smart green home design

35 Ideas for Building A Greener House

jchait — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:21:20 -0400

Here are 35 ideas for building green... Feel free to add your ideas in the comments.

1. Use salvaged, recycled, and reclaimed materials.

2. Build small. At least only build what you need; no more than one bedroom per person actually living in the home. A family of four does not need four bathrooms. Seriously.

3. Try a green roof.

4. Buy from responsible, sustainable wood suppliers.

5. Work with eco-friendly builders and contractors. For example; do they have a paperless office, do they carpool to sites, etc.

6. Aim for natural ventilation.

7. Understand LEED - you don't have to go for LEED gold stars, but the basic principals should be in the back of your mind.

8. Avoid pressure-treated lumber when possible.

9. Always design with passive solar in mind.

10. On the building site supply refillable water bottles.

11. Try earth floors.

12. Find out if local codes permit graywater recycling and reuse.

13. Aim to eco-renovate an older house before deciding to build new.

14. Buy building materials and hire building help locally.

15. Don't build too far out in the sticks - to avoid excessive transportation needs.

16. Landscape with drought resistant plants, flowers, and shrubs.

17. Recycle any building material leftovers possible.

18. Plan for daylighting.

19. Build for the long term - don't make flighty decisions and build strong and durable to last.

20. Consider tankless water heaters.

21. Plan, build, and then stay put forever. Not always possible; but each time you move, renovate, or rebuild, resources and excess energy is used. It’s sustainable to stay where you are.

22. Pay special attention to moisture reduction. Mold and mildew can do homes in faster than you might think.

23. If you break it you buy it – not literally, but if you take out trees to build or mess with the soil, you need to restore and make amends. Transfer trees when possible, or better yet build around them.

24. Choose your building site wisely.

25. Build on previously used land - avoid building on new, untouched land to preserve natural spaces.

26. Install LED lighting in small spaces.

27. Try new roofing shingles made from recycled plastics and rubber.

28. Don't purchase over packaged supplies - i.e. buy screws, tools, and other materials that come free of an outer box or plastic coating wrap.

29. Install Energy Star appliances when building new - consider keeping your old appliances if remodeling.

30. Think about bamboo flooring.

31. Try cellulose insulation.

32. Incorporate as much alternative and efficient energy as possible.

33. Think about co-housing developments.

34. Use the sun in as many ways as you can think of.

35. Design for forever. As you age, your capacities change – what if one day you needed a wheelchair, or a door handle that turns easier? Build slightly wider doorways, install easy turn doorknobs at the start. If you ever sell, it would be smart to be able to sell to a disabled individual or an elderly couple. Small forethought given to design now can benefit the future generations in the home, without renovation requirements.

Also read: 50 Sustainable Home Design Features & Resources

Green Homes for Less Money

jchait — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

CNET is one of my favorite websites - mostly because they always offer the best tech advice in town. If you buy a camera or pda they reviewed, you know what you're getting. Because I adore them so, I was happily surprised to see a cool green home article and photo gallery at their site the other day.

The article, Green homes on the cheap, walks through writer Martin LaMonica's home, pointing out the green (and cheap) ideas he's put into action.

Some of the highlights:

Heat: Martin discusses the pellet stove he installed last year. This was a really cool deal to read about for me. When I lived in Humboldt we had no electricity related to heat. The only heat we had in our on-the-beach home was a wood stove. It saved us lots of money, because at the time wood was cheaper than California electricity, but wood is also a hassle. Being on the beach means wet, cold mornings, every morning, and fighting with also damp wood is no picnic when you're freezing. We considered a pellet stove at one time, but moved before we decided. Martin's tips on pros and cons of a pellet stove are great to read.

Energy efficiency: More and more people are realizing that using power correctly is just as big a deal as what sort of power you use. Martin discusses this important topic.

Other topics include, solar chargers, toys, window shades, water barrels, and composting. I loved this article and all the photos were a great touch. This is a must read if you're dreaming of greening your own home, or even if you're dreaming of building from scratch.

[old school wood stove photo via stock.xchng]

The Top 4 Ways to Save Energy in Your Home

jchait — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

If you're building or renovating a home and want the biggest earth saving bang for your buck than concentrate on energy saving first and materials second.

