Green Home Remodeling

Doing a Green Home Remodel is usually a lot easier than most people think. It can be as simple as replacing old appliances with energy efficient ones, or replacing old windows with insulated ones; thus enabling the windows to help keep the hot and cold where it belongs.

If you are considering a home remodel; consider remodeling green. This can be quite an advantageous decision.

1. You will be doing you part to make things more sustainable and efficient not only for yourself, but for generations to come.

2. It will make your home healthier.

3. There can be incentives and tax breaks, depending on the area in which you live, for doing a Green Home Remodel.

4. Because people are becoming more concerned about the economy, and more watchful for their spending dollar; green homes are selling better and faster than other homes on the market.

After you have made the decision to remodel green, you might consider hiring a contractor that is certified in green remodels. You can just hire him/her for advisory expertise. It can help make you more confident in knowing the remodeling done, is truly green.

If you do not have a computerized, digital thermostat, consider having one installed. A professional can have it changed in just a little while. They are much more accurate than the standard ones, helping the heating and cooling system in your home maintain a more accurate, constant temperature.

Change out your standard incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL's). You can buy them at almost any place that light bulbs are sold. You will recognize them right away. They are the ones that look like coils. The CFL's cost a little more money initially, but they last much longer than the incandescent bulbs, and you'll see the difference right away in your lighting bill.

If you are doing a complete remodel in your kitchen, start with energy saving appliances. If your appliances are older that 10 years old, chances are they need to be replaced if your goal is to go green.

When we remodeled our home, we went the Energy Star® appliances. They meet the strict government standards, cost less money to operate and use less energy. This helps to conserve our natural resources.

We wanted to keep the faucets that we had because of their nice 'retro' look. We had our contractor take a look at them, and he agreed with us; it was just a matter of replacing the aerator, and we were good to go. If you are replacing your faucets, make sure that the ones you choose meet the standards for water efficiency, using no more than 2 ½ gallons per minute.

Determine if your cabinets need to be replaced or refaced, or just replace the doors. You can get a whole new look just by refacing the cabinets. The important thing to remember, is use renewable resources; such as wood.

Replacing the flooring in your can be a bit of a challenge, but it is quite do-able. If you have hardwood floors underneath carpeting, have them refinished and leave them natural. People love hardwood floors, and you can put out throw rugs to help with warmth.

Vinyl flooring can be replaced with a type of stone or tile. Not only is it beautiful, it is quite durable.

When we replaced the carpeting in our home, we went with a company we found online at www.flor.com/. Their carpet is absolutely beautiful, and it is made from renewable and recyclable materials. It comes in square, so we were able to make any pattern we want, and we were able to install it ourselves.

Painting is done as a finishing touch to your green remodel. Choosing a paint the is low or no VOC (volatile organic compounds) won't be the cheapest paint on the market, but it will definitely be the healthiest. When painting with regular house paint, toxic emissions are released; not only during painting, but can be emitted for a long time afterwards.

Though it is a little challenging to remodel your home green, it sure is rewarding to know that not only have you made your home beautiful, you have helped the environment as well.

Resources:

http://www.ecobuilding.org

http://www.watoxics.org

http://www.flor.com/

http://www.buildings.com/articles/detail.aspx?contentID=475

http://www.greenlightsusa.com/index2.html

http://greenlivingideas.com/household-appliances/index.php