Green home building is no longer just a fashionable trend. These days, almost everyone who is starting to build or renovate a house looks at ways to make their home as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible.
But why is there such a big focus on how you can build an eco-friendly home?
Well, by building a home that is environmentally-friendly, you are helping to ensure minimal damage to the environment and also protecting our air, wildlife and water for future generations.
TALK TO YOUR ARCHITECT + BUILDERS
Your architect, builders and even your project manager, if you have one, are the best people to talk to about building a home that does minimal damage to the environment. Whether you buy land in Mambourin and start it from scratch or are taking an existing house and remodelling it to make it your own, the professionals are the ones who know exactly how to turn your sustainable dreams into reality.
BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
Bringing the outside into your home is a great way to make it come alive. After all, everyone loves a huge leafy houseplant in the corner, right? As well as bringing in some colour, texture and interest, a green plant or five in a room can help to improve the air quality, reducing the chances of allergies and asthma. Many eco-purists believe less is more, but if your budget allows, an indoor living wall that promotes all sorts of wonderful greenery is one way of bringing the outside environment indoors and making you feel unified with the world.
CONSIDER YOUR WINDOW PLACEMENT
One of the most damaging elements of your home is heating and cooling systems, but having carefully placed windows can really help with this. As well as helping with the environment, it also helps to reduce your utility bills, and that is never a bad thing, is it?
If you want a room to be cooler, make sure it is a north-facing room. If you want to heat up a room naturally, make sure it has big south-facing windows. If a room gets too hot, instead of switching on the air conditioning unit, look at blinds which can be closed during the day.
USE ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS
Assuming you have built the exterior of your home with as sustainable materials as possible, it would be silly to then use damaging and chemical-filled ones inside. Most mainstream paints have volatile organic compounds which can be pretty toxic. Instead, opt for specialist eco-friendly paints that have low or even zero VOCs.
When choosing your furniture, look for ones made out of recycled materials. You could even visit local thrift and second-hand shops to see if you can find some treasures hidden away for a quirky look. Giving something a new lease of life is a superb way of doing your bit for the environment.
Before long, all new houses will be made of sustainable materials and designed in a way that the impact on the environment is minimised. Until then, be a leader and make sure your new home is eco-friendly.
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This has been a collaborative post. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are not my own
