Posts tagged "building"

Six Myths about Green Building

The sustainable construction industry and green living initiative has really progressed over the past few years, however, some common myths still remain, deterring some homeowners from choosing to build a green home.  Here are a few of the most common residential green building myths.

Green Building Costs Too Much

The idea that green building is too expensive is one of the most common misconceptions about the industry. This myth has been contested may times in the past with proof that green building is cost effective and affordable, however, many homeowners still call on this excuse to decline building a green home. One of the reasons this myth is still around is because a lot of the high-profile builders who get attention for Green Building are very high-end, promoting the idea that green building is more expensive. Of course, there are many affordable green builders, such as Olde Heritage Builders, who can work within a budget to create a home that sustains green building practices while remaining within a family’s price range.

Green Building is Only about Materials

When individuals think about green building, some of the first items that come to mind are green materials, like materials made out of recycled content, low embodied energy materials, no VOC’s, and more. However, although these green building materials are a part of the job, they aren’t the entire job. Green building includes more than just green materials, drawing in decisions like energy performance, site selection, and construction processes.

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Green Building Products Don’t Work as Well

We admit that there are some “green” products that have given the industry a bad reputation, such as low-flow toilets and fiberglass insulation, however, the idea that these products don’t work as well as traditional construction products comes from comparison from outdated technologies. Next time anyone mentions how 1.6 gallon-per-flush toilets don’t work, let them know that they were mandated in all new construction over ten years ago. The truth is that green products work just as well, if not better than traditional construction materials.

Green Products are hard to Find

This too, is an outdated myth. In the past, green products were more difficult to purchase in some parts of the country, but over the past decade, the industry has grown exponentially, making green products readably available nationwide. It may be as simple as asking for a green alternative, or using resources like green directories and finding the right product for the job.

Green Homes look “Weird”

You don’t have to build a geodesic dome in order to have an energy efficient and sustainably built home. These days, green homes can be indistinguishable from any other home. For proof of this, check out the portfolio on OldeHeritage.com. Olde Heritage builds beautiful homes and communities that don’t visually advertise their “green” aspects, but do promote a quality built home with a focus on environmentally friendly construction.

Building a Green Home is Too Complicated

Home owners often think that building a green home is far too complicated to be considered. The truth lies in the fact that sustainability makes sense and many of the decisions in building a green home are fundamental. Building a green home isn’t a difficult or invasive problem, instead should be considered as a way to go back to the basics on home design and construction.

Check out ShieldsofGreen.com, a Raleigh Metropolitan Area green building directory that connects several green initiatives in the area, including OldeHeritage Builders, Ray Family Farms, NC Energy Savers, and Build Trust Contractors.

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Sustainability in Salt Lake City Green Building Designs

What makes Salt Lake City Green Buildings more advantageous than other conventional homes? The answer is just one word: Sustainability. Sustainability means the state wherein a particular structure can support itself independently for a very long time. In fact, this particular state is what most Salt Lake City Green Building ideas revolve around.

There are a lot of ideas that a home owner can use to reach this particular independence when it comes to energy expenditure as well as emission of reduced waste to the environment. In fact, the Salt Lake City Green Building providers can help you create the green home that you wanted.

Most of these ideas are very effective in maintaining the system that your house has. The designs corporate a holistic approach in creating a home with respect to taking care of the environment. Taking care of the environment also means reducing the amount of wastes emitted from the home to the environment. Let us face it, most homes these days are not really into taking care of the environment. In fact, 70% of American homes produce as much waste in terms of energy and wastes to the environment.

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What is great about Salt Lake City Green Buildings is that the homes can actually last for a longer period of time compared to the conventional homes. Moreover, most green buildings are built in accordance to the existing terrain or the type of environment that the site has so you can be assured that the process of building the structure presents minimal disturbance to the local flora and fauna residing on the area. This means that if a home owner wants to build a house in the middle of the forest, the builders need to make sure that the terrain will not be altered that much such as cutting down the trees and leveling off the ground.

