Green Home Design for Sustainable Living

Using the Right Building Materials for Green Home Design and Architecture

Sustainable home design is one of the most important aspects of modern home design. Homebuyers want assurances that when their homes were built, people were using sustainable materials. That will allow the homeowners to keep their energy costs low while maximizing comfort in their green homes.

Creating green home design and sustainable building products feelings in homes has been one of the fastest-growing industries for the last five years. More and more home buyers are choosing to retrofit older homes with sustainable products. They also want to build new homes from the ground up using sustainable products and smart design. These choices will lower their impact on the environment and make the homes more efficient.

Whether you’re getting ready to renovate an older home and give it a sustainability makeover or have a green home design built from scratch. Also, you can just be keeping an eye on sustainable building products for the future here are some of the best sustainable building materials and elements you should know about:

Sustainable Siding

Replacing the vinyl or wood siding on an older home is a great way to give that home a sustainable facelift. And modern siding made from sustainable materials is really beautiful. One of the most popular sustainable siding options is fiber cement siding.

Allura Fiber Cement

Fiber cement siding is sometimes called architectural siding. Allura fiber cement siding is sustainable, efficient, and LEED-certified. But it looks like real wood siding even though it’s a composite material. I mean that it is incredibly strong and durable. Yet it also looks as attractive as real wood siding. There are many different colors and stains available. So that homeowners can personalize the look of their homes. Fiber cement siding is also affordable. Especially when homeowners consider the low maintenance of this kind of siding. Another great material option is calcium carbonate grounded which is both durable and sustainable.

Steel Log Siding

Steel log siding is another sustainable option for homeowners. For this one is an upgrade to existing homes. The steel log siding looks like wood logs. However, the logs are actually steel. This type of sustainable siding requires no maintenance other than occasionally washing it and it is strong enough to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes. It makes any house look like an attractive log cabin.

House Wrap

A house wrap is a fantastic product for homes that will give homeowners a big return on their investment. House wrap is a modern synthetic version of the asphalt-covered paper. One that is used as a moisture barrier and as insulation in homes. House wrap protects the interior of the home from wind, rain, snow, and the elements. The house wrap allows moisture vapor to pass through the barrier. That’s so it leaves the house but doesn’t let any moisture in.  Consequently, this lets homeowners not end up with mold or bacteria. You know, growing inside their walls.

Furthermore, a house wrap or barricade building wrap. It also increases a home’s energy efficiency. When the barricade wrap gets sealed properly by a trained technician it will result in improved flows of air and energy within the home. Homeowners with house wrap will use less energy to heat and cool their homes. One that makes a big difference for the environment and a big difference in the energy cost to keep the home warm or cool.

ICF Homes

ICF homes, or insulated concrete form homes, are sustainable and strong. That’s why so many people who are building their own custom homes choose an ICF house. Using concrete is more sustainable than using wood to build the interior of the home. And insulated concrete has a lot of additional benefits that wood doesn’t have. The pressure-treated concrete is fantastic for interior temperature control so it’s a very popular choice in climates where the temperatures tend to soar in the spring and summer. It also helps keep control of humidity in the home because of the efficient insulation of the home. Bautex energy-efficient insulated concrete blocks can save homeowners a lot of money in energy costs each year.

Thermally Efficient Fireplaces

Fireplaces are being used as a source of heat and not just as a pretty focal point in a room by homeowners that are committed to sustainability. In addition, fireplaces, both gas, and wood can provide a lot of warmth to heat a home in the winter. And if the home has efficient insulation using the fireplace to heat the home can dramatically lower energy bills. There’s also an old-fashioned charm to using a fireplace as a source of heat instead of just as a design element in a room.

But homeowners may need to give their existing fireplace a makeover. Especially to make it look better and function more efficiently. Gas or wood inserts can be placed in older fireplaces that will help them function more efficiently. The inserts have a shallow box that helps push the heat from the fire out into the room. And the design of the insert helps to circulate the heat throughout the room. All so that the heat doesn’t only make the space directly in front of the fireplace warm.

Homeowners can give their existing fireplace a functional upgrade with an insert and a cosmetic upgrade with a stone veneer fireplace façade. Adding real stones in various colors will dress up a plain fireplace and transform a gaudy one so that it fits the look and feel of the sustainable green home design you’re creating. Real Stone has products that make for stylish fireplace surrounds that will fit into any décor style.

greenlivingguy

The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author, Radio Host, Reporter, Writer and an Environmental Consultant on green living. The Green Living Guy writes about green living, green lighting, the green guru guides and more. Seth's books range from: # Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant and Seth Leitman (2nd and 3rd editions) # Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle by Seth Leitman # Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel # Green Lighting by Seth Leitman, Brian Clark Howard and Bill Brinsky # Solar Power For Your Home by David Findley # Renewable Energies For Your Home by Russel Gehrke # Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley # Build Your Own Small Wind Power System by Brian Clark Howard and Kevin Shea # and more green living books to follow.

See Full Bio