Congratulations! You are planning to build a brand new home for you and your family. As a responsible citizen, you are also probably wondering how you can build your home in a way that is friendly to the environment. Thankfully, that is easy to do! Check out these four ways building your home can be a green process throughout!
The Right People
Your first step in making your new home as green as possible is to get the right people on your design team. There are plenty of masters, civil engineering experts, who can design buildings and homes that are environmentally conscious. See if there are any people in your community who can help. Of course, if you aren't on a strict timeline, you can always take the time to learn the skills yourself!
Windows
The right windows are one of the easiest ways to help your home be environmentally friendly. Windows are a huge insulation factor in a home. They can keep the warmth inside your home in cold climates, and they can keep that cool air from escaping in warmer locations. However, the placement of windows can also be a huge environmental factor. For example, placing windows where they can catch the rising home can warm your home.
Plan Green Space
Don't let the landscaping of your home be an afterthought. Plan your home around your future landscaping instead of the other way around. If you plan for trees, organic gardens, green houses, and irrigation systems first, they will be much more effective. You will also be far more likely to maintain your environmental friendly landscaping if it is specifically designed to be a part of your home instead of an afterthought.
Go Solar
Solar power is the way of the future. Solar power is clean, independent, and quickly becoming cheaper than getting your electricity delivered from a power plant miles away. If you are a bit hesitant about making your entire home run on solar power, you can always simply designate portions of your home to solar power. For example, a guest house can be entirely solar powered. You could also simply have your hot water heaters run off of solar power.
Take the time to get your new home as green as it can possibly be. If you are building a home from the ground up, this is the best time to make those green dreams a reality. What are you waiting for? Get started on those plans today!
