SanJoseGreenHome.com

Considering building a new patio or deck to enjoy a lovely weather but want to be mindful of the environmental impact?  Millions of homeowners across the country continue to use”standard” patio materials like asphalt, concrete and cement to support their patios because they’ve proven their worth time and again but is it time for new awareness?

Problems With the Status Quo

Unfortunately, your asphalt, concrete or cement patio is liable to be among the least sustainable elements of your property. In fact, standard patio-building materials present several key problems for environmentally conscious homeowners.

For starters, these surfaces all contain synthetic or petroleum-based components that require huge amounts of energy to fabricate. The amount of energy that goes into a given product’s production is known as “embodied energy,” and it’s one of the main factors that contribute to its overall environmental footprint.

Asphalt, concrete and cement also contain toxins that can leak into your lawn, groundwater and pool during bouts of rain. What’s more, these nonporous “hardscape” surfaces can direct rainwater in concentrated streams and cause surprising amounts of damage to your yard. In the long run, this runoff could even eat away at your home’s foundation.

You don’t want to find out what that looks like.

A Gentler Way

Fortunately, there are several sustainable alternatives that feature lower levels of embodied energy as well as a more sustainable product life cycle. Some of these alternatives are “natural” materials that incorporate locally sourced or low-impact raw materials like soil cement. Others are reused materials like (more…)

Home builders are taking an active role in trying to make homes more sustainable and lowering the carbon footprint of the structure by using local materials and technological advancements. What many people don’t realize however, is that the physical footprint of the building – the foundation – often has the largest carbon footprint associated with it.

A common myth is that concrete is environmentally friendly already. It’s easy to see why from a homeowner’s perspective. It’s long lasting, durable, and often unseen in the finished product which falls into the category “out of sight, out of mind.” In a nutshell, concrete is made from sand, gravel, cement, and water which sounds harmless enough, but cement is a huge greenhouse gas producer and all of the products in concrete have to be mined, refined, and transported.

Problems with Cement

Cement is the binding agent in concrete with the most common type being Portland cement. If you think this makes it “green” because it’s associated with the trendy capital city of Oregon then you made the same mistake I did. Portland cement was actually made in Britain in the 1820s and, as far as I know, isn’t directly associated with skinny jeans or mustaches.

Cement takes a tremendous amount of energy to produce, and the world demand for cement and concrete keeps rising exponentially as developing countries continue to expand their economies. Cement production is accredited with producing (more…)

One would have a hard time denying that swimming pools are some of the most wonderful and luxurious comforts in life. Merely at a touch of warm and soft water our bodies relax and minds blend with the basic elements of nature. However, maintaining a pool in the backyard is not a cheap proposition, neither financially, nor environmentally.

When my husband Ed and I decided to install a family swimming pool, we looked for things we could do to make our pool less taxing on the resources. Here are 10 ways we have found to make our pool more eco friendly:

1) Efficient heating. We love to swim during the months when it gets a bit chilly, so we installed a solar heater. We cut down on the amount of fuel we use to warm the pool. It also saves on our energy costs, and I love that part.

2) An insulated pool cover. When we’re not using the pool, the cover keeps it warm and prevents loss of heat. After a long discussion about cost, Ed won and got a pool cover with a push button mechanism. Sometimes I think he (more…)

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Trends in housing are turning more and more to sustainable living. Many home buyers are looking for ways to incorporate little changes into their homes that not only saves them money, but also helps them to do their part in reducing their own carbon footprint. Here are several things that are trending in home designs that are really starting to catch on.

No Yards

While this may not be a new trend, it is one that seems to be catching on more and more these days. Certain parts of the country have already made it trendy to not have a lawn because the water supply is so limited. This is very common in desert states such as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and part of Utah and California. This doesn’t mean that these home owners do nothing with their yards, it is actually the opposite. By using rocks and desert-friendly plants, there are a lot of ways to make yards look appealing and well cared for without being high maintenance and water-laden.

Harvesting Rain

Depending on some city ordinances, this option is not available in all areas. When building a house, adding a large cistern under the house is a great way to recycle water. The process is fairly (more…)

Flickr – Elizabeth Abernathy

When it comes to home décor that has been recycled or upcycled, there are only two real questions most homeowners ask: why choose such products and what is available? Okay, in truth you might be wondering, for starters, just what the difference is between recycling and upcycling, so let’s have a little lesson to start you off right. When something is recycled it is either passed along as is to a new home or broken down so that the components can be used to create something else (often of lesser value). You might get a recycled chest of drawers at the Goodwill, or plastic bottles could be broken down to create plastic bags. Upcycling, on the other hand, takes something with little value and breaks it down to make items that are considered more valuable. You could tear old t-shirts into strips and weave them into raggy kitchen rugs, for example. Or the rubber from old shoes could be made into playground surfaces. So now that we’ve got that straightened out, why would you choose these products? And what kinds of items are out there?

There are a couple of good reasons to go for recycled and upcycled products when it comes to your home décor, not the least of which is supporting the health of the planet that in turn supports all human life. These cyclical production models not only (more…)

Pollution is getting worse as time pass and we are already suffering from its negative effects. The harsh weather conditions, climate “weirdness” and the large hole of the ozone layer that makes us exposed from the harmful UV rays of sunlight, all of these happen because of air pollution.  People are already aware of this and are turning to cleaner and renewable energy sources.  What most are not aware of yet is that energy sources such as biofilm is already available for homeowners to heat their homes.