Most green structures also require less energy than the conventional homes. In fact, the design of most homes are patterned to optimize as much natural lighting as possible as well as use materials that insulate the home properly and efficiently.

Over all, what make these green architecture stand out from the other conventional homes is that it acts as a steward to the environment by emitting reduced amount of wastes like pollutants to the environment. To top it all, the low production of indoor pollutants also results in good health among the inhabitants.

Learn More about Salt Lake City Green Building

A television special (Part 1 of 2) featuring green homes in Southern Oregon
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Information About Waste Water For Sewage Treatment Plants

As everyone can imagine the moment you get a problem with the treatment of your waste water it can become a very expensive and timely problem, even more so for those who live in rural area. We need to treat our domestic waste water is to remove contaminants which include physical, chemical and biological contaminants, and we to produce environmentally-safe treated wastewater which is suitable to then be released back into the environment.

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From the ground up- building a green home as affordably as possible

If you are interested in making sure that the home you will be living in is as environmentally friendly as possible, you have two choices. One option is to purchase an existing property and retrofit key areas using green technology. The second option is to purchase a plot of land and build from the ground up. While this may be too expensive for some individuals, doing so can afford you the most control over the items that are used to build the home that you will be living in.

If you do decide to start from scratch, here is some information on environmentally responsible choices. They can help you construct a home that is comfortable and which leaves as little impact as possible on the world around you.

At ground level and below
Traditional foundations used cement as their main ingredient. While cement can make a very durable base from your home, there are ways that you can make the foundation more environmentally friendly. One is to use straw or earth in the construction. This is a natural insulator and will reduce your energy bills. As it looks much like a standard foundation, it will not look different enough that it would affect the resale value of your home.

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You may also want to build into an existing hill or install a heat pump system when building the foundation. Earth is an excellent insulator and at deep enough levels will stay at a fairly constant temperature. Using a geothermal heat pump will allow you to draw on this warmth and harness it to warm your home.

Which way should your house face?
Deciding which way your house should face is important. By orienting it to the south, it will be possible to use passive solar energy to heat your home. This will further reduce your heating bills. Passive solar systems allow heat to enter a home through large, well insulated windows. The heat enters but cannot escape. Also, by maximizing the amount of natural light available in your home you may also be able to reduce your electric bills as well.

Green Insulation options
If you are putting in new insulation you may want to consider using environmentally friendly insulation instead of the standard fiberglass materials. Options include spun glass insulation that is made from recycled bottles, or blown insulation that is made from a type of paper.

Once you have the basic structure determined you can then begin to look for other elements that will help make your home feel comfortable. Whether you paint with low VOC paints or choose recycled and repurposed items will be up to your taste and your budget.

The 4 Basic Elements to Building a Green Home

Green building is more than the actual construction of your home, though that is a big part of the process. It is a beginning to end process which begins with the selection of your land, the design of your dream home, the materials and practices used during construction and finally, how you operate and maintain your dream home once it is completed. You can incorporate as many or as few of these elements into your home’s design as you choose.

You decide how “Green” you want to be.

Let’s look at the four basic elements in Green Building:

1. Increasing energy efficiency

2. Materials selected for building your home

3. Increasing the efficiency of water usage both in and outside of your home

4. Improving air quality, which improves the health and productivity of your family

There are many parts to each element. Let’s look at each of these in a little more detail

