Explanation for Not Posting

I've read a post in a blog that says never to apologize for not posting (hm?) I still think I need to explain though.

The need to stay away.

Because I was deeply, terribly, horribly embarassed.

I only figured it out recently. I just couldn't get myself to post before.

My Dad. He was like the ultimate polluter, always coming up with schemes how to employ iffy practices at the renovation works - and I was just soo deeply embarassed.
Cause I wasn't able to convince him of more eco ways.

Or didn't know what were more eco ways. (I'm not an eco building expert or engineer, am I? Frenzied googling was sometimes just not timely enough, or I didn't get good enough answers.. I think my Dad has some ADD/ADHD, and sometimes things just needed to be done 'now'!)
As the renovated part will not be my chambers, I also didn't feel entitled to push my opinions too much..

It still made me miserable.

So now you know. The doors and windows will mostly be conventionally bought. Insulation and such probably too.. At a point, I just gave up. And let'em do what they want - cause I really didn't want to be the 'eco monster' anymore (Dad was really cross at me sometimes, for 'complicating things' sigh..)

Sometimes he did appreciate my ideas & cooperation later on though!!
(Like the secret doors on the balcony etc!:)

I wanted this blog to be cheerful and upbeat, so I just stopped posting! :)
Luckily an Eco Building Institute has been established recently in Slovenia, and hopefully they will provide useful independent info for all interested. (Otherwise, info can be obtained for $$$$ or it's very scattered or possibly biased.)

The summer charity workshops for kiddies went well and were MUCH more eco than the previous years! And I met some cool eco people... It's still too-easy to just focus on the negative, lol. Then I realized my Dad and I are two different people and I can't let myself be made miserable over who he is and what he does. He's 'old school' and builds in a way that was 'modern' 25+ years ago!

I did learn a lot about what (not) to do later on if I ever build or renovate anything again!
So overall, it was a good learning experience (although sometimes horribly stressful lol).

I am not perfect and neither is my Dad. But I still love him. (And try to take a walk when 'loud' works are scheduled!)

Can Polycarbonate Be Recycled?

As you may know, our house (and my ears!) have been subject to some renovation. It's not finished yet!

The balcony still needs to be 'closed up' with either glass or polycarbonate, or both.

This renovation has not been very eco, as I am NOT an expert on eco building materials (yet?) and mostly my Dad was in charge! Also, there have been some considerations: not-so-very-strong walls and balcony mean that light (not heavy) materials need to be used. So polycarbonate was recommended to us.

Can polycarbonate be recycled?

I almost fainted when I saw who produces polycarbonate! No other than the infamous Bayer! (producers of aspirins, toxic chemicals cotton is sprayed with in India, and the infamous Gaucho, alleged beekiller, that corn is treated with!)

Bayer says their polycarbonate product Makrolon can be recycled OR incinerated. Depending if there are any facilities for recycling!
(In Slovenia, I'm guessing NOT! As CDs that are also polycarbonate can't be recycled either.) Bayer actually recommend incineration. (hm!)
Apparently it's recycled within the factory, which is a good thing! I just wish something would be done with postconsumer waste too!

Is the other polycarbonate on the market Lexan really eco? (It is claimed that is, due to energy efficiency-?)

It seems lexan may not be very toxic (tests not for the faint-hearted!) though probably not completely harmless either, especially at high temperatures used for manufacturing or such. (Data from 1992, I wonder if there is any new info?)

Then again, I'm guessing straight window glass can't really be recycled here either - 'eco islands' (local recycling containers) only accept glass bottles, and rumors have it some of those may have not been recycled either, at least some years ago. And last year may have been so-so too, as the building industry was in crisis and didn't need glass wool (which is made from recycled bottles) for insulation.

So, what would be a better choice?

No idea. I told Dad to check leftover glass he has, if anything could be made from that? I was told glass would be hotter in summer (it's a South-West window, and it really gets hot here) and polycarbonate might give better insulation with less weight.
The roof would probably be polycarbonate, we are still discussing the vertical 'windows' or non-windows.

