Eco Friendly Houses – What Is A Green Building?

What is a green building and why should you care? Why are people building efficient green homes? What is the number one reason for the increased demand for eco friendly houses? The answers may surprise you!

What is a Green Building? A green building (the noun) is a building that has been specifically designed to save energy, promote healthy indoor air and have much less impact on the environment.

Green building (the verb) is mainly a construction term used to describe whole house system design and techniques that use eco friendly, or green building, materials and components.

The following terms are pretty much interchangeable when talking about houses: eco friendly houses, eco friendly home, eco home, eco house, green house, green building a house, green home designs, or building efficient green homes.

Here are some great examples of using green materials for the home:

1.

recycled glass counter tops – stylish and eco friendly

2. bamboo flooring – grows quickly (sustainable) with durability comparable to hardwood

3. eco friendly furniture – made from sustainable or recycled materials, or certified wood

4. tankless water heaters – water is heated on demand, saving energy

5. low flow shower heads and LED faucets that turn on and off automatically

6. energy saving appliances and light fixtures

7. renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power

Why are people building efficient green homes? Why eco friendly houses? As I mentioned, the answer may surprise you. Most people think the number one reason to “go green” is for the environment or to save energy…but, according to a recent survey done by the folks at Building Green TV and RCLCO, the number one reason people are building eco friendly houses is for health reasons! In fact, a full 42% of those surveyed replied that health was the number one reason to build a green home.

Only 17% said they would be motivated by energy savings, and only 12% for the environment!

What do eco friendly houses have to do with health? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the list below contains just some of the things that may be causing your family health problems inside your home:

Radon, Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Biologicals, Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Organic Gases, Respirable Particles, Formaldehyde, Pesticides, Asbestos, Lead, and Chlorine.

In fact, the EPA estimates that the pollution levels inside your home could be 3-70 times the outdoor pollution levels in major cities – yuk!

Makes you want to open a window now, doesn’t it?

Want to know more about eco friendly houses?

I’ve just completed my brand new guide, ‘Secrets to Creating a Healthy, Eco-Friendly Home’.

download it free here: eco friendly houses

Isabella R. Green is a full time internet publisher, writing articles and ebooks that help people create eco friendly houses.

Affordable Turf to Make Your House Green!

A green garden makes a house beautiful and keeps your mood up throughout the year. Having a wonderful garden is like a dream come true and it is like living in an eco –friendly environment. There are a number of online turf supplier companies located around the world which can help you to install the turf according to the size of the garden. Nevertheless, before purchasing turf, you need to understand a few factors of turf growth and soil type. You can order the high quality turf for maintaining a sports lawn as well. If you are located in Australia, then you can explore one of the best turf Sydney firms accepting online orders and offering the home delivery at affordable prices. Lawn turf suppliers Sydney firms are renowned for delivering good tolerance wearing and lush green turf available in the different textures. The amazing root system offers the quick recovery and provides the rich green colour, which make this turf suitable for walking.

After setting up the turf, you can notice the unique growth and shady heavy appearance within a few days. However, many turf types do not require continues water supply. Soft flush texture, leaf buffalo, matilda semi dwarf leaf buffalo and shade master loaf leaf are one of the widely demanded turf types supplied by the lawn turf suppliers Sydney. This turf can easily grow in each type of weather and gives a decorative look to your house. ST- 26, ST- 85 and ST- 91 are the main categories to purchase the turf. You can browse through lawn supplies Sydney firms and review the photo gallery of the turf including mowing frequency, disease resistance, drought tolerance and wear tolerance sections, etc. This information allows you to choose the right turf type for your house. Therefore, turf care and maintenance care is the other factor which should be judged by you. Lawn supplies Sydney can also offer the turf mowing services by the experts. You can decorate your sweet home with the suitable type of turf. Therefore, call any of the turf Sydney Companies to enhance the attraction of your house.

Looking for Lawn Turf Suppliers Sydney? Lawn Supplies Sydney developing healthy and environment friendly turf grasses and keeping your lawn fresh you can easily contact Turf Sydney.

Special Green House

House designers are tired of monotonous residential style, they choose a unique-shaped and environment-friendly design. Concept of sustainable development is reflected in choosing materials, designing and installing.Why the Most Expensive wedding flower girl dresses for January are So Ungainly?

Free spirit tree house: This house hanging in the trees reflects the designers` imagination. Get Ready Fast âeuro[ Quick and Easy Ways for formal dresses The main materials come from the local materials, which mostly comprise of the timber in the local forest. The tree house which can swing in the wind is very suitable for the groups who take some activities such as meditation, photography, sky research, tourism and leisure and wildlife leisure and so on.

Some tree houses can be rented. Or it is also available for customs to build a tree house on their own. The house can be installed with indoor piping, electrics and equipments to prevent sound and heat.

