Green Home Remodeling

Americans are now spending up to 160 billion each year on remodeling their homes and businesses. A fraction of this money has been focused on what is known as "green construction". Green construction or remodeling is using energy saving, recycled products, and is experiencing nothing less than a renaissance or rebirth. You can help restore a significant portion of the world's ecosystems by using "green construction". Such a practice can also help create a healthier indoor environment for your family.

Green remodeling is simple, but many homeowners interested in green building and remodeling have no idea what it involves and are therefore confused and intimidated. They think it consists not only of excessive expenses, but difficulty in getting the appropriate green products. Some also have misconceptions about the aesthetics of a green house. Some concern themselves about the misconception that they will appear to be living like hippies of the 1970's. But it is merely a process through which you can redefine the way you live, a clean slate on which you can express your visions, dreams, and principles. The process offers a vehicle through which you can manifest and integrate your core values into your sacred space.

The hardest part for a homeowner is deciding just how "green" they want their rooms or homes to be. When it comes to green remodeling, you don't have to do everything green, but anything you do will help. Are you updating an antiquated home? Have you outlived the functionality of your current design? Are you adding more space because of a change in lifestyle? Are you simply tired of your interiors and want something new?

The most important thing to remember is to pick and choose among the many options; design features and green building products that will best serve your interests. If you are purchasing new materials you can choose organic, low-impact, and healthy products such as bamboo flooring, natural fiber carpeting, natural plasters, low VOC paints and stains, as well as non-synthetic, natural furnishings and accessories, such as bedding, linens, and cleaning products.

You can use products made with high levels of salvaged (natural stone, lumber), recycled (fly ash in concrete), or agricultural byproducts (wheatboard and linoleum) content. These types of products reduce resource demand and help keep waste out of landfills. Choose products that are durable and low-maintenance; these are desirable because they need to be refinished and replaced less often, they save you money and save energy.

Try to use products that are locally or regionally produced. Local products support the local economy and may have lower levels of embodied energy, meaning that they require less energy and fewer resources during the production process (including the acquisition of primary material, manufacturing and handling), and especially in transportation.

There is no such thing as a right or wrong set of products. Building green is a thinking process, not a contest to see how many green things you as a homeowner can incorporate into your home. Do what you can within your budget and motivation.

Green Home Benefits

It is hard to find a starting place when you are discussing all the benefits there are to owning and living in a certified green home. You also have different types of benefits that exist. There are the obvious benefits to the environment, which is mostly the entire purpose of this type of house, and then there are the many benefits to the homeowner that should be taken into account. Both of these types of benefits represent different ways to look the green homes too.
Even if you aren't into the whole green movement, and don't care too much for the environment, the benefits of a green home can help save you a lot of money. Every part of the house and the way it is built has efficiency in mind. If you are talking about a very efficient home, then this means you are saving money every month on your water bill, electric bill, and saving money on the upkeep of your home. Having things like high-efficiency windows will save you a great amount of money with your electric bill by making your HVAC work better.
The environmental benefits of a green home range from the actual construction process being eco friendly, to the amount of energy you use in your home. The entire idea of the home is to leave the smallest carbon footprint as possible. There is also a huge benefit when it comes to thinking about investments with the house. Not many environmentally friendly homes exist compared to normal houses, making them few and far between, which will drive the prices up, ensuring you will always hold the value of your home with a green home.

Green Home - What Constitutes a Green Home

Nowadays, green homes sell like hot pancakes in the real estate market. More and more homeowners would want to convert their old houses into green home. Even aspiring homeowners aim to own green house as this is said to be more practical and functional. But how can really you really classify a house as green? For those first time home buyers, they might be wondering what makes a home green. Reading this article will tell you what constitute a house to be green.

There are several ways on how you can tell that a home is green. Generally, it is made up of sustainable materials. When you say of sustainable materials, they have eco-friendly features. Their components are all organic. Thus, they are said to be safe to the environment.

These materials are usually manufactured locally. Manufacturers save a lot in making these things as they do not require a lot of energy. They are easily made since all elements are found in the nature or just everywhere.

Aside from using sustainable materials, houses are surrounded by plants especially on their landscape. They make use of trees, flowers, shrubs and other living things which can help beautify your home. Usually, you will notice a green home by looking at its landscape. It has several plants and ornaments which are made of organic elements.

