If you want the ultimate green home, perhaps the best way to achieve it is to build your own house using sustainable building materials and packing it full of energy-efficient and water-saving features.
There are some arguments that suggest bringing a disused property back into use is a greener choice than constructing a new home, as less energy and fewer materials will be needed for the build. Despite this, there is no doubt that building an eco home is a great step towards living an environmentally-friendly life.
You may think that starting from scratch is too big a project and would instead prefer to concentrate on upgrading and expanding your existing home. If that is the case, you could still benefit from ecological building techniques and practices.
Choosing eco building materials is just as important when carrying out small jobs as when constructing a full home. When discussing your extension or renovation project, ask your builder for information about how renewable, recycled or reclaimed materials could be utilised. If you are using architect, make sure they are aware you want to go green and ask for ideas about how best to incorporate environmentally-friendly features into the design.
Using renewable building materials
Television programmes about building eco homes often focus on techniques such as constructing walls from rammed earth or used tyres, but there are plenty of more conventional techniques which can make use of sustainable building materials.
Among the building materials regarded as being renewable are straw, cork, bamboo, timber from forests certified as being sustainable, limestone and sheep's wool. Using these materials is not only better for the environment, it will also result in a healthier living environment.
One of the easiest ways to include eco building materials in a traditional design is ensuring all the timber used has Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) status.
You can also ensure that natural materials such as sheep's wool are used for insulation and ask your builder about whether it would be practical to use lime for mortar and interior plaster.
Another stylish way to boost your home's eco credentials is with a living roof. People in northern Europe have used turf as a roofing material for centuries, as it helps to keep the heat in during winter, improve water proofing and ensure the property stays cool in the summer. The idea of roof gardens as insulation has become fashionable in recent years, with many people attracted to the idea of an aesthetically-pleasing feature which is green in more than one way.
When planning how to use your renewable building materials it is important to remember that energy efficiency and water saving should be central to the design of your home. So you will need to make certain that the eco building materials are used effectively to ensure your home's day-to-day carbon emissions are kept to a minimum.
Using recycled and reclaimed building materials
Another option for going green when building or refurbishing a property is to look for recycled materials.
One of the most common and effective is insulation made from recycled newspaper - but remember, you cannot just use old newspapers, you must buy a product which has been treated with natural mineral additives to make it fire resistant. Recycled metal and stone building products are also available.
Perhaps the simplest form of recycled products are items which have been reclaimed from buildings that have been demolished or refurbished. While they may not be made from renewable materials, there is no new manufacturing process for reclaimed materials, making them a truly green choice as no energy is used.
Items such as doors, fire surrounds, wooden flooring, roof tiles and chimney pots can all be reused safely and often have more character than new products. Reclaimed bricks are also a useful material, particularly if you are building an extension to an older property or want to add an interior feature such as a fireplace.
A good builder will be able to advise you on how to use reclaimed materials and may also be able to source them for you.
How can Rated People help with your ecological building projects?
If you are planning a truly green rebuild or new build, you are likely to need tradesmen with specialist knowledge.
Using Rated People's service can help you to find the right workmen and all you will have to do is register with the site and post details of your job free of charge.
Rated People will introduce you to up to three tradesmen interested in quoting for the work and give you access to ratings from people who have previously used them to help you make a final decision about who is right for the job.
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