Nautilus House: This kind of house, built in 2006, is located in Mexico City. Javier Sensonian, an architect, calls it [bio architecture”. In addition, Sensonian also designed other shapes of such houses like snakes or whales. The owner of this Nautilus house is a pair of young couple who are nature friendly. There are lush plants around the house, which is to their wish, and the gate of the house is hidden behind.

Steel house: the steel house located in the cliff of Texas State of USA will leave an unforgettable memory on you, and the designer expects that the house should be something between animal and machine.

In addition, the designer designed four legs for the house, in order to reduce the bearing force on ground. Steel materials are durable and recyclable so that they are frequently used in roofs by environment friendly architects. The interior design of this steel house may not be perfect in practical use, but its idea is of much creativity.

House with sliding walls: This house is located in Suffolk County, England, it is designed by London dRRM Architects construction company. Its idea is very flexible, which allows the owner to make full use of light and temperature to further maximize energy efficiency by passive heating and cooling. All of the house walls, which weight 20 tons, can be removed within 6 minutes, exposing the key body of glass, just as striping a layer of clothing.

Barn Reformed House: This house with an area of 168 square meters is located in Woodland, Utah, which was completed in 2006 and rebuilt by two linked barns. With its unique geographical location of the Pu Luowa flowing alongside, the house makes it easy for people to make close contact with nature with the help of its giant windows and balcony.

Stone house using solar panels: Located in Colorado, this is the mansion of Amory Lovins, who is the founder of Rocky Mountain Institute. As the installation of passive solar, 4.8 m thick walls, windows with xenon gas and wood stove, the electricity per month of the whole house is just 5 dollars.A lot of solar panels are installed on the roof. In the courtyard there is a passive greenhouse growing a tropical fruit. This house has preceded everywhere in aspect of energy conservation since the beginning of completed in 1982, and recently adopted environmental protection measures such as light-emitting diode and the latest energy monitoring technology.

222 house: finished in 1994, it seems to leave the vague footprints in the southwest sea shore of Wales. It is in the weeds and beans cong jing, coverd by plants in the roof and around. The bathroom and the kitchen are small blocks of building made in other places and hang here. The natural heat preservation ability of the ground makes the house very energy-saving.

Bubble castle: situated in Cannes, a southern city in France, its construction was begin in 1975. It imitates some scenes in the film [Star Trek”. The light is adequate enough, because the designer aims to take full advantage of the Mediterranean sun to windows. The concept of designer also will integrate with the surrounding, rendering the the outdoor elements into the interior. The castle has one outdoor auditorium, a huge garden, and a reception hall that can contain 250 persons. In addition, 10 rooms were decorated by different artists.

Benefits of Green Houses

Our planet desperately needs our help from the approaching danger. In order to rescue our planet from the intriguing danger or an ecological disaster we all need to come together and think of something which will help us develop new and effective methods to avoid this mass destruction. The solution which people have finally come up with is the development of green real estates which is indeed one of the most convenient options at the time. this not only helps us towards attaining a greener and healthier environment but it also helps the people using it gain a lot in the long run. Where there is a will there is always a way, the advanced and major American cities like Washington, San Francisco have already taken the initiative of promoting these much beneficial green real estates. Extensive use of green-roofs, non-toxic paints and other eco-friendly materials that are used for the construction of these green homes can actually help us counter the biggest disaster we might have to experience since the origin of this planet.

People investing in these green real estates might initially have a negative feeling by seeing the high amount of money you need to put in at first to go green but what they are not witnessing is the huge profits it yields with time, it not only works towards the benefiting of the environment but also helps you make a lot of profits in the long run. The government has already taken initiative towards many beneficial incentives for people who are ready to take up these green real estates. The incentives include a 50% reduction on your utility bills, along with that the government also sanctions many tax-benefit schemes for you. The government is concerned about the future and hence it is offering such lucrative schemes for people who are investing in the green real estates to have a happier and healthier tomorrow.

Green living comes with innumerable other advantageous features. most of the substances used for the construction of these green real estatescome from building that have been taken down and various other environment friendly materials which will cause no harm to our environment. Floors made of cork, bamboo and stone are indeed beneficial for the environment. Many people have switched to roof-top gardening which is a very useful thing for the environment. To reduce heat flow and also to promote vegetation, innumerable roof gardens are being constructed. Apart from the advantages you provide to the environment a roof garden also makes your house look beautiful. Plants not only help in growing a health environment but greenery is always a picturesque sight.

There have been many discussions, announcements and other warning programs but this is high time we reacted. We all need to take as many positive steps as possible towards building an environment which will be devoid of any danger. Eco-friendly homes are the best way to bring this change. If you still haven’t it is really about time you decide to go green.

Luis Pezzini
lpezzini@SunsetStripRealty.com
http://www.SunsetStripRealty.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luis_Pezzini

Green House Or Sun Shed

Are you in need of a greenhouse but you are unable to decide if it should be a lean-to or a free standing structure?

