Pro Spotlight

A Valley Village general contractor shares some eco- friendly ideas for your next renovation.

As home prices in California continue to skyrocket, many people are finding it difficult to afford a new home, opting instead to renovate or add on. Meir Barzilai, responsible managing officer at green-home remodeling firm Treeium in Valley Village, sees this as an opportunity to spread the word on sustainable building practices. “We adapt to everything that’s going on around us, and that means sharing information on sustainable products,” he says.

Living Room

One of the primary benefits of a green living room is that it creates a healthier environment for you, your family and your guests. The design phase is the time to plan for affordable, sustainable options for your living room, Barzilai says. When working with him to map out their living room finishes and materials, clients in West Hollywood opted for concrete flooring, seen here, that had been manufactured from recycled materials. They also used organic paint on the interior walls and ceilings.

“By using recycled materials, you’re helping to reduce your carbon footprint and alleviate the mass amounts of waste going into our landfills,” Barzilai says. It also reduces the number of harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere..

Kitchen

According to Barzilai, the kitchen is among the most important rooms in the house when it comes to sustainability because of the energy-consumption and toxicity potential of appliances and finishes. For example, terrazzo, wood, and indigenous stone are some sustainable countertop options.

Treeium installed LED lighting, natural stone surfaces and sustainable, nontoxic flooring in this transitional Los Angeles kitchen. In addition, “proper ventilation and ducting using nontoxic materials eliminate the buildup of noxious gases in the area,” Barzilai says.

Bathroom

Large or small, bathrooms provide another opportunity to choose sustainable options. The same L.A. clients were looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining a clean, chic look in their master bathroom, seen here. The team installed large windows to provide natural light; reflective surfaces further brighten the space. “Minimizing the need for constant artificial light allowed for less energy consumption and the ability to place some air-cleansing house plants in the space,” Barzilai says.

More: For more information on Meir Barzilai and examples of Treeium’s work, visit the company’s Houzz profile. .

This story was written by the Houzz Content team.