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November 07, 2009  |  Login
Designing Your Way to a Better Green Home
By Eric Corey Freed
 

The more time you spend in the initial planning phase, the more time and money you’ll save during construction. Consider the following issues at the beginning of the design process:

  • Go for a smaller home instead of a large one Many people have a tendency to build the largest home they can afford, only to find the large home a waste of space and expensive to heat and cool. Consider doing more with less and making the house not so big. Create multipurpose spaces — such as a home office that doubles as a guest room; they’re much better uses of space.
  • To save on construction costs, consider building more floors instead of a sprawling one-story home Going up is usually cheaper than spreading out. A multistory home also reduces the impact on the landscape.
  • Make the structure adaptable to other uses, and choose materials and components that can be reused or recycled Avoid putting anything painted outside; it will have to be repainted every three to five years. Use unfinished, natural materials instead. (Refer to Understanding Sustainable Building Materials)
  • Consider an addition to your existing home instead of building new Remodeling your home is a form of recycling. Before assuming you need to build something new, consider putting an addition on your home instead. Take the money you save and put it into more important things, like solar panels. (Figure out whether you should remodel or build new)
  • Work with green professionals Building or remodeling a green home is much easier when you work with sympathetic professionals. Choose people already familiar with green building practices. From green financing to green contractors, everyone on your team can find ways to protect the environment and save you money at the same time. (Find green professionals for your home)
  • Make it easy to recycle Early on, make provisions for storing recyclables. For example, install recycling bins in the kitchen, with an undersink bucket with a lid for compostable food waste. If you have it, you’ll use it.
  • Select recycled and sustainably harvested products In the early parts of design, you probably already have ideas for finishes. (For example, you may already know what kind of floor you want in your living room.) Green Finishes and Construction Materials helps you select recycled and sustainably harvested materials.  ....read more
 
 
 
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