Have you considered a combination of a shed merged with a greenhouse?

Just picture bringing these two concepts together which would give you a greenhouse needed for your plants and the storage area necessary for your garden tools. Not so complicated now…

Knowing what wall you have available for the lean-to will help you to come to a decision. If the available wall or the surroundings around the wall do not make it suitable for a lean-to greenhouse then it will need to be a free standing greenhouse.

You have selected your site have met zoning requirements and also pulled necessary building permits and your greenhouse plans have been approved. Now, you can get started on the fun part of utilizing your woodworking skills.

You will want a slanted roof because of the glass windows that you will be using for the roof of the greenhouse or sun shed and the other half of the roof made with wood and covered with your choice of roofing material identical to the main house.

People like to have the wood section of the shed to be the same as the main house so that the sun shed appears to be an extension of the house and the architectural design matches.

Pressure treated lumber is a necessity because of the moisture which will be created in the greenhouse. However, that part of the structure that will not be affected can be made with the same wood as your house in order to have uniformity.

The planting tables inside the structure will be placed under the glass portion to receive the sun and their watering. The glass will catch the rays of the sun and the water will increase moisture and humidity requiring roof outlets or vents to relieve heat and water vapor.

The foundation is important in that you do not want the floor to get wet under the plants causing wood rot. This is the reason for plant tables and gravel as part of the foundation. Place plywood or treated decking in the shed portion which will be needed to support a working counter, work bench, shelves, garden tools and storage containers.

After you have completed all that you wanted in the greenhouse or sun shed, look at the immediate surroundings.

Imagine what it would be like to install a small pond and outdoor furniture placed between the pond and the greenhouse to relax and enjoy the beauty of the flowers in the greenhouse as well as the pond with its relaxing waterfall and the other outdoor flowers surrounding a bit of paradise that you created.

For more fun in woodworking adventures and reviewing plans for greenhouse or sun shed visit the hobby page of Tricia Deed at http://www.Infotrish.vpweb.com/ and review Welcome Woodworking Enthusiasts and while there download your free shed plan.

Tricia Deed of http://www.Infotrish.vpweb.com/ brings you through internet marketing hobbies for your leisure and recreation and business hobbies to increase your household income. I invite you to my web pages to visit and review hobby companies of your choosing. Do take advantage of their free giveaway.

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Green Houses – or Just Colorful?

Just as we were fooled by the terms ‘lite’ and ‘low-cal’, so we are now beginning to get caught out with the terms ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly’. In the same way that we were willing to pay more for low fat and low calorie products, we will also pay more for green products.

Green has even entered the realty market, and green choices are optional in some newly built homes. But how can we protect ourselves from what is truly green and what is erroneously called green?

As consumers, we need to know how to define these popular terms that are pushing our prices up. We need to know that we are getting value, and doing something ethical, for our money.

We can be fooled by such terms as biodegradable, natural, non-toxic and organic. According to the web site called the green guide.com, those words have no value in terms of lawful support. They are not defined by a governing body and have no uniformly required standard.

Housing is one of the newer areas where the terms ‘green’ and ‘sustainable living’ are bandied around. In housing, some of the recommended labels include Greenseal, LEED Certification for Homes, and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Also, the labels stating ‘PVC Free’ and ‘Low or No VOC’ are recognized as reliable.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designs, but take care when you see this mark of approval, as it comes in four different levels. The lowest level is simply called ‘certified’. The levels proceed upwards from silver, through gold to platinum.

Generally speaking, when builders take sustainable living into account they examine six different performance areas. LEED uses these guidelines to grade their certification.

One of the guidelines is sustainable sites, which includes availability of public transportation plus effects like storm water run-off. Water efficiency is a different point and it includes landscaping, use of non potable water and trying to incorporate low use water fixtures.

Energy and atmosphere is considered when building homes. The possibility of renewable energy sources is investigated, such as wind power and solar energy. Green Power may be accessible from the local energy company; also low wattage bulbs will be in use.

Indoor air will be protected by avoidance of toxic emissions from carpets, paint and sealants. Thermal comfort will ensure that some windows are able to be opened and levels of daylight will be adequate.

Materials and resources cover quite an impressive amount of points. Regional materials are recommended and rapidly renewable resources are specified. Also listed are recycled and reused building materials.

The points that are awarded for each section will dictate the LEED certification (up to platinum) of the building. Greenseal, Rainforest Alliance Rediscovered Wood and USDA Organic provide independent third party verification. These labels at least, have some proof of authenticity from green guide.com.

Regent Property Group, a professional Austin real estate company specializing in residential and commercial real estate. Their services are honest and thorough, bringing a quality approach to finding your Austin home. For more information, visit RegentPG.com.

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