Guide to Building Eco-Friendly
Building a green home has many factors, from the materials to the actual design. There are many resources out there that are helpful in learning why and how to build eco-friendly.
You may be wondering why should I design an eco-friendly home? The answer is simple. Building a sustainable home allows you to save money and allows you to live in a healthy environment!
Let's start with $AVING MONEY. Who wouldn't want to save some money, especially when it comes to saving money on your monthly utilities? The answer is that everyone wants to! First, use the Energy Calculator to figure the amount of energy you currently use in your household. After you've done this, you will be able to see which utilities your household uses most so you can concentrate on reducing those costs when building your new eco-friendy home.
A few ideas to get you started on building your eco-friendly home are below:
- Using Local Materials- Using local materials $AVES TIME and MONEY by reducing the distance and the amount of time it takes to get your building materials to the construction site. This also helps the environment since there will be less pollutants entering the air from the vehicles transporting the materials. Ideas for the use of local materials may be found at Local Materials.
- Using Local Workers- Hiring local workers is considered a green action since the workers do not have to travel far to get to the site. This cuts down on the costs and pollution caused by transportation vehicles. This will also $AVE YOU MONEY since you will not have to pay for hotel rooms and travel expenses for construction workers that do not reside near the site. Also, you can feel great knowing that you are helping out the community in which you are building your new home. The Ocean Star Estates recommended builder is local Bernardo Rodriguez.
- Rain Barrel Installation- Rain barrels are a great way to conserve and $AVE MONEY on water expenses. Rain barrels are used to collect rain water and can be used for watering gardens, washing clothes, flushing toilets and much more. If you consider these uses, imagine the amount of money you will be saving!
Is a rain barrel right for me? There are pros and cons to having a rain barrel, check out Saving Water for details. Also, find out how Rain Barrels help the envrionment.
And finally, the best way to save money using a rain barrel is to Make You Own Rain Barrel.
It's simple and easy and best of all, it $AVES MONEY!
- Lighting Design Efficiency- Sunlight is one of the most powerful "free" resources we have. And it can only benefit us when we take advantage of it. Designing your home in a way that maiximizes your use of sunlight will help you $AVE MONEY on your heating and cooling bills. Here are some quick tips on how to maximize the lighting with your home design:
1. Allow for a lot of windows in the home. Windows allow for good cross-ventilation, and for sunlight to enter. The cross-ventilation allows for fresh air to enter into the house, which provides better air quality, and also helps to regulate the indoor temperature. Also, studies have shown that the impact sunlight has on humans is huge. It has been proven that people who are exposed to more sunlight tend to be happier and healthier. And who wouldn't want to be happier and healthier!
2. Design the home with features that diffuse the light that enters into the south-facing windows and glass doorways. Ideas for diffusing light include: roofs or ledges that extend outward or angle to keep direct light from entering, planting tall trees that offer shading, or planting vines as a diffusing screen. You may find further light saving ideas at Sustainable Lighting.
- Using Non-Toxic Finishes- Our homes are filled with toxic chemicals that cause out-gassing and can be very hazardous to those who breath it in, especially infants and children. Out-gassing is when a chemical that is in or on a product is released and seaps into the air. This then can be breathed into the lungs causing ingestion of that chemical. For example, when you get into a new car that has that "new car" smell, what you are smelling and breathing in is the out-gassing of chemicals that have been applied to the interior of the car.
Unfortunately, these out-gassing chemicals are not confined to new cars. These chemicals are found in carpeting (stain resistant sprays), hard wood floor finishes, paints and other finishes that are commonly found in the home. You will actually $AVE MONEY by not spending your money on the extra chemicals such as "stain resistant sprays", so why not be healthy and $AVE MONEY all at the same time!
A great place to find more information on "green products", including non-toxic cleaning supplies, check out the Green Building Supply.
All of the above tips will definitely $AVE YOU MONEY, but the great thing is that they can also help you in building a healthy home. Saving money while building a healthy home can only be described in one word: PRICELE$$.
*Be sure to check back often for updated information on how you can build your perfect, sustainable dream home.
*Updated 7/15/2009
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