Darby Strong

Playing point. Delivering the rock.

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All Grown Up Now

June 25, 2006 by darby

My other half and I are buying our first house. It rests on almost 1/2 an acre, with many pine trees in the front and tons of grass in the back. Our rotary mower may not be up to the task, and the backyard will probably be one of the first places we spend some (more) money. I’m thinkin’ Asian garden. I love the simple lines and natural materials of the “asian aesthetic”. So anciently modern. And green.


In my attempt at greening the house, I have seen first hand how difficult this can be without unlimited access and funds. Did you know that indoor air quality is often up to 3 times worse than outdoor air quality? This is due, in large part, to the paint and carpet of a dwelling. Fortunately, I have found a couple of great products and stores along the way, and for that, I am hopeful. Anna Sova, out of Dallas, Texas, provides all natural paint. And if you’re hungry and have spent the last of your dollars on this pricey alternative, you can eat it. For real.


(These are our paint colors; #1 – Entire Living Areas and Kitchen #2 – Accent Wall and over Fireplace #3 – Den #4 – Guest BR and Bath #5&6 – Our Bedroom and Bath)

On the carpet front, it is nearly impossible to trade in the highly toxic world of carpets for natural fibers or eco-friendly flooring without sacrificing ones life savings and comfort. For instance, we will be carpeting only the bedrooms, and having a sea grass, mountain grass or sisal on a bedroom floor just doesn’t cut it for me. I like soft on my feet, and although one of my heros offers that by way of his carpet tiles, one room would cost over $1200, $500 more per room than the berber we have picked. Of course, there is wool, but the cost is even more than the carpet tiles. What’s a tree-hugger to do? Suck it up and realize that this is not our last, but first home, and live with the toxicity that regular carpets lovingly provide.

Filed Under: Arts

Comments

  1. evil says

    June 26, 2006 at 1:43 pm

    You Go People!!!
    Congratulations……….
    LOVE TO YOU –
    from Eden and Chris.

    Paris says hello and bon jour.

    Much Love.

  2. white silk says

    June 27, 2006 at 12:53 pm

    Yo Darby,

    Big congrats on the new home.

    I may not know exactly what the hell I’m talking about but I figured I’d drop a line anyhow.

    There have probably been some serious advancements in eco-friendly paints but, just to throw it out there, I used two different eco-friendly (i.e. no VOC) paints and both of them were pretty wack when it came to application and quality. The walls looked alright but they certainly didn’t “pop” like a freshly-painted wall should. nahmean?

    Anyhow, that’s just my two cents. I bet this Anna Sova action is the real deal and the shite I bought was some “last in show ” bulljive.

    Good luck with the new crib!!

  3. Gwen says

    June 29, 2006 at 10:17 am

    Congratulations!!! What a great idea to make your house more eco-friendly. Good for you both.

  4. Gary Strong says

    July 5, 2006 at 7:48 am

    Rotary (hand) mowers last a lifetime. The real question is for how many of those years does your other half want to be attached to it?

  5. Aaron Marshall says

    July 11, 2006 at 11:20 am

    Darbs:

    Congrats on the house buy. Just checking in to see how you’re doing.
    I’m enjoying reading some of your writing and had to doublecheck to make sure it was you because it didn’t sound like the old Darby. Until I got to the part about the patriarchial landlord, then I knew it was you.
    Life is good in Columbus, I got a new job with the PD and McNinny is married up with a cute little girl as I’m sure you know.
    I was over at his place on the 4th and there were little critters running around everywhere including Dave Duvarneys son (if you remember him) and Dickards TWO boys.
    I hope this finds you happy, healthy and hopeful for a better world.

    –Aaron

  6. Zmoneygrip says

    August 9, 2006 at 12:06 am

    Nice crib, great site, it’s 1:00 AM good lAWD, good night…I expect I’ll chat you up soon darbydale…Z

  7. Mag says

    March 20, 2008 at 7:51 am

    Way behind and you may have moved but congratulations! Mike and I bought our home about 3.5 years ago and I am itching for more space now.

    Also went on the eco-carpet search a few weeks ago and we got a wool one with bio-degradable backing. That seemed to be the best we could do.

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