Green Home Designs - Drawing Up Your Green Home Plans
Going or becoming “green” is a shorthand description for leading your life in a manner that is in harmony with the long term health of the planet. Any action we take that consumes resources will have some sort of impact on the environment and we have a choice as consumers, to butt up against or blend in with that environment. The type of home we live in and how we go about living is an example of such a choice. The hallmarks of green home designs are their use of materials that are renewable non-toxic and long lasting – i.e. materials that when used do not adversely affect the planet’s health. This page will look at some of the things that should be considered when drawing up green home plans. The principle tenet of green home designs is to recycle wherever possible. This is particularly pertinent when it comes to flooring as you can sand and refinish or even paint and stencil what is already there. This means you can limit the use volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) as part of your building process. Vertrazzo, which is recycled glass, is another example of where recycles materials can be used and is a popular choice for kitchen use. Recycled glass looks attractive and can come in various colors to suit your decor. You can use it as both kitchen counter tops and as a backsplash. Recycled glass tiles are another attractive alternative frequently turning up in green kitchen designs. Concrete is a material that should also be given consideration when considering flooring and kitchen top options. Concrete can come in various patterns, textures and polishes. The reason that concrete can be given consideration under the green umbrella is that it definitely long lasting and uses no glue or finishes containing chemicals that could be harmful to your health. Concrete is a natural appearing material and can add a modern look to your kitchen, bathroom and fireplace. When creating your green home design look to include as many glass windows and doors as well as roof and wall skylights to allow natural lighting into your home. Skylights provide the green design benefits of reducing and avoiding moisture accumulation in a room while conserving energy consumption. This measure will need to be complemented by adding lots of ceiling and wall insulation to your home. This is one of the best means of keeping your home energy efficient. Plan to use eco-friendly insulation materials. Always chose high performance windows and double or even triple pane windows, doors and skylights as they help conserve energy as well. Energy efficiency is one of the key themes of green home design and you can ensure that your plans in respect to using natural lighting and good insulation do not go to waste, by also making sure that you are only using energy efficiency appliances. When choosing appliances, pay consideration to their functionality, style and energy efficiency as well as your budget. The same philosophy applies to those household items that use water – less is best. With the rising cost of energy, energy efficient design makes good sense on a number of fronts. Saving money after the initial investment, reducing exposure to toxic chemicals and helping save the planet are all goals of green home designs.
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