Sustainable real estate is a term that is growing in popularity, the same way that sustainable living has become more prevalent in our daily lives. Sustainable real estate refers to a focus on constructing buildings and homes that are environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and practical.
While the term itself might be new and it might be challenging to achieve, contractors have been looking at being more sustainable for decades. Examples of the construction industry building more sustainable real estate include using ICF to make homes as well as the growing trend for tiny homes. This article will explain what sustainable real estate is, why it is beneficial to you, and how to make your home more sustainable.
Benefits of a Sustainable House
Deciphering all the ways to reduce the impact of your home on the environment can be challenging. Especially when trying to find a way that will provide you with some positive results. There are many added benefits for homeowners to make their houses more sustainable. These include an increase in your home’s value, decreasing utility bills, and a healthier environment.
Having a sustainable home helps to increase your home’s value in a few different ways. One of the classic approaches to sustainability is to create a building or home that is durable and will last. This can be done through both the materials being used in the design of the home, like ICF, and more. Having a functional design that takes advantage of features like natural lighting for heating and lighting, and thicker walls for increased insulation, will help to do so.
Another benefit is that sustainable homes, while often costing more upfront, decrease costs in the long term. This is possible through reduced utility costs on a month-to-month basis and reduced waste throughout the ownership of the home.
By having a safe and sustainable home, you’re helping to make your community healthier. By reducing pollution, using less toxic materials, and having less resource-reliant maintenance you’re directly and indirectly promoting wellness to others and your environment.
How Do You Build a Sustainable Home?
Incorporating Environmentally-Friendly Designs
Incorporating environmentally sustainable and friendly designs into your home is possible in a few different ways with too many benefits to list. It’s important to remember that when talking about environmentally friendly homes, we aren’t only referring to downsizing your home. While having a smaller home means there are fewer materials and resources needed, it’s possible to have a larger environmentally friendly home.
One of the best ways to have an environmentally friendly home is to create it for long-term use. Having a home that is designed to grow with your family for a longer period of time, rather than a few years. Some examples of environmentally-friendly designs include having more natural lighting, solar panels on the roof, rain barrels to collect rainwater, and composting your food.
Use Environmentally Friendly Materials
Eco-friendly materials refer to supplies that don't harm the environment and less of the material is needed compared to similar materials. Incorporating these materials into your home is one of the best ways to ensure your home is sustainable. Using reclaimed materials within your home lowers the environmental impact without sacrificing the properties of the material.
New Construction Technologies are Designed for Sustainability
The type of sustainable project you have in mind will influence the construction equipment you need onsite. For example, the market for electric equipment continues to grow in North America. There are electric mini-excavators, electric boom lifts and scissor lifts, and more.
Using these electric machines instead of diesel-powered ones can make the building of your home more environmentally friendly. You can rent this equipment at many rental companies or through online marketplaces like DOZR.
Mini-excavators are one of the most commonly used machines on all residential construction sites. An electric model is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. While options for electric models are limited, they continue to expand as demand for net-neutral carbon emissions grows.
In comparison to diesel-powered mini excavators, electric models create no emissions, are way quieter, and produce minimal vibrations. This makes them the optimal choice for any residential construction site.
Use Smaller Sustainable Features in Your Home
If you don’t know where to start to make your home more sustainable then look into some of these smaller sustainable features. Smart thermostats are one of the easiest ways to optimize the natural temperatures in your home, without any major construction. These devices are relatively easy to install, Wi-Fi reliant, and automatically change the temperature in your home for the optimal environment. These devices will help you to save money on your energy bills.
There are also energy-efficient appliances that perform at the same level as other appliances while using less electricity. This type of appliance not only runs a lower bill for you but also lowers the environmental impact.
Another feature in your home to consider is considering your home’s insulation. While some options, such as spray foam insulation, are recommended because of their energy efficiency and ease of installation, they aren’t always the most eco-friendly. Spray foam is known for having high Global Warming Potential (GWP) due to the chemicals used to create them. Building homes with ICF is a great way to reduce long-term costs and make an energy-efficient home.
Sustainable real estate continues to grow, mirroring the growth of other types of sustainability in our daily lives and while it might seem daunting it’s more attainable than you think. With the benefits ranging from lower bills, to increasing the value of your home, to a safer and more eco-friendly construction site, it's worth making the change.
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About Us | At Hall Construction & Remodeling LLC, we are committed to transforming homes in the Houston area with the latest construction and remodeling technology. Our team of experienced professionals will ensure each job is completed with quality and skill.