Making a compost pit or a house that uses compost pit is said to be a green home. This compost pit is a kind of waste management system that most homes use in these times. In this process, you will gather all garbage and segregate them by their types. Those biodegradable ones are group together and burry in the soil. You will follow certain mixture and eventually this mixture under the soil will be converted into fertilizer. Thus, your soil becomes healthy.

Changing your old bulbs and fluorescent bulbs into energy-efficient types can also be another way to transform your home into green. Again, the objective of green home is to change or replace those electronic devices and appliances into gadgets which are powered by natural resources. The house becomes more practical as well as functional.

You will notice that electronic gadgets which are manufactured in these times have energy-saving features. People are looking for these types as they can give huge savings on the part of the homeowner. Due to economic crisis, homeowners continue to look for ways on how to maximize their budget on their utility bills.

Have a Green Home With DIY Solar Panels

Solar energy is renewable, free and can result in a savings of thousands of dollars annually. The economic down turn makes it even more crucial to save money and home solar panels can generate savings, as well as energy. Thermal energy can only be generated one way and the sun generates that energy at no cost to you. With conversion to solar panels, your household appliances can be run without a high electric bill chipping away at your monthly budget. They vary in size, therefore,a customized system is available to meet your specific energy needs. The panels aid in the reduction of electrical energy consumption by trapping thermal energy from the sun and converting it into a form usable by domestic appliances.
Various solar panels can be used to carry out this thermal energy capture and conversion process. Multiple solar cells, in concert with semi-conductors, comprise the panels which collect thermal energy. A huge area of p-n junction in diode is created by the panels. The production of electrical energy is the result of sunlight, or solar energy, being absorbed by the solar cells. Geysers, mixers, heaters, etc., are a few examples of equipment that can be run on solar energy. A noticeable decline in monthly electrical charges can be the result.
A major financial investment and the purchase of expensive large solar panels aren't necessary now that affordable DIY kits are available. With the ability to assembly a kit on your own, even less financial outlay is required to convert your home. Affixing the panels is made easy by having just a few basic tools on-hand. Usually, panel installation can be performed with items included in the kits. Screws, poles, bolts, solder, solder gun, meters, plywood, a complete instruction manual and any other minutia required for the installation are all included in the DIY kits. Installation is fairly simple with the easy-to-understand instruction manual included in the kit.
Up to 90% of the the installation cost can be recouped in the reduction of monthly electrical expense. Going completely off the grid can be made possible with the installation of multiple DIY solar panels. A noticeable reduction in electrical consumption can been seen on your monthly bill, starting the first week of installation. The ecosystem is greatly helped by conversion to solar panels.
Taking an interest in this amazing system and realizing their potential benefits can make installation great fun to complete. Your home will be greatly benefited, in addition to the enjoyment of installation and use. The impact on global warming is reduced by conversion to solar panels.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3754735

"Green" Home Features

You do not have to run for president to help save mother earth. In your own little ways, you can make huge contributions on how to make our planet a better place to live in. In fact, you can start in your very own home. Various features have been developed to provide a greener home. If you want to be part of the growing number of home owners who are going green, you have to be familiar of the different features you have to incorporate at home.
Although many want to be a part of green living, very few are aware of the many features at home that can achieve this. Here are some of the things you have to keep in mind:
Power source:
There are different sources of energy that will not harm the environment. One is the use of the sun and the wind. There are wind turbine and solar electric instruments that will allow people to use the wind and the energy from the sun to produce electricity. This is not only eco-friendly but is also a way to save on energy expenses.
How the structure is built and what are the materials used:
There are techniques used by green home builders to decrease the indoor draft. This will also improve the insulation as well as the moisture and mold in the house. Most importantly, it will enhance the efficiency of energy. This is made possible by tight construction. There are also green materials used for the construction. There are several products out there and you can ask the help of the expert if you are uncertain. To ensure that you are using an eco-friendly material, it has to help save water and energy, it should be made of healthy and safe substances rather than toxic materials. It should also help conserve the natural resources. This means that they are either made of recycled or salvaged materials.
If you are building your own house and you want to make sure that it is made of eco friendly materials, use sustainably harvested wood. This can be expensive but this is a good investment. To be certain that this is what it claims, look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) stamp.
Other features of the house:
Other features at home give you an opportunity to help the environment. Among them are the insulation, windows, exterior siding and roofing. Insulation is very important to most of us because it makes us comfortable. This, however, will also require you to shell out a significant amount for materials. However, the investment can last a lifetime of savings. Remember, heating systems take a huge chunk of the energy cost. If you invest in good insulating materials today, you will definitely save a lot in the future.
The same goes for your choices for the windows and roofing. Materials that can last for a longer time are more preferable nowadays. Good choices of materials and construction will help homeowners save on energy. They may invest more today, but they can take advantage of these investments for a lifetime.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2857543

Pool, Deck, and Cabana - FINISHED!!!!