A lot of green building advice focuses on greener, more sustainable materials, both recycled and new. However, what matters a little more on the earth end of things is energy. Here's why. Green materials are great, in fact use them all you can, but the deal is, that green materials tend to be a one time deal. They do good because you choose them over another. I.e you may save some trees by going with reclaimed wood or straw bale vs. new timber. By building with green materials you perform a good deed.

By saving energy each day, each week, each year, for years and years, you're looking at a much longer payback of good deeds for the planet. Greener materials can be costly, depending on which greener building materials you use. Some energy saving built-ins can be costly as well. If your budget only allows room for one; go with the energy saving costs.

Here are some energy costs to consider - costs that pay off better in the long run for the earth:

The best insulation set-up you can afford.
Really great energy efficient windows and doors.
A great designer and building team - a team that will build right for maximum solar exposure, and who won't leave pesky cracks and holes in your home. Cracks and holes can cost you big time in energy losses.
Super energy efficient appliances and light fixtures.

These are just some ideas, there are many more ways to design for energy saving that have nothing to do with actual structural materials. All of the above can be costly, but in the long run you will save money and energy and the earth can breathe a little easier.

Green Home Site Selection - Part Three

jchait — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Over the last two days we've looked at tips for choosing land when you build a green home from the ground up. Today, we'll finish up the list, and next week, we'll look at specifics on some of the tips.

1. Choose sites that are already well-drained: There are actually ways to dry out an area for your home on a wetter site. You can build on a slope which we talked about in our first set of tips, or provide some drainage around the foundation. You can even do some grading, or let a professional do it. However, it's easier if you simply start with a nice dry site to begin with.

2. Explore land hazards: We touched on this when talking about flood plains and arroyos, but there are plenty of other natural hazards (and some man-made) to watch out for. Clear-cutting, poor development, mud slide areas, forest fire prone areas, and more can cause you problems of course. These sorts of issues can also hurt land before you ever arrive. Check your land's history when possible.

3. Consider the wind: Wind power is useful stuff. It's starting to become more affordable, and easier to maintain too. If wind power is something you'd like build into your dream home, or something you may consider in the future, check out the wind strength and amount on your land. To power with wind you will need a fairly steady wind flow and not all plots have this.

4. Make sure you'll have water: You can power by sun or wind, but getting water when there's none nearby can be tricky, costly, and maybe impossible. Start looking at catchwater systems as one option and don't assume you can always use nearby lakes and streams. Too few water resources means that if you drain a pond, you could be draining the only animal water habitat around, which is not cool.

5. Balance needs: Balancing needs comes in many forms. You may have a need for an off-grid private home. However, if said home is too far from work, stores, recycling centers and other places you frequent, transportation costs and pollution could cancel out your green home. Also balance home location on your land. Many people go for the best view, or try to build right next to their favorite block of trees. You need to build for proper orientation above all else, or your energy costs and/or needs can outweigh the benefit of the area.

6. Research: Research a lot and then some more. In three days, we honestly didn't come close to considering all the aspects of what to look for in the perfect plot of land. Among each of the tips I presented, theres a multitude of smaller tips. This list and the previous lists in this series should get you started and if you need more information read: Overwhelmed With Green Home Options?

[Photo via author's personal home building photos - New Mexico land and house]

Green Home Site Selection - Part Two

jchait — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Yesterday we looked at tips regarding land selection for green home building. Since it would be bulky to smash all the tips together, I split up the tips into a more manageable size. Today we'll look at some more tips.

1. Avoid swamps: Ok, true, not many people build on swamps. However, many folks build on marshy areas because they haven't done their homework. Marshy land can cause some big problems for you, the home dweller, as well as destroy valuable wildlife habitats.

2. Choose local land: This comes down to material availability. Building too far out in a rural area can be cost prohibitive and it's not all that earth-friendly. Having to ship all supplies long distances creates plenty of pollution. If you do build far out, consider if you'll be clearing any trees and if you can recycle them into your home building.

3. Check for decent soil: You can add soil amendments, but it's also nice to start with good, rich soil. Especially if you'll be growing some of your own food.

4. Find out who can access your land: In many cases utility companies and sometimes cable and phone companies may own some access to your potential land. We'll discuss how this can be legal later on, but the reason to find out is because why would you want the utility company to build a road through your front yard or hang lines?