1. Increasing Energy Efficiency

Advanced Framing – Use a framing contractor who can apply advanced framing technique during the construction of your home. This creates a structurally sound home with improved energy efficiency, and lowers material and labor costs. This technique replaces lumber with insulation material and maximizes the wall that is insulated, improving the R-value of the home. On average, advanced framing uses 30% less lumber, which reduces the building costs and saves 2% to 4% of the total energy use. Hot Water Heater – Water heating can account for 14% to 25% of the energy consumed in your home. To increase the efficiency of your hot water heater, locate it near the highest point of usage. This is typically near the shower followed closely by the clothes washer. Pipes – Insulate the hot and cold water pipes within 3 feet of the hot water heater. This reduces standby heat loss. Your hot water heater is continuously heating the piping and water in it, even when no water is being used. Household Appliances – A green built home features appliances that are as energy efficient as possible. The U. S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have developed a program called Energy Star which labels those appliances meeting strict energy efficient criteria. The typical household spends ,900 a year on energy bills. As you can see in the diagram above, a great deal of that energy is consumed by the appliances in your home. ENERGY STAR qualified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10-50% less energy and water than standard models. Just look for the Energy Star label. The Federal Trade Commission requires that refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers and window air conditioners be labeled with an Energy Guide Label. The label for a hot water heater is shown here. This hot water heater uses 268 therms per year of energy and is being compared to other similar models which use anywhere from 238 to 273 therms per year. This model’s estimated yearly operating cost is 2.When comparing different appliance brands for your new home, be sure to look at their estimated energy consumption. This will impact the operating cost of your home for years to come. Air Sealing – This is advanced caulking which is a part of the airtight drywall approach (ADA). Specifically, caulk or gasket drywall is installed on exterior walls at the top and bottom plates, windows and door frames; on interior walls at the intersections with exterior ceilings; and at electrical, plumbing or mechanical penetrations in the drywall. This approach minimizes heat loss in your home. Work with your drywall contractor to see if he/she uses this method. Radiant Barrier – Reflect heat away from your home by installing a radiant barrier (a sheet of aluminum foil with paper backing) on the underside of your roof. This significantly lowers your cooling costs by reducing your heat gains through your ceiling by 95%. Insulation – Add insulation to your attic to keep the heat in your house. There are some environmentally friendly insulation products made from recycled blue jeans, soybeans, cotton or newspapers. Solar Power – If the sun shines on your home for most of the day in the winter, you have the potential for solar power to reduce your energy costs. A good solar design allows the winter sun to reach a thermal mass like a tile floor which holds heat and radiates it into your home for a period of time. Lighting – Install high-efficiency lighting systems with advanced lighting controls. This allows you to only use the light when you need it. Replace traditional incandescent lights with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs will use 75% less electricity and last up to 10 times longer. When designing your home or remodeling project, introduce natural daylight into as many places as possible. Thermostat – Use a programmable thermostat to provide you and your family the comfort you want day and night while minimizing heating use when you don’t need it. Ducts – Seal your ducts with mastic and insulate them to R-11. This minimizes the heat loss from your home. Paints – You can mix non-toxic ceramic powder into your interior paint to insulate your walls and reduce the amount of heat passing through to the outside. These ceramic particles create a radiant barrier that reflects the heat back into the room. Redirect The Heat – If you have a ceiling fan, redirect the heat back into your room by reversing the direction of the blades to counterclockwise. This brings the heat back down into your room.

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2. Materials Selected for Building Your Home

Plastic Lumber – This product can be used for non-structural applications such as fences, benches, decks, retaining walls, and picnic tables. It is weather and insect resistant, and will not crack, splinter or chip. It does not need painting and will not leach chemicals into the ground or surface water. By doing this, you minimize the amount of lumber used in your home, reduce your ongoing maintenance costs, and you won’t harm your local habitat. The US is home to 4.5% of the population but is responsible for over 15% of the world’s wood consumption. Engineered Wood – This combines the raw materials of wood veneer and fiber with adhesives to produce such laminated lumber as wood veneers, I-beams and roof and floor trusses. The manufacturing process uses fast growing, small diameter trees, allowing more than 80% of the log to be used in the end product. This produces a product which is very consistent and stable while decreasing the impact on a natural resource. Fiber Cement Siding – This is a composite of cement and wood fiber reclaimed from wood processing waste or small diameter, fast growing trees. It produces a siding which is durable and low maintenance. Many fiber-cement composites offer a 50-year warranty, which increases the value of your home and decreases the maintenance costs. Brick -The process of extracting clay for brick results in limited wasted material. Brick has a limitless lifespan and can be recycled or salvaged after demolition. Recycling – The efficient use of materials when building Green comes in two forms. First, recycle construction waste and use reclaimed building materials during construction when appropriate. Once your home is finished, practice responsible recycling of the materials you use every day. Design – When working with your architect or designer, use standard dimensions, engineered wood and stacked floor plans to reduce the overall volume of lumber used as well as the volume of waste.

