Why you Should Hire Green Home Builders?

There are various steps in building the ideal green home. It starts with creating a green home design that will be eco-friendly as well as beautiful. While designing the home the green home builders have to look at elements such as site, geography, water efficiency, materials and resources, energy and the quality of environment indoors. If you select a local builder having least experience in green homes then they will not be able to keep the following features in mind. Designing a green home requires the builders to keep all these components in mind and it is not as easy as it sounds.

You might have a basic knowledge about construction and have learned about green homes, but it always wise to take help from the professional green home builders. They will be able to provide sustainable designs and construction for your home. Some of the other benefits of hiring such professionals include:

• They will design your home uniquely to meet the spatial requirements of the house better. They will also look to decrease the energy and water consumption in the homes.
  
• The designs they create will minimize the harmful effects of your house on the surrounding environment and thus save nature.
  
• The homes will be built using various green technologies, green building products (that are non-toxic), renewable energy systems (such as solar panels on the roof), and build energy efficient systems for your entire home that will go well with the site.
  

All these features can only be provided by green home builders having high expertise. These builders are a part of your green team. The choice of builder will decide how energy efficient and well designed your home is. Thus you should interview a number of builders before making a final choice. You should ask them pertinent questions regarding the materials and systems. The reputed green home builders will be able to suggest you best products and other energy efficient means to make your green home stand out from the rest. So make a wise choice and have a house to treasure. You will also save Mother Nature in more ways than one by constructing a green home

Eco-Friendly Flooring Products

Make a green choice for your home by choosing eco-friendly options.

Recycled Products

Consider installing reclaimed flooring. Environmentally friendly, recycled materials are often of better quality than new materials, and use less energy. For example, in 2010, researchers calculated that producing new wood flooring consumed 13 times the energy used in reclaiming wood floors (See References 3, page 8).

Wood

Wood is a renewable resource; it is the practices foresters use to produce the wood that determines its eco-friendliness, however. Forest certification programs oversee sustainable forest management; some provide databases of retailers that sell products they certify, including flooring (see References 4).

Cork

Cork parquet flooring, according to a 2009 study using the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Building for Energy and Environmental Sustainability life-cycle assessment process, was the flooring product with the least environmental impact (see References 5, page 4). Made from recycled cork waste, this flooring has a lifespan of up to 50 years (see References 5, page 3).

Linoleum

Natural linoleum, made from renewable materials such as wood flour and linseed oil, is biodegradable and nontoxic, and requires almost no maintenance. It will last up to 30 years. In the BEES analysis, linoleum was second to cork parquet in environmental impact. (See References 5, page 3 through 9).

Bamboo

Bamboo is a hardwood-like grass; growers produce species used for flooring in three to six years, without the need for much fertilizer or pesticide. Many of the flooring products made with bamboo, however, use potentially toxic and polluting chemicals in their manufacture and are shipped long distances. Forest certification is now available for some bamboo flooring products. (See References 4 and 6)

Considerations

All bio-based, certified flooring choices are eco-friendly. Factors such as local availability, cost and maintenance requirements determine which materials are best. Note that researchers using the BEES analysis found carpet, particularly wool carpet, to have the greatest environmental impact. (References 5, page 8)

 

 

Eco-Friendly Homes

Eco-friendly building incorporates a wide variety of concepts and strategies during the design and construction process. Eco-friendly materials, a vital component of sustainable building, come from renewable rather than nonrenewable resources. Such materials enhance the health and efficiency of homes, but they also promote conservation of dwindling nonrenewable resources worldwide and reduce the overall impact associated with resource extraction, including transportation, processing, fabrication and disposal of materials. (See References 1.)

Advantages

Homeowners reap many benefits from eco-friendly building materials. Some of these advantages include reduced maintenance and replacement costs over the life of the home, increased energy efficiency and utility bill savings, improved personal health of home occupants and greater design flexibility. (See References 1.)

Resource Efficiency

All eco-friendly building materials have resource efficiency in common, a criteria they meet in a number of ways. Materials may contain postconsumer or postindustrial recycled content, or they may be easy to recycle at the end of their useful life. Others are harvested from sustainably managed sources, often certified by third-party verification. Some materials are locally harvested, saving money and resources related to transportation. Others are salvaged, refurbished or remanufactured. (See References 1.)

Indoor Air Quality

Eco-friendly building materials enhance the interior air quality of a home by meeting one or more criteria. They can be low in toxins, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, as proven by product testing. They may emit minimal levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some do not promote moisture or the growth of biological contaminants such as mold. A final criteria qualifying materials as eco-friendly is that they require cleaning with only natural, nontoxic cleaning products. (See References 1.)

Eco-Friendly Product Assurance

To ensure that products are eco-friendly, look for labels certifying that the materials have been tested and meet specific standards. Investigate individual certification companies to determine their methods and requirements. A few certification programs include Energy Star, Green Guard, Green Seal, Green Label Plus and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) (see References 2). Additionally, the U.S. Green Building Council's "Green Home Guide" offers information, guidance and recommendations for eco-home building products and on finding professionals (see Resources 1).