It is a better home, designed to cost less to maintain, use less energy, and cause less pollution. Years ago these homes were considered odd because people used to have to give up so much of a normal lifestyle to live green. This is no longer true because there are so many more ways to make your home green today. Green has become mainstream and there is no limit to your choices. Whether remodeling your home or building a new one, many of these ideas can make it a better, more beautiful place to live, and increase its value.
Let's consider some reasons why so many are making their homes more green, and how they do this. This might be just the information you need to make your home the best it can be.
Spending less
The most common way to make a home green is to make it more energy efficient.
Reducing the utility bills is a great way to make a mortgage payment more affordable.
As utility costs increase, so does the money saved by making your home more energy efficient.
The state and federal government and the utility companies often
have programs to help pay for making your home more energy efficient.
The utility company might also be able to help you decide how to get the maximum savings for the minimum cost.
They might recommend sealing up drafty leaks in your home, adding insulation, upgrading your windows,
or a more efficient air conditioning system.
All of this can make your home more valuable too.
Another great way to reduce your expenses is to build smaller.
This is the easiest way to reduce energy costs, and it can save on construction costs too.
The money saved could be invested in better quality materials. This might also reduce your maintenance costs.
A professional designer can help you plan a smaller, better home.
This is a new trend in home design.
Many realize they do not feel comfortable in huge mansion style homes.
They choose quality over quantity, and this is good.
They have a home that takes less time and money to clean and maintain,
and they have more time to enjoy their home.
Another growing trend in home design is passive solar.
Now before you dismiss this idea,
let me explain that most passive solar homes do not have panels on the roof,
large glass walls, or barrels of water to store heat.
In fact the only difference you would notice is that the home is more comfortable.
This can be as simple as designing the roof overhang to shade the windows from the hot summer sun,
but letting in the winter sunshine (which is at a different angle).
The home can also be designed to reduce the glass
that faces the hot summer sun and the cold winter winds.
If you would like to save even more energy costs,
your passive solar home could be designed to need much less heating and air conditioning.
A professional home designer can help you plan a home
that considers the direction of the sun on your property.
Making your home more healthy
You might be surprised at one of the biggest threats to our health: Radon.
Just beacause we don't hear about this anymore does not mean this problem is gone.
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.
For those who smoke the danger is far worse.
One more fact: The southern Appalachians are more prone to have radon.
Yet it is very easily prevented by incorporating an inexpensive venting system in your new home.
This system is explained on the EPA's web site and in the building code.
If you do not include this vent system in your new home,
fixing a radon problem can be many times more expensive later.
We do hear a lot about mold.
This problem is very expensive, and there is a lot of money being made on solutions that do not work.
Experts agree that there is no chemical or machine that effectively kills mold growing in your home.
It must be carefully removed, and the conditions changed so it will not regrow.
Mold needs moisture and food to live.
Most walls are covered with sheetrock panels that are lined with paper, and this paper is perfect mold food.
If the inside of the wall is damp, you have everything you need for lots of mold.
These conditions are also perfect for wood rot, carpenter ants, and termites.
To solve this issue, we can reduce the food sources.
New sheetrock panels that do not have paper are available.
If stocked locally, they cost about the same, and finish about the same too.
If more people request this material for their homes, it will become more available.
The other way to reduce mold is controlling moisture.
Reducing humidity can help prevent mold. So can reducing air leaks in the walls, floors, and celings.
Eliminating all water leaks is important too.
A well designed home would have much less chance of mold problems.
Do you want a green home because you suffer from alergies?
To solve this problem it is important to know what type of alergies you have.
If it is mold, the previous paragraph considers some solutions.
But most alergies are caused by dust mites and most of your dust comes from your vacuum cleaner.
Even a HEPA rated vacuum might leak a lot of dust after you beat it around the house a couple of years.
Place your vacuum by a sunny window, turn it on, and watch for the dust cloud in the sunbeam.
Central vacuum systems do not leak dust in this way, and fortunately they are much more affordable now.
Replacing carpet with hard surface floors and area rugs can help.
Taking these rugs outside in the sun once a week will prevent dust mites from living in them.
To help with pollen alergies
it would be a good idea to add a special filtration system to your air conditioner.
Some choose to build green because of their sensitivities to certain chemicals.
There are many new products and materials that have much less hazardous chemicals.
To deal with your sensitivities,
it is helpful to provide your designer with a list of the types of chemicals that bother you
(perfumes, adhesives, paint, cleaning prodicts, pesticides, etc.).
Your designer can research where these chemicals are used and recommend solutions that best fit your needs.
But most dangerous chemicals come from you living in the house after it is built.
Using pesticides, cleaning products, and even taking a shower can bring in chemicals that acummulate in your home.
Your designer can discuss strategies to reduce this problem with you.
You can also install and use ventilation when showering and cooking.
Your air conditioning can even be equipped with a ventilation system
that brings in fresh outside air every time it runs.
There are many other ways to reduce harmful chemicals in your home.
But be careful, many products and devices being sold do not work.
For example air purifiers that produce ozone have been found to be harmful.
Ozone is known by experts to irritate the lungs.
Ozone is one of the most irritating components of smog.
You don't want to add this to the air of your home.
The EPA web site has information about this.
A professional designer can help you put these ideas into a healthier home.
Reducing environmental impact
For example we can reduce the pollution caused during construction.
This can be done by using materials that are harvested and processed locally.
When we use granite from Italy and tiles from Spain,
we put into action the shipping of heavy products from very far away.
This shipping uses energy and causes pollution.
It is much more efficient to use local products.
We can also reduce pollution by throwing away less.
Many left over materials can be ground up and used for driveway base or garden mulch.
