Is there such thing as an ecofriendly permanent exterior paint? Maybe. But if you’re thinking of adding a ceramic coating to your home or using a ceramic house paint, here’s what I now know about ceramic paint that I wish I’d known sooner!
Green Homebuilding
An eco-friendly home includes environmentally friendly materials from the ground up (like roofing, flooring, lighting, painting materials, architectural styles)... in every room of the house (from kitchen countertops & backsplashes to bathroom toilets & showers)... plus energy-efficient appliances and equipment throughout (like solar panels, water heaters, etc). Here, homeowners are sharing their personal experiences with green home building & remodeling products, and the ways that ecofriendly items affect a home's ultimate cost and energy-efficiency.
Your Green Insulation Options: The 7 Most Eco-Friendly Types Of Home Insulation
Green home insulation materials are ones that are manufactured from renewable resources & recycled materials with fewer chemicals. Which type of insulation is best for your home depends on where you live. Here’s how to choose a green insulation material with a high R-value for where you live. We’ll cover these: cellulose insulation, cotton insulation, mineral wool insulation / rock wool insulation, sheep wool insulation, straw bale insulation, soy foam insulation, and recycled plastic insulation.
Reflective Roofing vs. Dark Roof Colors: See How Roof Shingle Colors Affect Your Energy Costs
I’m a roofer and I’m here to tell you that roof colors matter. It depends on where you live. See when you’d want to choose reflective roof shingles and when you’d want to choose dark asphalt shingles for your house. And see how your energy bills will be different, based on the roof shingle colors you choose.
Green Homes: The Difference Between An Energy-Efficient Home & An Eco-Friendly One
Building a new home? Renovating an old one? Green homes matter. Improvements that make a home green + How to determine the environmental impact of your home
Tiny Homes With Character: The Pros & Cons Of Shipping Container Homes
Shipping container homes are popular. But are they really less expensive & easier to build than other houses? Some good & bad things about these tiny homes.
Green Home Improvement: Top 5 Businesses That Help You Go Green
Is a green home improvement project in your future? Looking for ways to do things around the house that are eco-friendly rather than wasteful and harmful to the environment? Here’s where to start to find green products and helpful resources.
Modular Green Homes: GreenPods Designed By Ann Raab
Green homes have been around for awhile, and they’re getting greener all of the time. GreenPod Intelligent Environments. GreenPods are designed by Ann Raab and can be used in a number of different ways.
7 Reasons To Install Radiant Barrier Roof Sheathing
Radiant barrier roof sheathing has a highly reflective material facing the interior of your attic. It will seriously reduce your home’s energy consumption. If you like saving money and helping the environment you should really look into radiant barrier roof decking. Trust me you’ll be happy you did.
EcoStar Roofing Tiles: These Synthetic Slate Roof Tiles Earn LEED Credits
By using synthetic slate roof shingles that are made from recycled materials, you can earn LEED credits. EcoStar Majestic Slate roof tiles are one example.
Eco Friendly Carpets: Recycled Carpet Lines That Are Highly Rated
Selecting carpet that was derived from recycled materials is easier than ever and it’s a great product to boot. There’s not much reason to purchase any other type of carpeting product on the market today.
BreezeDry: An Eco-Friendly Indoor Laundry Drying Cabinet
Drying all of your delicate laundry has been made simple and economical with a very cool product. It’s an indoor laundry drying cabinet that uses outside or inside air to effectively dry your clothes as gentle as possible.
Net Zero Home Tours: Take A Virtual Tour Of The Net-Zero Concept Home
Take a virtual tour of the 2011 net-zero concept home that was on display at this year’s International Builders’ Show in Orlando. Builder Online, KB Home, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia combined their talents to create a cutting-edge net-zero home that is bringing concepts into the homebuilding industry.
Net Zero Homes: The New American Dream
The National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) is designing and building a net zero home that will be a living laboratory to gather info to put these types of homes into the mainstream of the national home building industry.
Sideways: An Engineered Hardwood Flooring With A Different Look
Are you looking for engineered hardwood flooring that contributes to LEED credits, looks different in shape and pattern and is beautiful to look at. Take a few minutes to learn about this cool flooring product. It’s green, too!
Eco-Friendly PaperStone Countertops Are Hard To Beat
PaperStone is one of a handful of brands of eco-friendly, post-consumer recycled paper countertops. It’s durable, hard as nails, versatile and much more. Get the scoop to make an better decision on your next home building project in the kitchen or bathroom.
