green architecture

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

Are Green McMansions Really Green?

jchait — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

More and more we're seeing controversy over what green building is, what's not, and how to classify it all in some neat little package. If you follow green building at all you've heard of the green McMansions. You likely have an opinion. I know I do.

For those who aren't obsessive over green architecture there was a great article recently via The Seattle Times regarding green mega homes (among other issues). This article is great as an intro piece to the issue of mega green homes, because it points out what's up on both sides of the issue. Such as:

Green advocates noting that there's no way a 4,000+ square foot home can be green; especially not when it creates urban sprawl into rural areas.

The mainstream builders on the other side, saying small steps are better than nothing. If we have to build these biggie sized homes, well, at least they're green.

And of course, the debate over some of these homes being officially categorized as "green" when there are clearly more green homes, smaller green homes out there. Does non-toxic paint make something green? Even if it's 4000 square feet of non-toxic green paint?

For certification purposes it seems people want a clear definition, yet no one can agree.

A while back I wrote a post about where I stand on the mega green home issue. You can read that if you like. There's a video about one of the biggest "green" homes ever that's being built - so it's worth a look.

I can just tell you right here that I'm not on board with green McMansions. I don't really care how green you paint it, a house with 10-15 extras rooms is not a sufficiently green home in my mind.

You're not only taking up earth's space in excess, but it costs more basic energy wise, it costs more human energy wise, and excess for unnecessary reasons will never add up to truly green in my eyes. Plus if you think about it, do we really want people seeing these mega homes and saying, "Now that's green!" It's unrealistic. I know I don't want my son to think that a McMansion can be ok, just because some green building methods were used.

In any case, this is not a debate that'll end soon, because there are plenty of people who agree that huge can still be green. What do you think? Can unnecessary excess ever be green?

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.