I’ve been focused on the United Way Radio Auction all week, but thankfully Miles Walker has stepped up with a terrific post for this blog. If you’re planning to build a house or are considering environmentally friendly modifications to the house you already have, you’re going to love these ideas. Thanks, Miles!
Getting your home or commercial building back to the garden has tons of benefits for everything and everyone it touches. Natural and non toxic materials and processes for building construction are fast becoming more accessible, whether you are looking to cut energy consumption or use cleaner fuels, to build a home where your family will breathe only the cleanest air, or use only biodegradable materials-not to mention, save non degradable ones from the landfill. Here are some of our favorites.
START at the TOP.
Think your roof is made of just clay or all wood? Not only should you think again, but get this: the real problem with conventional roofing isn’t so much about its synthetic materials than it is about the fact a regular roof can limit the green potential of the building.
Your roof is an essential part of your building, because it keeps weather out and heat in. But the highest surface of a building can and should be used for the power of green, and the roof is an all too often untapped energy source. Your roof is a perfect place for solar panels, either in their conventional form or disguised as roof shingles. Skylights are a fuel-efficient was to light up a space for much of the day, or let hot air out instead of turning on the air conditioner. You can also even use it to collect rainwater to water your garden.
IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE that COUNTS.
Natural wood siding instead of toxic vinyl isn’t enough in green construction. Insulation, though separated from us by a wall, can be nonetheless poisonous and environmentally unsound. In the age where we have come to realize how bad asbestos and other types of insulation are, however, there is still hope - there are all natural and non toxic insulations available, as well as insulations made from recycled synthetic materials such as fiberglass.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE.
Our bodies are 70% water; do you want that water to be contaminated or wasted? Less water wasted, or even used means less water contaminated, means more water available for the ecosystem where it is naturally found. Use your roof to collect rainwater, and use it to water your garden instead of several hours of the sprinkler.
Getting your water warm can be greener, as well. Invest in a tankless water heater: your water bill may be cut by more than half, and tankless heaters have some of the highest energy efficiency ratings around.
UPWARD THINKING PAYS.
You remember the expression, “heat rises”. So naturally, come winter time, the second floor of your house will be warmer than the first with no heat on. Instead of building a spread out ranch, try building something with more than one level, or take that exciting new addition and instead of going off the side of your current living room, just add a second floor to your home. During the winter, you’ll have half as much house to heat, and twice as much space that stays warm.
ABOUT FACE.
Your surface treatments are the final step in creating an indoor environment that does minimal damage to the outdoor one. Ever wonder why you can’t come in your new home for 24 hours after the wood floors have been finished if the reason isn’t “wet finish”? Ultra low and no VOC paints and finishes take almost, if not all, of the toxins out of coloring your world.
VOC stands for “volatile organic compound”, and the specific substances (of which there are a variety) range in toxicity, but the vapor pressure of any VOC is enough to counteract any green good you have done in your construction, so choose paints wisely.
Miles Walker is a freelance writer and blogger who usually compares car insurance deals over at CarinsuranceComparison.Org.
I was lucky to find your deborah-adams.com blog. You truly can write and teach and inspire. Keep writing - I’ll keep reading.
Wow! That’s a nice way to start the morning. Thanks for the compliment, and I hope you find many more helpful posts here.