Eco Friendly Countertops: Are Paper Countertops A Good Eco-Friendly Choice?
Thinking about picking out a new countertop in the near future? Add paper countertops to your list of types of materials to consider. Paper composite countertops are rock solid and do not harbor bacteria. It’s a serious contender amongst other green materials used and it’s green in many different ways.
Coconut Palm Flooring: A Beautiful, Eco-Friendly Alternative
Palm flooring is an eco-friendly flooring option that you should put on your short list when comparing different types of wood species. It’s sustainable, it’s beautiful, it’s made with no added urea formaldehyde, and it will earn you LEED credits for your homebuilding project for low-emitting materials.
(Formaldehyde-Free) Bamboo Plywood Is Ready For Prime Time
Not only can you install FSC-certified bamboo flooring in your home, you can also purchase bamboo plywood for your walls for a very cool eco-looking interior.
Aluminum Tiles Made From Aircraft Cladding Create A Unique & Sleek Kitchen Backsplash
Aluminum tile as a green homebuilding material? Yes, it’s true. But only because they are made from retired aircraft cladding. Recycled and reclaimed = green.
Water Saving Shower Heads: How To Find The Best Water Efficient Shower Head
Swapping out your old showerheads with new EPA WaterSense labeled showerheads would conserve at least 20% of your water usage. I’ve got the scoop on what you need to know before buying.
Green Roofs: How To Choose A Green Roof For Your House
Choosing green roofs for your home building project is a daunting project when you consider all of the options available in the roofing market today. If you want to make an informed choice in your next roofing purchase, you might want to take a few minutes to gather a few great links for some answers.
Home Water Heater Efficiency Is Increasing With Advanced Technologies
This water heater efficiency guide is key to saving you money and reducing energy usage in our homes. Replace your old, tired energy-gobbling water heater and save yourself some money.
How To Choose The Best Energy Star Water Heater For Your Home
Choosing a water heater for your home can be a daunting task. This is a series of posts that will guide you through the process of selecting the best water heater for your home. Choosing an Energy Star water heater is a great start so dig in and come away with the best choice for you.
Save Money and Conserve Water At Home By Installing A Dual Flush Kit In Your Toilet
A simple way to conserve water and save money at the same time is to install a dual flush kit on your old toilets in your home. They’re pretty cheap and they work as advertised. My comparisons will help you decide which brand to choose. A look into high-efficiency toilets (HETs), too.
Big Ass Fans Keep You Cool and Comfortable
If you have a large space that needs a lot of air flow, look no further. These fans are the world’s largest and will get the job done in commercial, industrial and residential settings. Innovative design puts Big Ass Fans in the forefront of moving large amounts of air in an efficient manner for a more comfortable environment in which to work and live.
Green Footstep’s Carbon Footprint Calculator To The Rescue
Determining the carbon footprint of your building project just got much easier than ever before, thanks to Green Footstep. Their aim is to free the global economy from dependence on fossil fuels. There’s no better time than in the planning stages to reduce the carbon emissions of your project and this tool gets it done.
Remember Clotheslines? Simplicity and Eco-Friendly Come Together
Line drying your clothes on a clothesline may seem old fashioned but you must admit that it has lots of benefits that a dryer doesn’t offer. Don’t know what those benefits are?? Here are the Top 10 Reasons to Line Dry Your Clothes.
The i-House Is Breaking New Ground
The Clayton Homes i-House is one of the latest prefab homes for consumers to choose from in an already crowded housing market. The difference here is all of the great green features that the i-house has to offer the buyer.
Everything You Need To Know About ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes (for now)
Buying a home that is ENERGY STAR labeled is a wise choice. It’s a win-win-win situation for homeowners, builders and the environment. Here is what it takes to qualify a home for the Energy Star label.
Damaged Windshields See A New Life As Unique Green Home Building Products
Damaged and junk windshields come to life once more through a unique process combining both art and science to create beautiful building products. Seeing is believing.
Making Sense of WaterSense Labeled Toilets (HET’s)
Lots of information on WaterSense labeled high-efficient toilets (HET’s). Performance is much improved over the early HET’s. There are also many more brands, styles and models of HET’s to choose from than ever before. Get out the checkbook! It’s time to save some water…and eventually recoup the expense and labor of the new toilet over the old one.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Recycled Plastic Lumber
Recycled plastic lumber has many useful attributes such as being impermeable to water. But there are some disadvantages to go along with the advantages of this green building material. Find out what those assets and liabilities are right here.
