When building a home, there are several options when it comes to the materials you choose. Of course, the typical materials and methods will do, but there are also some options that can really enhance how environmentally friendly your home is. Some options that are readily available include:
- Insulated, pre-cast or ICF foundation walls
- Insulated sheathing (such as ZIP panels)
- High-efficiency appliances
- Synthetic, composite materials vs wood
- Note: You may not always think of processed materials as “green,” but when you consider the cradle to cradle lifecycle of a product, composite materials often have a lower environmental impact overall.
There are also some less common options that are even more eco-friendly. Here are some great materials and products to consider as you plan your home build:
Choose Eco – Friendly Materials Like:
Recycled Steel – This is the most recycled material in the world. If you use it to build, you know for a fact it will be strong, durable and save you money in energy costs.
Plastic Bricks – Plastic and cement aggregates are made in the shape of bricks. This helps reduce plastic waste. It is lighter than traditional brick and is excellent for noise and heat insulation – in fact, it is 5x that of normal bricks.
Timbercrete – A mix of sawdust and concrete, resulting in lighter concrete.
Sheep Wool Insulation – General purpose natural wool fiber designed for use in lofts, rafters, internal walls, and internal floor applications. It meets and surpasses US Building Product Standards for thermal, fire, mold resistance, and structural performance. It has a 10% greater insulating factor than that of glass fiber insulation.
Reclaimed Wood – This is one of the most used types of building material. It is aesthetically pleasing, easy to use, and it feels like nature indoors. Reclaimed or recycled wood has a much lower environmental impact than harvesting new timber. This is also an excellent material for natural-looking floors or exposed beams.
Straw Bales – They can be used as insulation in certain parts of a home.
So why use Eco-Friendly Materials?
1) Low Operation and Maintenance Cost: help reduce energy and water bills. Their cheap operation and maintenance costs mean they are less expensive than other types of buildings.
2) Enhanced Indoor Environment Quality: your health can be protected by having an improved indoor quality of your environment – including reducing your stress levels.
3) Energy Efficiency: a well-designed eco-friendly home will reduce over-dependence on non-renewable sources of energy such as coal. (tip: for more energy efficiency use solar panels to produce energy and reduce artificial lighting by designing windows that allow natural light to enter)
4) Better Environment: reduce the sources of energy that pollute your environment
We would love to design and build your eco-friendly home! Contact us today.