Strict Green Home Designs

The green movement has seen a considerable evolution since the early 70s. In those halcyon days of the Peace Movement, Vietnam War and the winding down of counter culture, building green was in its infancy. Open a brochure of green home designs from the 70s and probably what stared out at you were structures shaped like anthills or cave dwellings. You wondered at the sanity of it all.

The concept of living with the nature, environmentally friendly initiatives was very much a part then, but was the preserve of some people. That has changed to green buildings being built by large construction companies with considerable support from the government. A trendy concept of the 70s has now transformed into an official mascot of many a nations.

In the 70s there was no real professional effort at building green homes. Designs mimicked natural designs of indigenous people without really trying to incorporate the wishes and aspirations of modern day living. There was no concerted effort at scientifically arriving at green home designs. Modern day avatars of green home designs follow a rigid certification code in many counties in the world. In the US, The Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) is an initiative that sets standards for green home designs. The same standards have been incorporated by some countries while others have evolved their own. In the 70s, green home designs tended to concentrate on stand alone projects. Present day evolution looks at green home designs as a full fledged eco system. Now, factors such as recycling, indigenous practices, environment and architecture are examined holistically.

An important role in the evolution of green home design has been brought by Science. In the 70s powerful computers were not available. Computer Aided Designs (CAD) with wind flow computations and solar capture calculations make designing green homes far more efficient than the 70s. Even greening of construction materials has received an impetus thanks to advances in science. Nature friendly, recycled products, made possible by advances in science are regularly used by construction companies. A typical example is of fly ash, a waste product which can as well be used in mixed cement with same qualities. As our environmental challenges increase and more and more countries recognize that it is our responsibility to conserve our resources, building green homes has become an internationally recognized initiative. Thus green home designs have traveled from a niche specialization in the 70s to the mainstream of the construction business today.

Renewable & Alternative Energy Resources: http://www.alternativeenergybase.com

Find more information about green home building, visit www.GreenHomeGuide.org.

Teach Me About Green Home Construction

With great enthusiasm you have now decided to build your green home. What are steps required to commence your green home construction? Well, for starters there are some basic questions, which need to be asked when planning green home construction. These basic questions are where do you want to build your dream 'green' home? What are the green resources locally available to you? What are the green designs suitable for your dream house? Who else is interested? Is there a suitable architect available? Can my authorities help me? The solutions to these concerns will clarify the way forward for building your green home.

The designs required for construction of green homes will depend largely on the geographical location you choose. If it were in the mountains, a different type of approach would be required, say to a house in the plains or the deserts or by the seaside.

The green resources available locally will come next in your checklist for your green home construction. Your choice would have to be sensible, even though plentiful organic resources are available. For example, choosing to cut down those trees which are plentiful instead of the rare long living variety which are much more difficult to replace. Using products made from material recycled from city's landfill is an option and could be your contribution to national resource conservation.

The dictates of weather will also decide what sort of green design you would want to incorporate. For example, sloping traditional roofs with runnels would be appropriate in wet weather climate rather than flat topped log cabins, which are more suitable for the mountains. Straw bale and compressed earth blocks are more appropriate for 'green' home constructions in warmer regions.

Involving other people is a positive way to ensure the viability of green home construction. Remember, a community effort is always better than 'going at it alone'. Safety in terms of finances as well as conservation of resources. For instance, common swimming pool, common solar panel grid, common water harvesting projects and common recycling plants can easily be shared by a community wishing to build green homes. Novices cannot indulge in green home construction. Get yourself a good architect with proven track record who knows all the pros and cons of green home construction. It would be his ken to advise you on the best tax benefits from the government, the best designs to incorporate and the best resources to use for best use of your money. That should be your mantra for constructing a green home.

Renewable & Alternative Energy Resources: http://www.alternativeenergybase.com

Find more information regarding green home building, visit GreenHomeGuide.org.

Green Home Construction Tips

A well-designed green home construction requires consideration of several factors, which must be incorporated in the initial structuring stages. Using eco-friendly raw materials is an important management measure in the construction of green homes. Cement high on fly ash content could be one of these alternatives. Salvage of reusable material from landfills, such as using re-engineered wood or ancient wooden beams retrieved from old houses are other aspects of using recycled materials. Green features work better when included in the initial construction phase. Installation of a drip irrigation system instead of a sprinkler system is one such measure. A rainwater harvesting plant is best effective when installed in the initial design stage. Pathways, drive ways should be made of permeable paving so that rainwater can seep through the soil.

Using Forest Stewardship Council (SFC) certified wood for all wooden fittings in the house is favorable to a green house construction. Green home constructions aim at cleaner indoor environment by making use of no/low formaldehyde interior paints. Harnessing the power of the sun by fitting solar heaters and photovoltaic cells helps reduce electricity consumption and lower bills. It is better to fit light colored roofs than dark colored roofs because they are more reflective and thus reduce buildup of heat inside the house. Light colored roofs do not undergo as much thermal expansion as dark colored roofs and hence last longer.

Green home construction need to also address the inside fittings of the house, both static as well as movable. It is best to use recycled wood furniture for the house interiors. Various companies advertise recycled plastic furniture for the garden. A green initiative gaining popularity is using cork or bamboo flooring instead of the usual hardwood flooring. Avoid using vinyl linoleum, natural linoleum is a better choice. Make sure that the ducting in the house is leak proof. It has been estimated that leaks in ducting cause a loss over 10% of the energy used. Using low volume flush toilets and fitting flow reducers to faucets and shower heads helps cut down 40% of the water volume and nobody will even notice the difference. Use on insulation which does not contain formaldehyde helps prevent sickness. One good material for insulation is cellulose insulation made out of recycled paper.

Double paned windows with low emission are very good green concepts. The advantages of double paned windows are that they help in providing insulation as well as reduction of noise. Insulation can further be enhanced using wooden frames for housing windows. The piping of the house should have a jacket to reduce loss of heat. These guidelines should come in handy if you are planning to build a green home.

Renewable And Alternative Energy Resources: http://www.alternativeenergybase.com

For more related to green home, go to GreenHomeGuide.org.