Ideas For Building an Eco-Friendly Home

by | Dec 27, 2009 | 19, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, Articles

<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Ideas For Building an Eco-Friendly Home</font></h2><p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">The concept of green living, while gaining momentum in a modern era, is not new. The ideology peaked in the 1960-70’s where individuals now known as hippies devised communes that believed in the reduction of modern product use. The idea was to ‘get back to nature’ and live off the land.</span></p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">The paradigm largely relied on people working together as a community and sharing tasks to make the commune work seamlessly. Although few, if any, contemporary communes exist on the level as they did in the 60’s, many of the concepts are being embraced in today’s time for a number of practical reasons.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Why Build and Eco-friendly Home</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Everything man builds has a shelf life, including homes. Once we are gone, a home, if it is not kept up, degrades. The materials that the home is built from can harm the environment if they are toxic in any way.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">For those who enjoy the earth’s natural landscapes, skies, rivers and animals, the thought is inconceivable. It therefore behooves those who are interested in maintaining the land to consider green housing.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/8c.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/8c.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>How to Build an Eco-friendly Home</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">To build a more environmentally friendly domicile, one must first start with the foundation. This could be with the purchase of untreated lumber, the use of handmade adobe bricks and the use of local materials that decreases the need for transport.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Other tips for green home building include:</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>- Energy and Temperature Control</strong> – Solar energy is free and can be utilized to keep your home heated and energy efficient. Taking thermal mass into account is one way to maximize this natural resource. Cooling the home could also benefit from thoughtful construction and the location of thermal mass within the home by strategically placing certain rooms deep within the earth. Just keep in mind that these areas will have to be well insulated so temperatures can be controlled and maintained.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>- Use Recycled Materials</strong> – economical as well ecologically sound, using recycled materials to accent the home or create foundations is another way to establish an eco-friendly home that benefits both man and planet. While many of these recyclables can be purchases, one can also locate prime scrap materials at dumps and construction sites.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>- Green Building Materials</strong> – whether you are creating a foundation or setting up the walls, you will need products that keep the eco-friendly theme in mind. Items like bamboo, straw bale, stone and mud based creations like adobe can be great for walls, floors and ceilings. Biodegradable papercrete, a re-pulped paper fiber filled with clay dirt and a small amount of concrete, is another material that is moldable and lends to more decorative homebuilding, although it is not as green as some may like because of the small amounts of cement.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/1c.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/1c.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>- Poured Earth Foundations</strong> – poured earth is a replacement for traditional concrete and is made up of clay and stones. It is also considered a moderate strength concrete. Although a sound and reliable foundation base, the materials have to pass engineering standards before they can be considered viable for home building. </p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Building an eco-friendly home is an endeavor that is well worth the effort, and in time, it may become a necessity in terms of protecting the environment as well as human life.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>About the Auhtor</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Energy efficient <a href="http://www.fusionhomes.com/" target="_blank">Guelph homes</a> are being built everyday! Find a <a href="http://www.fusionhomes.com/" target="_blank">London Ontario home</a> that is energy efficient to save your wallet and the environment!</p>  <p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/ideas-for-building-an-ecofriendly-home-1058274.html" target="_blank">http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/ideas-for-building-an-ecofriendly-home-1058274.html</a> </span></p></span>