3. Increasing the Efficiency of Water Usage Both In and Outside of Your Home

Porous Paving Schemes – Watertight, or “impervious,” surfaces suchas paved driveways, walkways and patios don’t allow storm water runoff to infiltrate into the ground’s aquatic systems. Using uncompacted gravel, crushed stone and open or porous paving blocks for walkways and other light traffic areas minimizes the number of impervious surfaces on your property, allowing storm water runoff. Rainwater Collection – Rainwater collected from your roof is a free source of landscape irrigation water. This collection system consists of a suitable roof and guttering system, a storage tank and a simple filtration unit. Low Impact Development (LID) – This innovative approach mimics your land’s original method of water run-off instead of disposing and treating storm water in large, costly, end-of-pipe facilities. This can come in the form of open spaces, vegetated rooftops, reduced street widths and curbs, pervious parking lots and sidewalks, medians and other buffer zones using more vegetation. Plumbing – Design your home to use recycled water for toilet flushing. Use ultra low-flush toilets and low-flow shower heads. Some older toilets use 3-7 gallons per flush while an ultra low-flow toilet uses less than 1.6 gallons per flush.

A family of 4, each showering for 5 minutes per day will use 700 gallons of water per week – a 3 year drinking supply for 1 person in the US. Using a high performance shower head uses 1 – 1.5 gallons of water per minute – up to 60% less than a traditional shower head.

In Your Yard – Mulch exposed soils in your garden beds and improve that soil with compost to a depth of 8-13 inches to increase the ability to hold water. Select plants that have low water and pesticide needs. Planting trees not only beautifies your yard, but will also increase the value of your home while decreasing your impact on the environment. A single mature tree can provide nearly 0 in energy and resource values in terms of cooling, erosion and pollution control. Plus they reduce your “carbon foot print.” Putting the right plants in the right place and developing quality, healthy soil means less watering in the summer, less need for chemicals and less waste to worry about. Chemicals – Avoid outdoor chemicals and fix oil and other fluid leaks to prevent contamination of the water runoff. According to the NY State Attorney General’s office, 95% of pesticides used on residential lawns are considered possible carcinogens by the EPA. Hot water – Use recirculating systems for centralized hot water distribution or utilize “on demand” systems vs. traditional hot water tanks.

4. Improving Air Quality, Which Improves the Health and Productivity of Your Family

The EPA ranks indoor pollution among the top 5 environmental risks. Unhealthy air is found in up to 30% of new and renovated buildings. The electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than 2 average cars. Carpet – Using a low pile or less allergen attracting carpet and pad greatly improves air quality. Wool or PET carpet (made from recycled pop bottles) are good choices. In addition, at installation, have the carpet tacked down, not glued, to reduce pollutants. Many Green Built designs minimize the use of carpeted surfaces, replacing them with hard surfaces which don’t have these pollutants and are easier to keep free of dust, mold and mildew. Paints – Use low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds, such as formaldehyde) paints. Ventilation – While you want to seal your home to prevent heat loss, this creates a need for mechanical ventilation. Ventilation can be provided by quiet fans with automatic controls or by heat recovery ventilators. Talk to your HVAC contractor for the best system for your home’s design. Construction materials – To prevent microbial contamination, select materials that are resistant to microbial growth. Drainage – Provide effective drainage from the roof and surrounding landscape, as well as allow proper drainage of air conditioning coils. Window treatments – Avoid synthetic window coverings or those that cannot be cleaned easily.

Even though there is a lot to think about when using Green Building techniques and principles, it is manageable and doable. We here at UBuildIt can help you work with your architect or designer, subcontractors and suppliers to help you build or remodel your dream home while minimizing your impact on the environment. Taking the time to plan and build or remodel your dream home using UBuildIt and Green Building will positively impact you and generations to come.