10 Impressive Green Design Tips for an Eco-Friendly Home
©[Brian Jackson]/Adobe Stock
Mother nature needs our help now more than ever. In an
effort to take care of the planet, many of us have taken up recycling, have
transitioned from driving to biking, and even replaced our plastic straws for
metal ones.
There are various things we can do to adopt a greener lifestyle. If you’re looking for another way you can do your part to keep the planet clean, we have a new concept for you—eco-friendly home design.
Green Homes are Trending
It’s becoming more and more mainstream (and affordable) to
have a green home. A lot of the products that used to be difficult to find or
expensive are now located in a lot of hardware stores. Plus, many home builders
and contractors are taking on more and more green-based projects.
In a study done by Dodge
Data & Analytics, they found that “green building activity will
increase, and, even more important, it shows that most of the increase comes
from a large percentage of respondents (47%) who believe that they will build
the majority of their projects (more than 60%) green by 2021.”
This increase for builders just goes to show how much green
homes are trending—and for good reason. A green home tends to be a healthier
home—not just for the environment, but for your bodies.
If you’re looking to install eco-friendly awareness and practices into your home, you will find many options for sprucing up your home. Whether it is interior or exterior, here are some of our favorite design tips for an eco-friendly house.
10 Design Tips for an Eco-Friendly
Home
Exterior Design Tips
1.
Build Smaller
A smaller house is going to be much better for the
environment than a large one. This is not to say that a big house can’t be
energy-efficient, but a smaller home will have a smaller environmental impact.
Be thoughtful about how you use your space. Square footing should be considered
an investment—don’t just build out in every direction.
2.
Green Roofing
Not much thought goes into your roofing. However, the
material used on your roof makes a dramatic difference in your home’s energy
efficiency. You want to choose a product reflects the sun’s energy away from
the roof, holds heat for less time, and cools faster at night. Textiles such as
slate, terra cotta, white tiles, and metal roofing are a few examples of what
you could use. You could even create a rooftop green garden with the whole
works—perimeter drains, subsurface drainages, and gutters to collect rainwater.
These options can be more expensive but will save you bundles later on.
3.
Choose Building Materials Carefully
Sustainable building materials can reduce the impact that home
construction has on the environment. Make sure you’re looking into whether the
materials used for your home are sustainably-sourced. Wood is a wonderful
choice, but you’re going to want to do some research and make sure that the
wood doesn’t contribute to the deforestation epidemic.
4.
Work with Your Surroundings
When choosing or building your home, it’s important you take
the surrounding landscape into consideration. A typical transformation many
homeowners make is removing trees from their plot. Don’t cut down trees—use
them to your ability.
Another common issue many people run into is uneven land. If
your property slopes, use that to accentuate your home’s overall design. Paying
attention to this can reduce construction cost and the need for extensive
heating, ventilation, and lighting.
5.
Utilize Solar Power & Geothermal Heat
Solar energy is a big deal—it’s one of the ultimate
sources for clean and low-cost energy. If you’re building your home,
you have the opportunity to plan for solar power in ways that older homes did
not. Think about where to position your home and its solar panels so that
you’re getting the biggest impact; Project Sunroof can help
you do just this.
Geothermal goes kind of
hand-in-hand with solar energy, in that it moves heat around (sustaining the
energy) rather than creating it by combustion. Basically, it is an eco-friendly
alternative for an HVAC system that uses natural heat sources to either warm up
or cool down your home.
Interior Design Tips
6.
Multi-Functional Rooms
In the most basic sense, having multi-functional rooms means
fewer rooms that need heating, cooling, and lighting requirements. Oftentimes,
this is not an intentional feat, but it can be a really impactful eco-friendly
option for your home. If you have the luxury of building your house, consider
combining rooms such as the family and living room or the laundry and mud room.
7.
Powerful Plants
Decorating with plants is an often-neglected aspect for a
greener home, but it can do so much for your house. Plants are not only
extremely versatile décor, but they will also help to improve overall air
quality for your home. For example, ferns and palms can increase oxygen and
help purify your home, combatting the pollutant and chemicals produced from
man-made materials.
8.
Let the Sunlight In
Whether you’re building from the ground up or are making
renovations to a new home, you’ll want to think about adding more windows to
your design plan. Make sure that they are Energy Star windows—they’re
significantly more energy efficient than other options. The more windows you
have, the greater the opportunity is to let natural light in and harness its natural
heating and cooling benefits.
9.
Choose Products with Low VOC Content
VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) are oftentimes harmful to
your health. When you’re designing your home and deciding on paint colors, wood
stains, and so forth, make sure that you pick out low VOC options. These are eco-friendly
wood stains and paints that will be much more purifying than
other options.
10.
Furniture & Flooring from Organic Materials
This may seem basic, but nevertheless, it is going to be
very important for your home. Do your best to choose furniture, table tops, and
flooring comprised of materials such as wood, marble, or stone. These materials
allow for a personal touch while keeping your home environmentally friendly.
As you go through the home building, renovating, and
decorating processes, it’s important to keep in mind your impact on the
environment. Try to do your best to put eco-friendliness at the forefront of
your planning. It may seem a bit more expensive in the moment but at the end of
the day, these choices will be much better for your wallet and the environment.
At ECOS Paints, we make sure to provide products that are easy to apply, extremely durable, and resilient for floor painting. As you design your forever home, come to us for your paints, stains, and primers.