5. Watch out for future development: Find out who owns the surrounding land and if they seem likely to sell. My friend bought land on the edge of a wildlife area, with tall trees, creeks, birds, animals, and more, plus a stunning view. Fast forward five years from date of purchase and now she's in the middle of a war with the people who bought the land. They're ripping out the forest and building McMansions, and she has few legal rights. It's gross, sad, and really lame, but you don't want to be in the same situation.

Tomorrow we'll finish up this list and next week move on to specifics regarding each tip.

[Photo via author's personal home building photos - New Mexico land]

Green Home Site Selection - Part One

jchait — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

In this post, I'll create a partial checklist that can help you prepare to choose the best plot of land when building your green home. In tomorrow's post (and maybe Friday) we'll see the rest of the checklist. And next week we'll start looking at each tip in more in-depth detail.

When we built our home, it took my partner over a year to find the perfect plot of land, I thought we might just look at all the land in New Mexico (we didn't). My point don't be discouraged if it takes some time. In fact timing is my number one tip...

1. Don't rush: Rushing makes it easy to buy land you're not completely happy with. If you plan on living in your home for a long time - and I hope so, because rampant moving is not a green choice, then you'll want to love the land you're on. Being patient can also save you money, and save you from making a mistake when you don't check out the land properly.

2. Research and then set a budget. You can set a budget before researching, but you won't know how far your money will take you in your area. See what's typical. Note how much land your budget can buy, and if you'll have to make any sacrifices. You might have to, but if you know ahead of time what sacrifices you may need to make you can pick and choose the lesser of two or three evils.

3. Slope is good. I though slope was a bad thing when we first started building, but it turns out, slope assists in a natural drainage, say for graywater systems.

4. Avoid flood plains: This seems obvious, but how many people build smack in the middle of a flood plain - tons. Don't be one of them.

5. Don't build in arroyos. Actually don't build near one either. In New Mexico for example, this could be a problem. It won't rain forever, and then when it does, it pours, transforming streets into lakes and arroyos into worse. Your house could be flooded and pounded down in one rainy downpour.

6. Make sure your site has decent to great solar access: Even if you won't be going full on solar, you'll want to try for passive at least. In the North Hemisphere choose land open to the south and in Southern Hemisphere of course do the opposite. If you don't know North from South take a compass with you as you search for land. I get really confused with direction, and there's no shame in taking tools that can help you. If you have the time - say a piece of land is not a likely hot seller you'll want to track the sun for a while on the land to get a feel for how solar might work on a day-to-day basis.

Tomorrow: More tips to add to this checklist. Possibly we'll wrap up. and if not, we'll finish up Friday. There's a lot to choosing the right plot of land, you don't want to leave anything out.

[Photo via author's personal home building photos - New Mexico land]

50 Sustainable Home Design Features & Resources

jchait — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:00:00 -0400

Sometimes it’s nice to dive deep into a single green home topic. Other times it’s cool to have a nice long list of ideas to work with. Following are 50 features of smart green home design. These ideas for building a green home will get your brain pumping and the creativity flowing. To learn more about each sustainable home design feature, simply click on the link.

If you’re thinking of building green, but aren’t sure where to start, this list should give you plenty of sustainable home ideas to explore. Of course, there are other sustainable building features not covered above, and some features that overlap. Also, no one will integrate all of these options into a single home, but it’s nice to know that so many great green building features exist.

Smart Green Home Design Option - Earth Floors

jchait — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Earth floors, sometimes called adobe floors, are pretty cool. I had some pals put one it and I've done the planning for my own, although, in the end we went with different flooring. If you're interested in a good looking, inexpensive, earth friendly (literally) floor than an earth floor could work for you.

Basics of earth floors:

Earth floors are made of a mix of about 20% clay with silt, 80% aggregate, and cement can be added to improve durability. This dirt mix is laid on crushed rocks and the surface is sealed with both a hardener and a surface cover like linseed oil. Some people even incorporate hot water tubes embedded in the floor to provide heating, and other design elements are worked in as well, such as tone and shade.

Benefits of earth floors:

Extremely low in cost - about one dollar per square foot is typical, and that includes labor. I actually know a family who pulled it off for less.

Looks very nice - which is of course a personal taste issue. I think they look great though. They also feel nice, a wee bit soft, but not too soft.

You're barely putting any strains on the environment when you install an earth floor. It doesn't create pollution, or a big energy loss, and the materials you don't use for the floor can simply be recycled into the earth. One major downside of construction of any sort is the waste it creates. Earth floors just don't create the same waste.

