For graduate student Melissa Wortman, putting up drywall as part of a house renovation isn't a skill she learned in school.
Having received her undergraduate degree in interior design, Wortman may know how a house is supposed to look when the construction is complete, but as her internship this summer has taught her so far, there isn't really such a thing as a typical day when helping renovate a house.
"Every day is different, and we're learning a lot of things really fast," said Wortman, who is in the midst of studying historical preservation.
Wortman, along with four other interns, are helping Ball State University associate professor of architecture and co-founder of ecoREHAB Jonathan Spodek to renovate a downtown Muncie house.
Spodek said he wanted to focus on this house being economically, socially and environmentally responsible.
"Just because a house is old and empty doesn't mean it needs to be torn down," Spodek said.
Located at 601 E. Washington St., the two-story brick house was one of 259 homes that were tagged for demolition before Spodek was given the opportunity to try and rescue the house from destruction. The house has been going through quite a transformation since January, after Spodek had spent the better part of the fall semester going through the planning stages of the project.
Funding for the renovation came from an immersive learning grant, giving students the opportunity to be involved in the project during the spring semester when the planning was put into action and work on the house started.
"By the end of the semester, we had gotten most of the framing on the house done, as well as a lot of the electrical and mechanical rough ends," Spodek said.
Insulation and drywall are now being placed around the house, while the windows have been removed so they can be repaired. Spodek said repairing the windows as opposed to replacing them is one of many ways he hopes to outfit the house with cheaper, alternative ways of being environmentally conscious.
"There's a huge myth about replacement windows that is put on by the replacement window industry, but by saving the windows and repairing them we save money and get comparable energy savings," Spodek said.
Wortman and her fellow interns have been learning a lot not only about how a house is rehabilitated, but also about the types of things that can be recycled from such a project, such as old drywall and even concrete.
"We've been thinking a lot about what is in the stuff that is coming into this house, as well as what can go in the recycling versus going in the trash," Wortman said. "It challenges what you normally think."
Challenging what people normally think about converting a house to go green is what Spodek said he hopes will happen with the rebuilding of the Washington Street house.
"You don't [use] gadgets or new technology to make a house more efficient, a lot of times it is all the little things adding up, like turning off the lights and water, switching to fluorescent bulbs, things like that," Spodek said.
While the house won't be outfitted with flashy add-ons such as solar panels, Spodek said things like expandable foam being used for insulation will lead to high energy savings in the home. It is these small touches he said he hopes the students and the community notice.
"Before we get into our daily habits, we need to stop and see if there is an alternative," Spodek said. "If there is another way to do something rather than the way that we've always done it."
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