Building Green Tips
Green Building
and Sustainable Designs
While it's easy to imagine the perfect green
home, building one can be a lot more difficult.
Every decision you make as part of your
remodeling or building project has an impact on
your wallet and the world around you. That's why
making wise choices is important. From the
toilet to the tiling, home building sustainably
has to be carefully planned.
For instance, a sustainable roof is one of the
most difficult tasks in ecologically friendly
building. Aesthetics are important, but you'll
also need to think about the environmental
impact and longevity of what you're using.
Thatched roofs are a popular choice, with a high
R value and low ecological impact. However, they
require maintenance and you'll have to find a
professional thatcher.
Living roofs are popular, especially in urban
areas. These are flat or nearly flat roofs which
contain a soil layer and support plant life.
These plants act as an insulative later, and
they deflect heat away from the building. They
require watering in some cases, and may be
heavy, requiring extra reinforcement of
buildings that will have them.
There are lots of other roof options, too. They
include metal, tile, wood shakes, and many more.
You'll have to look at each and decide what you
want out of a roof and how sustainable it needs
to be.
You should also look at the way your home uses
water. Toilets are big water hogs, and replacing
yours with a more efficient one is a good
decision. Use a low flow toilet, composting
toilet, or similar device to reduce the amount
of water you personally use. Some people also
use gray water or rainwater capture systems to
help them use less water or make better use of
the water they have.
Finishes have an effect on the sustainability
and the health of your home. Painting can
release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into
the air for years after they're applied. These
are dangerous for people with chemical
sensitivities, and may be carcinogenic. Choose
natural or low VOC paints and finishes instead.
Flooring is another area that doesn't get a lot
of attention, but is important. Most people have
nylon based carpet, which is fast to wear out,
toxic to produce, unattractive and hard to
recycle. Instead of carpet, consider bamboo,
tiles made from recycled glass, wood flooring
from sustainable or recycled sources, or real,
old fashioned linoleum.
Outdoor areas, like the deck, should be
considered, too. Salvaged lumber is the best,
but other lumber is actually less damaging to
the environment than metal or concrete. It takes
less fuel to make and transport it, and if your
lumber is harvested in a country with good
conservation laws, the resource will be well
protected. Composite lumber is another option.
Made from recycled plastics and waste wood, it's
a useful material. However, working with it can
be difficult.
Remember that heating and air conditioning are
big energy sinks. Use a heat pump to transfer
heat from the ground when it's not cold enough
to use a furnace or warm enough for air
conditioning. This will reduce your costs for
heating and cooling, and help you use less
energy. Pellet stoves, solar heat, and radiant
heat are also popular choices.
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