Many builders have changed their procedures to reduce or reuse construction waste.
We can also consider the impact our construction project has on the earth's resources.
Many lumber dealers sell wood that is certified to have been taken from better managed forests.
Bamboo flooring comes from a plant that grows back in just a few years.
Many are using composite wood products, like OSB and I joists, that are made from wood chips.
We can reduce the amount of materials taken from petrolium like foams, plastics, and vinyls.
When deciding which materials to use in your home, consider their lifespan.
For example, building a concrete floor might cause more harm than a wood floor.
But if it lasts twice as long, it might be the best option for the environment,
when adding the harm caused by rebuilding that wood floor.
Many are also choosing used materials to reduce the environmental harm caused by their home.
There are many stores that sell surplus and salvaged building materials and products.
Salvaged lumber might be much better quality too.
Everything you use makes a difference, and it usually costs less.
Another way to build green is to use materials taken from your property or closeby.
Some people save the trees cut down from their construction site,
and have them sawed into lumber for their home.
Using the rock excavated from your property saves a lot of energy and money
compared to buying rock from far away and having it transported to your home.
It might not be the exact color you want, but local rock would match your property better.
There is now much more interest in active solar systems because of rising energy costs,
incentives, tax rebates, and more reliable systems that cost less.
Some systems heat water. Others generate electricity.
There are wind generators too.
If you would like to consider these sytems in your home,
it would be very wise to get unbiased professional assistance.
Your designer can help.
You can see that there are so many ways to make your home green,
that there is no way to include everything in your home.
We are limited by our finances, time, and what can be done locally.
We just need to consider as much as possible, and design your home to fit your needs.
If we make our home as green as possible, we can be happy that we made a difference.
We have a home that costs less to maintain, is healthier, and caused less harm to the environement.
How can I make my home green?
After learning all you can you need to get expert help.
Choose a designer that has the knowledge and experience to plan your green home.
It would be important to discuss why you want a green home, and what is most important to you.
This information is important to consider when designing your home.
You also need to find a builder who has the desire and the ability to build your green home.
I hope this information leads you to a better mountain home.
If you have any questions, ideas, or would like more information, feel free to contact the author.
The Mountain Home Show is building a very special green home.
Would you like to see this project under construction?
Come to the next Mountain Home Show, and you will get an invitation to our open house.
For more informaiton, click on the link to "Detailed information about the home show."
If you are interested in building, you may also be able to make an appointment to visit.
Click on "Email Richard" to make an appointment.
Or perhaps you would like to observe the construction of this home on line.
Click on "Construction Diary."
You are welcome to visit this web page often as we continually update it.
For a written proposal, including the cost of plans, make a free, no obligation appointment.
How to Contact The Mountain Home Show
Appreciation......
This web site contains information obtained from various sources.
The Mountain Home Show is not liable for the accuracy of this information.
Please contact the source of this information with your questions.
Most people choose to go green to save money.
The costs of energy, building materials, and construction labor keep going up and up.
Using some principles of green design can be the perfect solution.
Many are choosing to make their home green because they are concerned about their health.
Do you remember all the news reports about lead, asbestos, radon, sick building syndrome, and mold?
The EPA website tells us that of all the places we spend our time, our homes are usually the most polluted,
as much as ten times more polluted than outside.
It is a very good idea to be careful about this when we design and build our homes.
EPA's Radon Web Page (Up to date reasearch and instructions)
EPA's Mold Web Page (Up to date reasearch and instructions)
EPA's Ozone Machine Web Page (Up to date reasearch and guidelines)
EPA's Indoor Air Quality Web Page (Unbiased information)
Some people want a green home that causes less harm to the environement.
These are the people who believe the damage mankind is causing to our planet is wrong.
A recent study found that the construction and maintenance of buildings
causes more damage to our planet than any other industry.
That means if we design and build our homes more carefully, we can make a big difference.
Because they feel this is a moral issue, many more are now willing to put extra money into making their home green.
Southface Institute's Solar Web Page (All about making your home solar)
EPA's Green Building Web Page (Much more information about building green)
The best consumer is an educated consumer.
If you want your home to be green, then invest some time into learning about green homes
from books, magazines, and web sites.
There are many non profit organizations like Southface in Atlanta that have much to offer.
The Mountain Home Show and web site is dedicated to educating the public about better building practices.
You can read all of our articles on this web site.
And you may attend our show each spring where we have seminars about better building practices.
Learning about all of this can help prevent others from taking advantage of you.
It can also help you appreciate your green home better.
By understanding the pricnciples of green design and construction
you would be able to take better care of your home too.
New Homes I have Designed
Remodeling Projects I have Designed.
My Procedures for Designing and Planning
Richard C. MacCrea
Home Planner
Email Richard
P.O. Box 446, Murphy, North Carolina 28906-0446
(828) 837-5787
Other Pages on this Web Site
The Mountain Home Show, Home Page and Site Map (How to find what you're looking for)
Detailed information about the home show (For guests and exhibitors)
Articles (About designing, building and remodeling a mountain home)
The Mountain Model Home (An experimental home that is extremely energy efficient)
The Mountain Model Cabin (A very small mountain cabin designed to sleep four comfortably)
Construction Diary (The joys and frustrations of building these two model homes)
Home Designing and Planning (How to get great plans for building or remodeling your home)
Email Us (Questions about The Mountain Home Show or Your Mountain Home Project)
The Mountain Home Show, P.O. Box 446, Murphy, North Carolina 28906-0446
The Mountain Home Show owes its success to the businesses that participate in the show. They arrange such wonderful exhibits. It is obvious that they take great pride in their work and our show.