Any ideas or suggestions?
The cheaper polycarbonate is non-see-through (one might hide from neighbours more easily! Though a curtain could be used in that effect too, says Mom! And in case you need to talk to a neighbour, it's better if you can see her on the balcony). The more expensive polycarbonate looks like glass, scratches easily though. (That prompted me back to glass.)
Slightly scared the polycarbonate balcony roof would block my view of mountains! (Don't wish the balcony to start falling apart due to too much weight though either!)

Any experience with closing down of balconies?

To Bee or Not to Bee?

Looks quite horrible, no? Keep or toss and get new hives? Still have bees at all? I love tradition and it's a loving memory of Grandpa but...? Yes, I was shocked to see them in broad daylight! - Well, the nets could be cleaned surprisingly easily! (I'm not sure whether to clean the 'invisible' propolized edges of the 'net' more too?)


I was advised to let go of these as new ones are cheap. (?)


Yes, it looks pretty scary!

The beehive could be cleaned quite okay, there are almost invisible cracks on the sides and in edges, bees put propolis there to fix this, I mostly scraped it off! (I was advised to do that, dunno? Though it seems counterproductive? New bees will have to propolize it all again?)
I was told old stuff must be scraped off and then to use fire to sterilize the wood.


This is the scariest part: the door is VERY bad! So, not sure what to do!

Will the neighbour have time to maybe make a new door or two? (Would it be better to just get new hives as some have advised? We're a bit late to ask the neighbour to make new ones, Dad said he might during the winter! I'd love to learn to make and renovate furniture and stuff myself, it'll be a long process I guess though.)

Partly, cleaning an old beehive is pleasant - the smell of propolis is soo yummy!!
Partly, I was fretting if there was anything iffy in the dirt (Grandpa's old neighbour said the bees just vanished from neglect and there weren't any diseases, so I hope all would be right with this!)

Dad said the beehives are probably as old as he is, or more! (60+ years!) He doesn't remember any new ones being made, these were quite new when he was little!

In any case, I've learnt a bit how to approach such a project, and saw it doesn't take so long to clean. You only see the real state of wood after you've cleaned it, and doors seem to be the part to watch out for!
Hopefully next year (winter?) I'll be able to clean and possibly renovate the old spindle too (I'd done it before if I knew what to use, so that it would be as eco as possible and still protect the wood?)

So, will I still have bees or will I give up on the project for the time being? (Or, until next year?) Stay tuned!
(Suggestions and ideas welcome!) What do you think?

My Eco Friends & Renovation!

My friend Z. has recently moved into a flat with her man, they renovated it together in her Grandpa's attic! And her man is even more ECO than she is!

It's a beautiful location in the hills, everything is green all around.. (No pics, alas!)

They have a few neighbours, so they get fresh milk and eggs & chicken etc directly from the neighbour farmers!

A family of city dwellers (their relatives) was there before and partly renovated the attic already, but they didn't last for long! (They bought apples in store instead of picking them up from under the apple trees!!)
My friend and her man completely changed the layout (it was just 2 rooms before, now they have a complete flat with bathroom, kitchen etc!)

Her man did most of the work himself (sounds like a keeper!!:)
From measuring & drawing the options on computer, to working long hours (after work mostly)... The laminate flooring & even the gypsum boards on the ceiling that the city dwellers left were carefully removed and put back after the new floor layout was made, and new walls built.

They got the shower off the Slovenian equivalent to eBay for 10 euro! Even the roof windows and the kitchen were 2nd hand and VERY cheap too!! Basically the whole flat cost around 5.000 euro, and if they didn't tell me stuff was bought 2nd hand, I would never know!!
It's young, stylish and beatiful - and VERY ECO!

Of course, there have been some compromises, & some stuff was bought new (they still don't buy cheese in a reusable plastic container either) - Still, I'm VERY impressed they even sorted the construction waste by hand into 'can be composted', 'can be used for roads' and 'to be disposed off properly via garbage center' (many people here still just shove stuff into a ditch!)

Even insulation was bought off the eBay-equivalent, leftovers from other people's projects - so it's not uniform, but warm in winter & cool in the summer nevertheless!

Overall, they are a GREAT inspiration! :)
I started eying OUR attic in a new way! LOTS could be done here too!