One of the best ways to improve the energy efficiency of your new or existing home is by aggressively air sealing every possible void. Air sealing homes has reached new levels of attention with the current Energy Star rating system. Leaky building envelopes can cause as much as a 20% loss in energy efficiency.
To be [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Today’s Green kitchen’s include numerous green countertop options. If you’re remodeling your kitchen or building your dream home don’t forget to go green with your countertops. Not only can you have an environmentally friendly countertop but it can be stylish and trendy at the same time.
Today solid surface countertops are being made with recycled materials [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

If you’re planning on building a new home then the orientation of your new home will have a significant impact on any future solar system. Placing a new home on a lot is a challenging design process. It’s a real challenge sometimes making making a house sit on a lot so it looks good, meets [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL’s) can drastically reduce the energy use of buildings and significantly reduce green house gases. The use of CFL’s are considered green because they help in two categories of green construction; reduction of energy and improved air quality.
CFL’s Have a Longer Life SpanThe average rated life of a CFL is between 8 [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

One of the big pushes in green construction is the use of low VOC (volatile organic compounds) building materials.
What Are Low VOC Building Materials?Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other hazardous chemicals are contained in many construction materials. Products with high levels of VOC’s pose a risk to the general population, especially children and the elderly. [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

If you’ve come to this site as someone “green” about green construction then you might be asking yourself “Why Build Green?”. I think there are many people asking this question every day now that gas has hit $4 a gallon. The answer is fairly straight forward when you look at some basic statistics about buildings [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Yesterday I wrote Pervious Pavements Reduce Stormwater Runoff and it received several questions/comments about the applicability in cold climates.
The first thing I wanted to point out was this pavement type is not meant for roadways, it’s meant parking areas, driveways, walkways, etc. Some people have voiced a concern about frost heaves with regard to roads [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Pervious or porous pavement are a unique and effective means to address important environmental issues and support green, sustainable growth. By capturing stormwater and allowing it to seep into the ground, porous pavements are instrumental in recharging groundwater, reducing stormwater runoff, and meeting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stormwater regulations. This pavement technology creates more [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Yesterday I wrote about Advanced Framing techniques and how these new framing methods are a green construction approach. I found some details that show the comparison between conventional framing and advanced framing. You can read more about these details and advanced framing at the US Department of Energy’s, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website. If [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds

Advanced framing techniques are growing in popularity for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons for the change is the reduced quantity of framing materials and resulting waste needed to build a new home. Advanced framing is therefore a necessary component of building green and protecting the environment.
The basic principals of Advanced Framing [...]

If you enjoy our post, feel free to subscribes to our rss feeds