Special Green House Plans to Show Your Builder

A current trend for many future homeowners is to come up with a concept plan to show to their builders so that they can give them a better idea of exactly what they wish to incorporate into their green home. This allows a home to be as unique as the occupants and to also be very sustainable. Websites like freegreen.com have all sorts of plans that you can put together and show to a professional.

There are a few easy green modifications to consider when building a sustainable home. American homes typically use lots of wood and glass. This can be used to help you maintain sustainability when you build by using reclaimed or recycled products when you build!

Daylighting is a passive solar method which works well with many different style homes. This is a technique that doesn't require any photovoltaic systems, just positioning and planning your home so that sunlight is used efficiently. This allows for optimal solar use and less energy consumption. Watch out for taller buildings and trees that will inhibit sunlight from reaching the building. Southern facing windows are best for passive heating, with east and west exposure being the most difficult to deal with.

As mentioned earlier, you can use wood from other projects to cut back on waste. If reusing wood isn't an option for you, try using sustainable wood. Given the benefits to the environment and our future, it's the one kind of wood you can feel at peace about using. Big chains around the country are beginning to offer sustainable wood. When buying furniture or lumber, there are a few tips to follow to be sure your wood is sustainable. Look for products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an organization that has developed sustainable standards for forest management and which operates programs that verify adherence to them. Avoid all tropical woods (like mahogany and teak) which typically come from irreplaceable, old-growth forests unless they are certified.  Look for products made with reclaimed or "rediscovered" wood. This is wood that has been used before, so no new trees are sacrificed.

These are just a few of the possibilities available to you when you build your own green home. Whatever your plans may be, be sure to consult your green builder and designer so that you are all on the same page and able to make your green home vision a reality!