripes, checks and plaids with 18 colors for $5.50-$6.50 per square foot from Carrell Rogers Carpet One, 109 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-3165, www.carrellrogers.com
Watts the Difference
Use only energy-saving 14-watt fluorescent bulbs in brightly hued, hand-blown pendant and table lamps (each $173) from Ely’s Glass Art. Matching floor lamps ($225) also are available from Scorpio Interiors, 1517 Bardstown Road.
 A Sandwich With Bite
A Sandwich With Bite
Made of expanded polystyrene foam sandwiched between two sheets of oriented strand board, exterior-wall SIPs (structural insulated panels) offer a field-tested R-value of 13.93, compared to R-9.58 for two-by-four stick construction with fiberglass batts. The cost is 5 to 7 percent higher than traditional stick framing, says local manufacturer Fischer SIPs, 1800 Northwestern Pkwy., 778-5577, www.fischersips.com.
 “Down Under” Heating and Cooling
“Down Under” Heating and Cooling
Save up to 60 percent on energy costs by harnessing the constant 58 degree temperature underground to heat and cool your home. A geothermal WaterFurnace Envision series unit is up to five times less costly to run than the most efficient gas furnace. Cost of a complete system, from drilling to ductwork, is about $5,000 a ton, which heats and cools 600 to 1,000 square feet. Contact WaterFurnace at 1-800-GEO-SAVE or visit www.waterfurnace.com.
 Banana-Rama
Banana-Rama
Recycled banana fibers create rich, visual texture in Lamin-Art’s Abaca laminate for countertops. Available in 10 colors (parchment, burlap, henna, adobe, moss, palm, lagoon, crimson, java and carbon) at $4.80 per square foot from Scorpio Interiors, 1517 Bardstown Road, 451-1224, www.scorpiointeriors.com
 Pick Your Flush
Pick Your Flush
Save 2,000-5,000 gallons of water a year with Kohler’s Power Lite commode ($987 San Raphael, shown, or $3,106 designer Hatbox model). A Twin Touch actuator (requires a 120-V outlet behind toilet) allows you to easily select either the 1.0- or 1.4-gallon flush option. From Plumber’s Supply Co., 1000 E. Main St., 582-2261.


