A local contractor purchased it to show old homes can be more energy efficient
PETOSKEY, MI -- A Petoskey man has purchased more than a century old home to prove a point, and that is old homes can be more efficient.
He's just about done with the complete "green renovation," and he's doing it for the benefit of old-home owners.
Old homes in Northern Michigan have a certain beauty to them, and one in Downtown Petoskey on Elizabeth Street is one of them. The home is 125 years old, and now, it's getting not just a face-lift, it's "going green."
"This house had asbestos, it had probably a half-a-ton of coal still in the basement," said John Plichta, the contractor of J.R. Construction.
Plichta purchased the home and tested the air quality, the water quality, and the energy efficiency. All were bad. The drafts inside were incredible. He found the heater inside was four and half times larger than it needed to be but was still being overworked. He decided to fix all the problems, and make it the first completely green renovated home in Petoskey.
“We took this house and said these are the things we feel people should know and we're going to change them," he explained.
It's now better insulated, more efficient, will have cleaner water, and even a water heater that's solar powered. The products he used will protect the home for another 80 years. His plan is to open it up for old home owners to come in and see what he did to improve it. He’ll have an open house on October 22nd, followed by several seminars.
“By the knowledge we gained by doing this project, we have a lot to share, so why not take advantage of it," said Plichta.
Plichta said he spear-headed this project to help people understand how to improve the quality of living in an older home.
One of the things Plichta says he'll stress at his seminars will be the fact that several factors need to be looked at before renovations are done on the older homes, such as the dew points. If renovations are done without the proper expertise, it could destroy a home.
If you’d like to learn more about John Plichta’s project or attend his open house, CLICK HERE.
