Taty Construction is a Chicago North Shore remodeling contractor and constructor providing custom home building, bathroom remodeling, kitchen remodeling, basement finishing, room additions in Chicago and suburbs.

Kitchen Remodeling Gone Green
Do you live in Chicagoland and have you been thinking of remodeling your kitchen but want to make the least impact on the Earth as possible? An increasing number of home builders in Chicago now include green remodeling as part of their expertise, including Taty Construction, which specializes in home remodeling in Chicago.
Green kitchen remodeling can be a simple remodel or an extensive task. Even the simplest idea such as replacing the appliances with more energy efficient Energy Star appliances and use fluorescent or light-emitting diode (LED) lighting will save money in the long run.
But, if you want to really want to make your kitchen a green kitchen a good place to start is with the flooring. Both linoleum flooring and cork are extremely durable and are derived from natural, renewable resources. According to greenhomeguide.com “Linoleum is made from linseed oil, pigments and pine rosins. There are no toxic products …and it does not offgas volatile organic compounds (VOCs)…and …can last up to 50 years.”
Cork is comprised of the bark of cork-oak trees. Flooring sheets are made from the waste from the manufacture of wine bottle corks.
Other natural flooring options include bamboo or reclaimed or sustainable wood, such as Cane, Mango or Maple – all trees that grow fast, so you are making less of an impact on the forest. This flooring should then be finished with natural oils or sealants.
If you’re not sure how to find sustainable woods, the Forest Stewardship Council has created a set of standards, which finds solutions for existing bad forestry standards.
So, you’ve got your flooring…what about the cabinetry? One ecofriendly option is reusing your existing cabinetry. Some other options include low to zero-VOC panel products, FSC-certified plywood, rapidly renewable agrifiber boards (i.e. wheatboard, made from the shaft of the wheat stalk, an agricultural waste product) or reclaimed wood. Green cabinetry can be tricky, but the Chicago home improvement contractor, Taty Construction can help you decide which material is best for you.
Chicago home remodeling company, Taty Construction will also help you decide which ecofriendly kitchen countertop is best suited for you. Sustainable countertop materials range from wood to terrazzo to concrete to paper composite to stainless steel.
Terrazzo is a combination of glass, stone and binders – some companies use high amounts of recycled glass – up to 100 percent. And, concrete? What makes concrete green? The manufacturing process requires a lot of input, but fly ash can be substituted for cement, which lowers the energy required to produce concrete. So, concrete with 30 percent fly ash or more does not contaminate indoor air quality and is completely recyclable. Stainless steel countertops can be constructed from salvaged metal or recycled metal. Making it a green choice is the fact that these countertops can be installed without glue, which cuts down on resource use and potential contaminants. Also, these countertops are extremely durable and have a long life span.
Home builders in Chicago are aware of the customer’s awareness to be green and Chicago home improvement company, Taty Construction reflects this mindset.