Well, we are happy to announce that the pool area construction is FINISHED. The only thing left to do is landscaping. The deck material is a high performance composite by Fiberon and is their Horizons line in Rosewood. We looked at the Ipe color as well, but decided on the Rosewood. Here's a link to the product - www.fiberondecking.com Be sure to check out their sustainability statement. Our supplier was Moore's Home Center in Campbell County, KY - thanks for your help Nate. We used the hidden fastener system which make it look so clean.

The shade sail is from Custom Shade Sails online - www.customshadesails.com It's their Porcelain color - ask for Bill. The sectional furniture is from Target.com, the wood market umbrella is from Garden Ridge, and the wood outdoor dining furniture is IKEA.

Congratulations to Science Fair Winners!!!!!!!

Hi everyone - we've got some great news to share with you! Several months ago, two young ladies, Lauren Wilkins and Anna Hecht, from the Cincinnati area came for a tour and to interview us about our solar home. These middle-schoolers were studying the effects of thermal mass on solar energy collection, so they thought information from users of a passive solar-heated home would be a great addition to their research and Science Fair project. Well, after months of research and presentation, the girls have made it through their local science fair competition, and onto the Cincinnati Regional Competition. Then, they made it through the Cincinnati regional competition and are now preparing for the State Science Fair in Columbus, Ohio! Below is a picture of them with their awards and ribbons.

Basically, their experiement involves measuring the effects of three types of mass on solar energy. They made solar collectors out of three aluminum pop cans filled with different materials to see how the filling material affected the solar energy collection - measured in temperature at certain intervals. The girls left one pop can unfilled as a control, filled another with water, and the last one with sand. They then took temperature readings of the cans' interiors to see which filling material offered the best thermal mass for solar collection.

Below is an email from one of the girls, Lauren Wilkins:

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Nutter,
Thank you again for all of your help. We started at our local school science fair competition at St. Susanna School in Mason, OH. It was about a two month research project and out of about 75 students we were one of a small number of projects to receive a Best Display and an overall score of Superior. Then just last week we had one of the highest scores out of approximately 300 students at the Southwest District Competition at the University of Cincinnati. This qualified us to move onto the State Science Fair Competition at The Ohio State University on May 8th. We are really looking forward to a great experience presenting in front of more people and hopefully educating more people on why being green can be a great thing. Thank you so much for letting us start our research project at your green home! Thank you, Lauren Wilkins"

Notice the picture of the nutter green home on the upper right corner of their display!

Our new green car!

Here's some photos of our new green mode of transportation. It's a 2010 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI (diesel). The 2009 model was named the "Green Car of the Year" - beating out the Prius. In 2010, one of the Audi diesel models won the award. This VW model beat out the hybrid Prius in mpg road tests. This VW, once broken in, will get nearly 50 mpg and it's NOT a hybrid. Ours is Reflex Silver with Titan Black interior, 6 sp manual trans, 17" alloy wheels, bluetooth, panoramic sunroof, and the sport protection package. It also has 8 airbags, including the side AND head curtain airbags in the both the front and back seat. We just had the windows tinted . . . it looks BAD! (meaning GOOD!) VW approves of a biodiesel blend of up to B5 while it's under warranty, and there's a biodiesel station not too far from our house, so we're looking into that.

It's an Eastern White Pine again this year . . .

We picked out and cut our Christmas Tree this year. Yes, we cut a real tree every year as opposed to having an artificial. To learn why this is a "greener" choice - read back through the archives here - December 08 or December 07. This year's tree is our largest yet - about 13 feet! We love it.

Fall Colors and Pool Closing

Above: Fall Colors are finally starting to come along . . .
The pool is now closed. We still have to finish the fence, platform deck, and the landscaping. It was a long summer of hard work, but we'll reap the rewards the WHOLE summer next year! We received the final inspection approval on the pool AND the cabana yesterday. Woo hoo! One gate to go and we are totally legal. By midsummer next year, we should have the fence and platform deck complete.

