A green home is environmentally designed to be sustainable. In the long run, you get to save a lot of money. This is because green homes focus on the efficient use of water, energy, and building materials. The home can produce most of its energy by using photovoltaic systems in the form of solar panels. It should also have a water-conserving irrigation system as well as water-efficient kitchen and bathroom fixtures. The best place to build this type of structure is in the countryside which is away from most of the technological sophistication. This will help you not to feel out of place. So, we can say that the construction of the house is what mostly matters.
Seek help from professionals
This is one of the easiest ways to choose a location and build a green home from scratch. Some professionals are into the building of green homes. A search for a custom home builder in Sacramento should probably return the results of some professionals in the business. One such example is HouseIdea.
HouseIdea uses the creativity of combined skills, craftsmanship, ideas, imagination, and teamwork to put up the best structures you can have around. They build to your taste. They can also help with remodeling your existing structure. They make use of patterned wallpapers and carpets. These energize the areas they cover. They also use earthy elements like woodside tables and rattan accent chairs with chair covers to bring warmth and balance to the environment. They have several exterior designs that provide the perfect dining, lounging, and entertaining areas for the house’s inhabitants.
Here are some tips to help you build your own green home.
Install solar designs
Passive solar designs utilize energy from the sun to aid the heating and cooling of the living spaces. This involves the use of building materials that reflect, absorb, or transmit the sun’s radiation. With this, there won’t be a need for mechanical or electrical equipment. The interior of the house is designed to facilitate the movement of air heated by the sun without the use of fans. This will reduce the amount of energy needed to heat or cool your home.
Make use of sustainable building materials
When talking of green homes, the house has to be as sustainable as possible. Sustainability is the catch-all term that experts generally agree should touch as much of these as possible:
- Sustainably harvested: Well-managed forests will help produce wood for building. Wood is a very good example of a building material that is sustainably harvested. It is termed sustainably harvested when it is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. It is used to build some parts of the house and make the furniture, cabinets, and other structures that can be constructed with wood. When forests are managed properly, the supply chain for wood gets assured and documented.
- Non-toxic items: Make use of building materials that are not toxic or allergenic. Formaldehyde and black mold are some of the allergenic and toxic elements found in building materials.
- Local sourcing of building materials: Part of the reasons for relocating to the countryside to build your green home is the need to source your building materials locally. As much as possible, the materials are sourced within a 50-mile radius, rather than shipping so many of them down to the building site from far distances.
- Quick renewability: A good example of a sustainable material that can be used for flooring is bamboo which is also easily and quickly renewable. This is because it is grass and not wood. Other examples are cork, cotton, and natural linoleum such as wheat board and strawboard.
- Recycled materials: Recycling is reprocessing a used material so the end product can be used for other purposes. For example, rubber tires can be recycled and used as flooring materials. The materials being reused are used either wholly or with fixes. They can be used for windows and doors.
Indoor air quality should be considered
Water vapor can lead to the production of toxic substances like black mold. Using sustainable building materials is very key to ensuring good indoor air quality. Choose low VOC paints, Pick floor coverings made of natural materials like wood for hard flooring, and wool as a floor covering instead of using vinyl or man-made carpets.
Invest in energy-efficient appliances for your homes
Apart from HVAC systems, appliances are the other real consumers of energy in your homes. When you go for the most energy-efficient options of appliances, you cut the cost of operating them by a lot.
Consider a drip-irrigation system
Plants can keep your home cooler and contribute to cleaner air. This is one of the importance of keeping your yard green and healthy. Drip irrigation is a good method of keeping the yard watered. It uses gravity to deliver water to plants focusing the water directly on the roots where it is needed. You get to save electricity by eliminating pumps and minimize the waste of water that can be caused by evaporation.
Final word
Building a green home from scratch costs way less than building other houses. A green home, apart from being cheaper to build; future maintenance, remodeling, or spending concerning the house is also cheaper. If you are considering building, you should think of moving to the countryside and building your own greenhouse from the scratch.
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