Photos by Angela Shoemaker
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
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
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
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
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.