Sustainable Roofing Choices for Homeowners
Sustainable roofing choices are more abundant than ever before. Spend a few minutes finding out what is best suited for your green roofing solution.
Examining the Less Than Sunny Side of Photovoltaic Cells
Anyone who has ever considered photovoltaic cells knows that they are an enormous investment. If you’re considering photovoltaic cells, there are three factors that solar panel manufacturers like to ignore when talking about their product.
How Green Is Cordwood Building?
How green is cordwood building really? There are pros and cons and top reasons that you should be aware of to help you make your choice of green home building materials.
USGBC’s LEED Program Wants To Hear Your Voice
Here is an opportunity to voice your opinion and suggestions directly to the LEED Green Building Rating System Steering Committee. Don’t miss it! Are you in the market for a LEED Certified Green home? This ‘Green MLS’ is just the ticket.
The HGTV Green Home Teaches Water Conservation
Water conservation was a key factor in earning the HGTV Green Home the LEED Gold-level certification amongst the myriad of products, construction methods, materials and ideas that indeed makes this an excellent example of how to build a green home.
Beyond Green: Advantages of Cork Flooring You Might Not Know About
Cork flooring has many advantages that you may not have heard of before. Green home building has brought it to the forefront of flooring choices for eco-friendly homeowners but it’s been around for much, much longer for reasons that you may not have considered.
Should You Consider Solar Powered Hydronic Floor Heating?
Hydronic radiant floor heating can make an enormous difference in the temperature of the flooring and consequently your home. While this green technology may work well, cost and practicality make this a difficult system to recommend to the average homeowner.
Why You Should Consider A Solar Powered Attic Fan
Solar powered attic vent fans can be a great way to save some money on cooling costs as well as support solar technology. Included is a great video featuring Tom Silva of This Old House that shows you how to install it yourself.
A Green MLS Makes Your Eco-Friendly Dream Home Search Easy
Looking for a Green Home? ListedGreen is a Green MLS that only lists green-certified homes in your area or worldwide…your choice.
Green Building Materials: Finger Jointed Lumber
Finger-jointed lumber is the home building industry’s answer to keeping lumber supplies at a reasonable cost while significantly minimizing waste with little or no loss in quality or architectural standards.
Ultra-High Tech Refrigerated Wall Oven is a Marvel of Engineering
Refrigerated wall ovens, by Connect IO, are one of the most intelligent kitchen appliances ever engineered. Operates via standard touchtone phone or internet browser from anywhere on planet Earth. it also has a user-friendly touch screen interface to get the ball rolling.
Manufacturing and the Environmental Impact of Bamboo Flooring
Bamboo flooring has gained popularity in the past few years for good reason. It’s eco-friendly and it’s durable. There’s no reason to believe bamboo flooring won’t be around for years to come. Manufacturing techniques have made this material a great choice for flooring.
Advantages of Using Cotton Insulation in Residential Construction
Cotton insulation is an eco-product worth considering in today’s construction market. It’s eco-friendly due to it being a recycled product and it has insulating characteristics that are comparable to fiberglass. Consider incorporating cotton insulation into your home building plans for its’ many advantages.
Renewable Energy and Efficiency Tax Incentives & Rebates For Homeowners
All of the constantly updated regional, state and federal incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency links are right here. Look no further.
HGTV 2008 Green Home Has Plenty To Crow About
The HGTV 2008 Green Home has some great design features that anyone can incorporate into their next home building project to make their homesite a more sustainable one.
LEED Credits And Eco-Friendly LEED Home Rating System Explained
What is LEED and what’s it all about? It’s a national home building green standards program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. Looking for a green building glossary? Got it handled.
Fluorescent Light Bulb Recycling Made Easy
Properly disposing of spent fluorescent light bulbs, CFL’s and HID bulbs is your responsibility. Learn where to recycle your old bulbs with these helpful links.
Mellow Mushroom In Knoxville Goes Solar
Forward-thinking Mellow Mushroom in Knoxville is on top of the curve by harnessing the sun’s energy with a solar panel array on their roof. It’s the very first restaurateur to do so in Knoxville. This post also provides everything a homeowner needs to know about generating your own clean energy.
