Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Join Us For "Green Rehab"

Green building is becoming a passion for the nation as Americans search for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and counteract global warming in our buildings. Increasingly, we’re turning our attention to the materials we use in our homes, apartments and commercial spaces when we build or remodel. We’re seeking ways to build with the most health-enhancing materials possible, to reduce unnecessary chemical inputs and to make our houses commune with nature, to bring us all closer.

I’ve always been fascinated by the spaces and places in which we dwell. When I read Carol Venolia’s book, “Healing Environments,” some years ago, I knew instantly that her material resonated with me. People can create homes that nurture our souls and heal our minds and bodies. More recently, I became entranced with Robyn Griggs Lawrence’s book, “The Wabi-Sabi House,” with its premise that the Japanese art of “imperfect” beauty sets the stage for a nurturing home. That because we humans are imperfect, ultimately a perfect home sets the stage for discontent while an imperfect home with some humble, some aged elements, makes us feel comfortable.

It is with the idea of putting theory into practice that we are embarking on a “green remodeling” of a home here in Mount Airy, North Carolina – an all American mid-century ranch style home that is being transformed into the “Simple Living Sunflower” demonstration house. So Simple Living invited David Johnston, the acclaimed author of “Green Remodeling,” and Robyn Griggs Lawrence to come from Colorado and offer their wisdom about how to transform this home.

This solidly built – and lovingly maintained – brick rancher home in the Burkewood development in Mount Airy is a three-bedroom, two-bath model with a large finished room in the basement. It’s a “not-so-big house” (to borrow my friend Sarah Susanka’s inspired phraseology) that has reasonable proportions for a small family and what my friend Hattie calls a “one-hour lawn” (you can mow it in an hour).

As David Johnston sagely counsels, we’re putting our focus on energy conservation, using materials like premium spray foam insulation – the product of the EPA award-winning NCFI Polyurethanes here in Mount Airy – to insulate the attic and a portion of the basement, to seal the house and meet our goal of cutting the energy bill in half. We’re adding Mount Airy granite countertops in the kitchen and master bathroom and putting in screens to the windows so that house can “float” with the natural temperature. (This way, you don’t even have to turn on the heating/ air conditioning.) Though the house is well shaded with large oak and magnolia trees, making it a less-than-ideal candidate for solar panels, we’re considering adding some of them as well, perhaps on the south-facing carport.

We’ll use low VOC paints on the rooms that need repainting and add ceiling fans everywhere to keep the air circulating in the house. We’ll close up the energy draining ceiling insert lights that effectively suck up the heat and air in the home.

If we are able, we’ll replace the aging wooden deck with a composite deck that is made of recycled plastic and is splinter-proof. This will encourage more time to be spent out doors, to garden, hang laundry and eat and play with the cat.

Even though I’m a television producer, I’m in no hurry to introduce television into the home. I’m reverting to my early childhood when I was the only kid on the block whose family didn’t own a set. So for us, it will be “appointment television.” We’ll need to find a place where we can watch a particular show when we do watch.

We will soon begin documenting this remodel on our website with photos and written updates, so that you can follow our progress, seeing exactly how the vision for this home will become reality. We look forward to sharing the excitement of this journey with you..

I can hardly wait to get started on transforming an ordinary home into the Simple Living Sunflower home!

CLICK HERE to see photo progress of the Sunflower House.

CLICK HERE to read an article about the Sunflower House in Natural Home Magazine, July/August 2008.

Click on the magazine to read article about the Sunflower House in North Carolina Signature Magazine.

Simple Living summer intern, Jill Refvem, a rising sophomore at Washington & Lee; Raleigh, NC architect Sarah Susanka; and Wanda Urbanska pose in front of the Energy Star ® Whirlpool washer-dryer combination and drying rack in the Sunflower House in Mount Airy, NC. At the 2007 West Coast Green building show, Susanka drew a sketch for Urbanska of how to configure the combination for the recent green remodel of the Sunflower House.

Sarah Susanka, Wanda’s son Henry, 11, and Wanda Urbanska enjoy a summer afternoon visit at the Sunflower House after a lovely lunch of tomato soup and chicken salad sandwiches.