May 2010

In converting this Fox Point Colonial into a Craftsman style home, B&E General Contractors’ masons reclaimed some of the stonework for the master bedroom and garage addition. Other exterior "green" features include cementious siding and solar roof panels.

Steven Giles and Jennine Pufahl have an emotional investment in their home that goes beyond weathering a 10-month remodeling project. "All of our children were born at home," says Steven Giles. He and wife Jennine Pufahl’s two daughters were born in their Fox Point home and son Nolan, the oldest, was born in their previous house in Whitefish Bay.

That’s part of the reason the couple chose to remodel the Fox Point Colonial rather than move to a different house or build new. Their commitment to sustainable living — from home-schooling their children to Giles riding his bike 100 miles to work every week — also factored heavily into their decision. "The worst thing you can do (for the Earth) is buy a lot somewhere and build new," Giles says. "We wanted to use our old house."

When the then-family of three moved into their three-bedroom house in 2001 they knew it was a fixer-upper. Operating in the original tiny 1940 kitchen was challenging as the family grew to five. "We didn’t want to give it a face-lift," Giles says. "We waited until we could do the whole project."

Finding a firm that understood their vision and could accomplish their goals within their budget proved to be the next challenge. The couple chose B&E General Contractors, Glendale, for the project. "We knew where we wanted to be, we just didn’t know how to get there," Giles says. "They helped us get there."

"Getting there" included incorporating solar and geothermal heating systems, and using beet-based spray foam insulation, cementious siding, PEX piping and a hot water recirculator, among other green features. It also meant improving the flow of the house by making a three-season room accessible from the kitchen, bumping out the kitchen to include a dining area, creating opportunities for passive solar use, and creating a mud room and multiple access points from the house to the back yard — none of which existed before. "We were definitely conscious of the size," Giles says. "We didn’t want to add unnecessary square footage." They employed "Not So Big House" practices, such as making single spaces multifunctional. The office, for instance, doubles as a school room and a guest room.

They also made sure their construction garbage was recycled, and donated the house’s old windows and doors to the Habitat for Humanity store, Restore.

Using local craftsmen was a priority in selecting materials such as tile, cabinetry, lighting and more. "We tried not to buy stuff online," Giles says.

Their house is now a reflection of their lifestyle. Their motivation, the couple says, is their three children. "I feel like we are borrowing the Earth from the next generation and we need to model how we think life should be lived," Pufahl says. "Every day you can ask yourself what you can do to be a little bit greener."

"We want to instill these good behaviors in the kids," Giles adds. 

	The expanded kitchen offers the family a dining area and a connection to the new family room, converted from a three-season room. Kitchen countertops are poured concrete and cabinets were created by a local craftsman. Throughout the house, hardwood floors and woodwork are finished with an eco-friendly water-based varnish and walls are painted with low-VOC paint.
The original house had no back door, which wasn’t very practical for a family that spends most of its time outdoors. Now the new mudroom serves as a landing point for muddy boots and outdoor gear.
	The restored 100-year-old claw-foot tub is the focal point of the master bathroom. It had been salvaged from a farmhouse in Illinois and was stored in the new owner’s barn for five years after she discovered it didn’t fit up the stairs in her home. "It was one of those rare gem finds," Steven Giles says of the $100 craigslist deal.