One home renovation won't save the environment, but K.C. Boyce and Michelle Frost believe the updates to their 1928 Decatur residence enable them to play a small role in the green movement, as well as cut costs and improve their quality of life.

They moved back into their home in the Oakhurst neighborhood this month, after an eight-month construction process drastically changed the residence, expanding it from a 900-square-foot bungalow to a 2,300-square-feet Prairie-style home. The house, which had termite and rot damage on the first floor, increased from two bedrooms and one bath to four bedrooms and three baths. "It's so above anything that I expected we could do," said Frost, a math teacher at Atlanta Girls' School.

Jessica McGowan / jmcgowan@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

K.C. Boyce and Michelle Frost did a green renovation on their Oakhurst home. The exterior has cultured stone siding that reduces waste.

K. C. Boyce (ENLARGE)

Before the renovation, the bungalow had only two bedrooms and 900-square-feet. Now it has four bedrooms and 2,300-square-feet.

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Most people don't believe it's a renovation, said Anna Carbone with Decatur-based Renewal Construction. "It's such a change from what it used to be," she said. "It went from a small, one-story bungalow to a two-story, Praire-style, kind of modern-looking home."

After a year of dreaming about adding onto their home, which they've lived in for five years, the couple got serious last year. They searched for a larger home in the same area, but, like other intown residents, found they would be paying more for the same amount of space. So they decided to renovate.

Frost had been president of her environmental club in high school and volunteered in the Peace Corps. Boyce wanted to make changes, such as having the home properly sealed, that impact air quality and trim expenses.

"Why spend more than you have to?" said Boyce, a senior project manager for the Atlanta Beltline.

After hiring Renewal Construction, the 2005 EarthCraft Renovator of the Year, they decided to apply for EarthCraft certification. The nonprofit Southface organization, which is a partner in the EarthCraft program, got a call from the Discovery Channel. It was seeking Atlanta homeowners to spotlight in "Renovation Nation," a series on its new Planet Green channel. Southface recommended Renewal and the project.

A film crew arrived in March, and different aspects of the renovation were spotlighted this summer in a couple of episodes of "Renovation Nation."

The project cost about $180 a square feet (they received discounts on products through the TV show connection).

"We've seen a lot of folks get really excited about this house," said Boyce, noting that 200 people attended a pre-drywall open house in the spring. "They want to figure out how they can do it. It feels really good."

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The couple's goal was to double the size and cut energy costs in half. It's too early to say whether the second part of the goal will be met, but Boyce points to new systems, changes to the floor plan and gadgets such as a Power Cost Monitor from Blueline Innovations (that helps them check energy usage) will pay off.

Architect Eric Rawlings capitalized on the location of the home, which is oriented east and west, by creating overhangs that shield windows from summer sunshine, but let the sun shine in in winter.

A rainwater harvesting cistern is integrated into the architecture of the home, Frost said. Cultured stone and cement siding give the exterior character.

The structure of the house now serves as amped-up insulation. Boyce holds up a sample of a structural insulated panel (known as SIP) used for framing instead of wood studs. He describes it as an Oreo cookie, with a thick piece of Styrofoam sandwiched by two pieces of a wood product called Oriented Strand Board. The challenge — and ultimately, an engineering feat — was taking SIPs, which generally work best with a simple box construction, and using it on a home with overhangs, deep eaves and cantilevers, Carbone said.

During the process, Renewal Construction used a spray-on product by Sto Corp. to waterproof the home. Traditional paper wraps can be torn or not adhere well to the structure, but Carbone describes Sto Guard as a liquid Goretex. "You don't have the issue, like with a paper wrap, that it's going to tear or pull apart from the exterior of the house and cause moisture issues," she said.

Other major changes: the addition of a ground-source heat pump, which uses the earth's temperature to heat and cool the home, and a Rinnai tankless water heater. A system in the master bathroom allows the homeowners to program items, including a desired temperature and size of the bathtub, to keep from wasting water.

An original wood-burning stove has an air return above it, which Boyce expects will pull warm air through the ductwork, aided by a fan, during the winter, reducing their need to heat the home.

Rectangular windows in the living room, which previously was the bedroom, kitchen, dining room, entryway and other rooms are situated high up, providing natural light and privacy.

Where the existing hardwoods couldn't be saved on the first floor, which also was expanded by 150 square feet on one side of the home, the couple replaced them with Forest Stewardship Council-certified hardwoods, and added light-hued bamboo floors upstairs. They didn't forget low and no-VOC (volatile organic chemicals) paints and compact fluorescent light bulbs, which are often first steps homeowners take toward conservation.

Interior choices balanced the cost and benefits, with Boyce and Frost discovering that green products were often more expensive. They did their own research in selecting some of the items. They spent their money on recycled IceStone glass concrete counter tops in the kitchen and upstairs bathrooms and Energy Star appliances, including a Bosch dishwasher and Maytag refrigerator.

During the renovation, the couple said one of the challenges was keeping up with the changes, in terms of documenting and watching the process to make sure workers understood their environmental focus.

"I had really high standards for how this house was going to come together," Boyce said.

RESOURCES

• For an in-depth look at the renovation, visit K.C. Boyce's blog at www.601third.com.

• Boyce also found helpful fact sheets and other resources from Atlanta-based Southface, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable living. For more information, visit www.southface.org.

• The home will be featured again on Planet Green Aug. 7 and 14 at 6 p.m.