Why Renewable Energy

Renewable energy refers to energy derived from our natural resources. Some forms of renewable energy are wind, sunlight, geothermal heat, tides, rain, biofuel and many more. The term “renewable” indicates that these forms of energy replenish naturally.   The reason why renewable energy is getting popular is because unlike petroleum that produces carbon emissions and can alter the atmosphere, this type of energy is clean.

The Benefit of Biofuel to Homeowners

The usage of biofuel is not limited to cars and other complex type of machineries that is petroleum-based.  In fact, you can use it in your simple home equipment as well.  One example of the most common home equipment where biofuel is usable – is fireplaces.

Although fireplaces, does not rely on petroleum for fuel, using wood to heat up your fireplaces, will require (more…)

Living green has many great advantages but we all know it can come at a cost.  Often times we just can’t afford to make those energy efficient retrofits to our home. No matter how bad we wanted those double pane windows, we continue to put it off because we lack funds for the project. However, what most people don’t know is that they can potentially finance their green passion and still come out ahead financially.

Enter Energy Efficient Mortgages! Here is the official lowdown: “An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) is a mortgage that credits a home’s energy efficiency in the mortgage itself. EEMs give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans thereby allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy-efficient home.”

Follow these steps to fund your green home project by refinancing with an EEM:

1) Get a Home Energy Rating Systems Report

The first thing you will need to do is get the home inspected by a professional Energy Rater. The Energy Rater will inspect the house, looking at appliances, windows, roofing, basically anything that will have an effect on your energy consumption. After his inspection, he will rate your house on a scale of 1-100. The lower the score, the more (more…)

QUESTION:

During my work with High Energy Homes, I’ve run into several homes with radiant floor heating. Most seem to use quite a bit of energy due to various factors from insufficient thermostat programming to poor insulation. Does anyone know of a contractor who can do an audit of this type of system?

ANSWER:

There are many companies that can do an audit, but none can actually make the radiant heat itself more efficient if it is the embedded concrete type. There, typically the pipes are closer to the ground than to the room – and contrary to common belief – heat does not rise. It follows the shortest route is.

One of the best things to do with these systems is insure the boiler is efficient, that the pipes are clean and not leaking. But the most productive change that I have found was getting a smarter thermostat. Basically it takes nearly 3 hours for the typical radiant heat system to actually warm the room after the thermostat says it is too cold. So a timed thermostat is essential.

It takes some experience figuring out how best to use these. You need to know the (more…)

When you are looking to spruce up your floors, there are several quick and easy updates that can increase your property value without causing you a lot of time and money. One of the main renovations that brings the best return on your investment is flooring.  If you are concerned of not being eco-friendly, you are in luck. There are a quite a few green flooring options available on the market that are pretty, durable, and that any future buyers will love.

Hardwood Floors

One eco-friendly alternative for hardwood is a salvaged wood floor. People are known to throw away old crates and barrels or to send to the dump remnants of older buildings like farmhouses. Instead, this wood can easily be cleaned, sanded and repurposed as a hardwood floor in your home. Once installed and sealed, these floors not only add character to your home, but they add the  beauty of the seasoned wood grain. Old wood can be found rather inexpensive at salvage yards.

Concrete

Most homes have a layer of concrete under their existing flooring. This concrete or a recently poured top can be turned into a great looking natural stone alternative. Etching and acid staining can color and seal the concrete into just about any shade desired. Concrete also works well installed over underfoot radiant heating systems.

Bamboo

Bamboo is great for floors. Depending on the way the graining lays, bamboo flooring can look just like wood floors, or it can have a neat textured or patterned feel. They are hard and resilient, and bamboo is grown like wheat, quickly in a short amount of time. Bamboo is also mildew-, mold-, bacteria- and water-resistant.  Make sure to look into the VOC levels of the bamboo floor and opt for the lowest possible, no need for breathing fumes from an “eco friendly’ product.

Cork

Cork is normally seen in bottles and as bulletin boards or sign hanging places on walls. Cork is designed to be resistant to mildew, bacteria, and mold. It also naturally repels moisture. The best part is cork floor is soft and warm on bare feet, which makes getting up in the morning a little easier and oh so pleasant.

Glass Tiles

Glass tiles make great floors. They are hardy and durable. They can be very slick, but texturing makes them less slippery. Many glass tiles are made from recycled materials, including bottles and jars. Just look for recycled written on the packaging.  Glass tiles make a beautiful, green choice.

Cork, bamboo, glass tiles, concrete, and salvaged wood are great eco-friendly flooring options. These are easily installed, and when you are selling your home, buyers will love the looks of them. Whichever flooring option you use, these environmentally friendly choices will add value to your home.

After World War II, houses and buildings were erected quickly and cheaply as a means to rebuild Germany. However, many people living and working in these houses and buildings soon became noticeably ill, with all signs pointing to the new buildings as the cause. It was this phenomenon that inspired the baubiologie movement in Germany, and has since been infused in other parts of the world as well. Below are the 25 principles of baubiologie.

1. Building site without natural and human-made disturbances
2. Residential homes away from sources of emissions and noise
3. Low-density housing with sufficient green space
4. Personalized, natural, human- and family-oriented housing and settlements
5. Building without causing social burdens
6. Natural and unadulterated building materials
7. Natural regulation of indoor air humidity through humidity-buffering materials
8. Low total moisture content of a new building that dries out quickly
9. Well-balanced ratio between thermal insulation and heat retention
10. Optimal air and surface temperatures
11. Good indoor air quality through natural ventilation
12. Heating system based on radiant heat
13. Natural conditions of light, lighting and color (more…)