“Green products” - Key ingredients for remodeling your home

Improving the quality of our environment seems to be on everyone’s minds, but where do we begin? No matter how hard we try, the situation just seems to keep getting worse. We hear about many issues, including global warming, which is partly caused by large amounts of auto emissions, deforestation and polluted water. It can become overwhelming just thinking about it. However, there is some relief in knowing that you can make an impact at home, helping to conserve the earth’s resources and the planet, at large.  

In environmentally friendly remodeling, “green products” help to increase the efficiency with which homes use energy, water, and materials, and to decrease the effect on human health and on the environment. Putting green materialsto work in your home is beneficial because they increase the quality of your living space.

The essence of home remodeling embraces the concept of taking an item that is old or outdated and finding creative ways to make it, or make it appear to be, new. Whether you are constructing an addition, reconfiguring an area of your home, or doing a cosmetic makeover, you can apply green building techniques to the project.

Here are four key principles that green, residential remodeling should address.

1. The quality of the living environment

The first element that visitors notice when they walk into a home is the air quality. They immediately gain an impression of cleanliness by how the air smells. Many common products in the home emit harmful gases during normal usage throughout their lifetimes. Using green materials, such as wood or paper countertops, reduces the amounts of toxic substances that other items would release into the air, improving your home’s air quality and your health. Preventing or limiting the use of adhesives that release Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) during the installation of countertops or flooring will also help to raise the quality of the air.

Paint is one product that has an affect on air quality. It generally indicates how fresh it is by the strength of its odor; however, this smell is harmful when it is inhaled. Fortunately, advances in paint have been made by excluding VOCs from the lists of ingredients and by including more natural resources, instead. These make “green paints” virtually odorless, and safer for your household.  

2. Using sustainable, renewable and recycled resources

As our population continues to grow, we place more and more of a strain on the earth’s natural resources. We are using them at a rate faster than the planet can regenerate them. By bringing green products into your home, you will help to conserve the planet’s natural resources.

One way to reduce the stress on the earth is to use green flooring, which is gaining in popularity. Eucalyptus, bamboo, Marmoleum and cork are sustainable materials, meaning that they grow quickly enough to replace themselves, rather than being depleted. As flooring, they also provide durable surfaces that add long-lasting beauty and value to the home. Many recycled products are also being used as flooring, such as reclaimed rubber, railroad ties and wood from demolished buildings.  

3. Energy conservation

With the rising costs of energy, there is growing interest in finding products that not only save energy, but also protect the environment. Combining high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems with large amounts of insulation will significantly reduce energy costs.

Cutting down on energy usage can be as simple as improving the energy efficiency of your windows and using day lighting. Energy-efficient windows help to heat your home in colder weather and to block solar energy heat from entering your residence during warmer months. An abundance of natural light may also decrease the need for electricity for lighting, and help to store solar energy, limiting electric consumption in the future.

4. Water conservation

We live in a society that loves to use water. Homeowners water their lawns, wash their cars and pets and take leisurely showers. We use water with the mindset that we will never run out. Although that may be the case in our lifetimes, we are diminishing our water quality and supply. Using gutters to collect potable water for car and pet washing, and for landscape irrigation, significantly reduces consumption of the municipal water supply.

When deciding to include green products in your home, it is important to seek out professionals who understand the products and concepts of green design. A skillful design team will guide you in implementing green design that embraces these four principles and that fits your lifestyle.

Fortunately for us and for the earth, the international community has embraced green building. Manufacturers are scrambling to produce green products at rapid enough rates to meet rising demand. Even the plants that manufacture green products are becoming more energy-efficient. Not only are more green products being manufactured, but the ways in which they are being constructed are becoming greener, too.

We may have only one earth, but you have many opportunities to enjoy its natural beauty and its resources while securing its future.

The design teams at Dave Fox Remodeling, Inc., educate customers on the usages and the design applications of green products, while implementing them in their home remodeling projects.