This winter we are focusing on interior trim and tweaking the HRV. Updates to follow . . .

Equipment is up and running. . .

Fence posts are in . . .

We have the pump and purification system running, the fence posts are in, and we have just a bit more to do to finish hooking up the underwater light. The cabana is ready for rough inspection, and the pool should be ready for it's final inspection this week.

Update sans photos

There's not much to show photographically, but I can give an update of all of the hard work we've been doing the past few days. When we returned from our relaxing 4th of July vacation in western NY (no hypothermia, thank goodness!), we began finishing up the electrical work on the cabana and continued filling the pool with water. (Right before we left for NY, we finished installing the door on the cabana - see photo in previous post below. Now we are waiting for the key lockset to come in for the door so that we can lock it from the outside - which is something most sliding patio doors don't have, interestingly, so we had to special order it). While we were in NY, the pool guys came and installed the ladder, handrail at the steps, and the diving board.

The pool company came yesterday to do the rough grade, but they still have to install the sump pit near the pump and finish up the grade there. They also need to install some liner clips to the corners to keep the liner from popping out there. Once the grade was complete, we were able to dig our post holes for the fence that will go around the pool and along the property line. We've ordered the siding and trim for the cabana. Trim should be in any time now, and siding should be in hopefully within 10 days from now. We've started filling the trench back in where the electrical conduit is running from the house. We've left a few holes open for inspection and will fill those holes after we pass the rough-in inspection.

Monday will be our cabana electrical rough-in inspection. Today, the pool guys came and put in a vacuum to clean the pool and sanded out some rough spots in the concrete. Last night and this morning, I painted fence posts (only 8 more to go, I think).

Our next step is to hook up the pump and purification system electric and set all of the fence posts. After that, we'll finish up the fence, add the privacy panels to the fence along the property line, and install the siding on the cabana. After that, we'll be taking it easy and hopefully enjoy USING the pool a bit. In our "spare" time, we'll work on landscaping and the platform deck that will be adjacent to the concrete pool deck. In 30-60 days I can stain the concrete deck if I decide to do so. . .

Update photos

As the photos show, we're too busy to write much, but you can get the idea from the pictures!

Is that a pool cabana?

Another update to keep our demanding fans happy! Here's what we accomplished today. We set all four walls of the pool house on the slab. We still need to finish sheeting and placing rafters, but this is a pretty good start. Since we were waiting on the pool contractors to finish up the concrete we had pre-built the walls of the pool house. So, with the help of a dolly, Kenny and I set the back and left (west) walls and anchored them to the slab. Then with some help from neighbors we were able to set the right (east) and front walls. The kids helped to anchor those, and with all bracing still in place, well pick up where we left off in the am. On tap for tomorrow is to finish sheeting and top plates, then the rafters. Hopefully we'll be to a wrapping/felting stage soon, which means that the electrical panel in the pool house comes next.

Over the weekend, Kenny and I trenched and ran underground conduit and wire to the pool house and underwater light. Temps were above 90 and humidity was off the charts, but we got it done. Now we need to place the panel and get it wired up and rough inspected. Temps this week are supposed to be lower with "normal" humidity, so we should make some progress.

Pool guys are supposed to be finishing the bottom of the pool with vermiculite and sand, and then installing the liner. More pics to follow!

Electrical Work

Over 90-degrees in Cincinnati again today, but we spent the day digging trenches for the pool electric. We'll be starting the Pool House on Monday or Tuesday next week. The pool company is supposed to be coming to work on the pool bottom and the liner either tomorrow, Saturday, or Monday.

We had to trench from the house out to the pump and then all the way around the back of the pool to the opposite end where the light under the diving board will be. That's about 200 feet of trench for those of you who are counting . . .

Concrete pour pictures

With temps over 90-degrees today, pouring and finishing the concrete deck got interesting. . .

Cantilever edge below:

Green Facts: High embodied-energy portland cement product was replaced with recycled fly ash in this concrete mixture. This mixture contained approximately 35% fly ash.

Concrete forms . . .

Pool Progress

Backfill complete - waiting for bonding inspection and concrete deck.

Pool Update . . .

RAIN.

Pool Update . . .

Rain.