Building Green Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
January 19, 2009 by boygreen · Leave a Comment
Building a green home can seem like an overwhelming and daunting task. With so many options and choices to consider, how do you decide which green materials to include in your project and where do you start? Here are some simple green ideas to get your construction project off to a green start:
Start with a Timeless Floorplan
It doesn’t matter how many green materials you use in your project if you tear them all out to remodel after a few years because your home’s layout doesn’t suit your needs. Avoiding future remodeling waste by thinking through your floorplan now is a green building choice everyone can make. Choosing a flexible floorplan that will work well as your family changes is a key starting point for any green home. Take your time when designing or selecting your house plan to ensure the floorplan will work with your lifestyle both today and in the future.
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Green Countertops in Any Color
October 2, 2008 by boygreen · Leave a Comment
When choosing countertops for your green building project, there are several aspects to consider:
- Sustainability means durability - you don’t want to install cheap products that will wear out or appear dated after just a few years. Request a sample of the product you’re considering and try scratching and chipping it to see how it holds up. Ask yourself if you’ll still love it in 10 years.
- Consider the source - how far did the countertop material have to travel? What are the working conditions there?
- Check VOC levels - some countertops may contain recycled materials, but what holds them together? What sort of sealer is applied? These glues and sealants may contain VOCs that ends up in the air inside your home.
There are so many choices when it comes to countertops. So which countertop materials are the greenest?
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A Bright Idea: Compact Florescent Light Bulbs
September 23, 2008 by boygreen · Leave a Comment
EnergyStar® qualified compact florescent light bulbs use up to 75% less energy than traditional incandescent, or normal, light bulbs. According to energystar.gov, if every home in America changed out just one regular light bulb for a compact florescent bulb, it would save enough energy in one year to to equal the amount of energy used to light over 3 million homes.
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Free House Plans Help You Build Green
September 23, 2008 by boygreen · Leave a Comment
If you’ve decided to build a custom home, you’ve probably realized that design fees can take over a huge chunk of your budget, and often need to be paid for out of pocket prior to obtaining financing. Many people opt for stock house plans rather than custom designs in an effort to reduce costs, which can be a great option. Stock house plans are often thousands less than custom house plans, and can also save time since you won’t have to wait for the plans to be drafted.
Two websites have recently popped up offering free house plans. Yes, FREE! I’ve downloaded copies of the free house plans from both sites, and they are the real deal. Here are the details:
FreeGreen.com offers several free house plans. The plans include a LEED® checklist and green building notes. The site offers several different styles, including a spanish villa, a modern, and a more traditionally styled house. The plans range from about 1600-2000 square feet.
TheHousePlanSite.com offers a free contemporary house plan as well as several other reasonably priced modern stock house plans. The free plan is just over 2000 square feet and includes some green building notes. A customer service rep said they have plans to introduce new free plans on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.
When planning your budget, keep in mind that even with stock plans, you may incur some additional costs for changes required by your building department as well as engineering. LEED certification can also add to the total cost, but may increase the value of your home once complete.