Not a lot of upkeep involved. Your floor can be swept, mopped, and spilled on with no issues.

Down-side of earth floors:

Really labor intensive. You build an earth floor layer by layer, slowly. This is actually why we didn't end up using this technique, on our own house. Had we been able to set aside more time, it would have been ok, but earth floors take a lot of work.

Not many professionals in home building know how to do them, so you're looking at finding a specialist contractor, doing it yourself, or hiring an outside business. Note that it's not impossible to do it yourself, it just take a while to install.

If you're not a professional, or expert on earth floors you could make some vital install mistakes. Nothing that's going to ruin your home, but you might miss a step that makes your floor truly durable. When incorrectly done, earth floors can be easily scratched or chipped.

The best way to learn about creating earth floors is to attend a building of one, or a workshop on installation, it's way better to learn hands on.

For instance, near where I live there was a Three-Layer Earthen Floor Workshop that just happened, and in New Mexico it was easy to find a workshop too. The avaibility of something like this is going to depend on where you live. Check with local community centers, building supply shops or your chamber to find out more.

If you just want more info, most books on adobe, straw bale, or cob homes have a earth floor component. Take a look at the following resources:

The Harder They Come: Unstabilized Floor Using Road Base

The Sourcebook for Green and Sustainable Building

How To Pour A Rammed Earthen Floor/Adobe Floor

Green Design Gets Groovy

kbutler — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

As I was checking out the latest issue of Popular Mechanics in my dentists’ office (not at all because the latest issue of People was taken up by a surly-looking woman with a swollen jaw) I came across an interesting entry. In their latest issue, Pop Mech (cuz that’s how it looks in my head) provides a list of the top smart green home designs out there. And let me tell you, there’s some cool stuff. As the article lays out green design: “The principles are simple: Use materials wisely, conserve water and energy, save money in the long term, and create surroundings that are safe and healthy.” From soybean sealings to rescued wood floors to green beer (and no, I’m talking a St. Patrick’s Day tradition), this is a list essential to anyone building a green building or doing a green remodel. Apparently while drunk, but that’s beside the point. Here are some of the goodies laid out for us:

Amazon Environmental accepts all types of water-based paints for reprocessing. Half are recycled into high-quality paints, and the rest are turned into specialty additives for cement. Cool!

Smith and Fog’s Bamboo Ply-Wood is “an emissions-free alternative to pressed-wood products containing glues with toxic formaldehyde.” That and they don’t cut down trees to use it. The trees will thank you for it – especially after a night of green beer.

Helio Volts’ solar cells are so thin they will eventually making it cost-effective for even windows and exterior cladding to become power sources. It’s easy renewable energy.

New Belgium Brewing in Colorado has devised a system from hops in to beer out for designed for greater green efficiency. Not sure how this fits into green design, but it sure sounds awesomely tasty.

Props to Popular Mechanics for compiling this must-have list for the green designer. Unless you don’t want “a house that can sell energy to the grid, a countertop made from glass that would otherwise go to a landfill, and a cable that wires sunlight through solid walls.” Clearly they mean, unless you are nuts!

Build A Green Home for Less Money

jchait — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:59:46 -0500

Green building doesn't have to be overly expensive. Using smart green home design, and other tactics, you can build a great eco home that won't completely break the bank.

Overall, most people overestimate the cost of building green. Still, in some areas you will spend more in the beginning, but remember that part of green building is reaping those money saving rewards related to water and energy use later on.

You can use the following tips to lower the costs.

Plan ahead: When building my own house, the single most expensive thing was that I was building with a poor planner. You need to plan everything. I was working with a great designer and we had good ideas, but because we didn’t plan tasks to correlate properly we lost many weeks worth of work time. For example, make sure you schedule inspections, material deliveries, and extra help at the appropriate times. Our house went over schedule by months - and that's a large loss of money when you consider land payments, current rent, and building supplies. If you're hiring a home builder make sure they have a great track record.

Get your whole team together early on: Research surrounding green building shows that when you involve your contractor early on in the design process, the whole project goes smoother.

Don't separate "green" from not green construction: Assume from the start that smart green home design is the norm and research shows that your costs will stay lower.

Use green design suitable for your situation: You may have your heart set on straw bale, but if that's not typical where you live, or it's unreasonable to do, try other eco design strategies - some more suitable to your community, land, and materials available.

More green building money saving tips tomorrow.