Environmentally Friendly Home Building

Home building and saving the environment don't typically together. However, building environmentally sensitive homes can do more for the environment than almost anything else you will do in your lifetime. When people build a home it is generally the largest amount of money they will spend at one time. When money is spent, natural resources are being positively or negatively affected.

How you choose to build your next home is up to you. Over the past decade there have been many new products and practices implemented to reduce the strain a new home puts on the environment. However, the degree to which you implement green building practices is entirely up to you. Some of the environmental areas on which we focus when constructing a home are:

Stripping the topsoil from the building lot so it can be placed back during the final grading. Try to preserve keep any trees and vegetation, where possible. The use of cranes and pump trucks will help minimize site disturbances.
Using engineered wood products. These products use more of the tree (reducing waste) and don’t require old growth trees.
Recycling all waste from the job site. Most counties and cities have a wood recycle program where they make gardening wood chips or other products.
Requesting plumbing fixtures that use less water. Low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads and faucets are a good place to start, but also consider conservation when choosing a dishwasher, washer, and hot water heater.
Hire a professional to check for radon and formaldehyde emissions early in the building process. If there is a problem, it will be less expensive to fix during the construction of your home.
Requesting quality insulation in your walls, attics, as well as your windows and doors. Some forms of insulation are derived from recycled newspaper.
Having ample venting in the attic. This will dramatically reduce your heating and cooling costs. Ridge venting is the most effective and requires no electricity.
Purchasing paints and carpets with low toxic levels. Make sure you understand what you are purchasing.
Using the newest energy saving technology in lighting and light bulbs. This will quickly pay for itself.
Build on a smaller lot or choose lots in a planned community that attempts to preserve open space. This can do more to reduce environmental impact than any other item. A smaller lot uses less land, water, fertilizer, fencing materials etc.

Take into consideration the positioning of the home on the lot when designing the home if possible. This will allow you to add or remove windows, porches, larger overhangs etc. depending on the positioning of the sun.

All of these items are relatively easy and inexpensive to implement. There are certainly many other things to consider, such as solar house plans, insulated concrete blocks, and steel studs. We, at The Plan Collection have carefully selected designers who place an emphasis on environmentally sound designs. Some of our designs are solar by design and other plans could easily be retrofitted to take advantage of the sun.

The technology is here to build an environmentally sensitive home, at little or no extra cost. However, it is up to you to find a builder who will use these building techniques. Remember, you have the choice. Helping to save the environment while building your next home can have a great effect on the quality of your life, but even a greater effect on your children’s.