Remodeling your home is the best way to save a lot of money and also keep living in the same place you have been living for a long time. If you remodel your home keeping the environment in mind, not only will you be able to save quite a bit of money, but you can also help conserve energy and make the planet a better living place.
Sustainable home remodeling is remodeling your home in such a way that it benefits the environment in both the short and long runs. You should opt for sustainable remodeling for various economic, social, and environmental reasons. The best way to renovate your home in this way is to reuse materials and maximize the use of renewable energy among others.
Let’s take a look at what is sustainable home remodeling, why you should choose it, and how you can successfully renovate your home like this.
What is sustainable home remodeling?
If you are ever faced with the option of building a home from scratch and remodeling one, you should always go for remodeling. This way, you can reuse a lot of material from your old house and save quite a bit of money. The best way to remodel your home is to remodel it sustainably. But what is sustainable renovation?
When you reuse materials from the old house which not only benefits you but helps the environment as well, it is called sustainable remodeling. For example, instead of destroying your old house, if you plan the demolition and reuse some of the materials to renovate your home, it will be called sustainable house renovation.
Also, placing windows in a better spot to let in more light and air, and minimizing the need of using ACs and lights are also part of sustainable house remodeling.
Why should you go for sustainable home renovation?
There are plenty of reasons you should opt for sustainable home renovation instead of a regular one. These are
It is financially beneficial:
Sustainable home remodeling involves reusing a lot of materials from the older house. This ensures you don’t have to buy these materials while remodeling your home, saving you a lot of money.
Also, affordable eco-friendly home renovations involve insulating your home properly, which causes the home to be warm in winter and cool in summer. This results in you using your Ac and heating units a lot less, causing the energy bills to go down significantly.
It helps the environment:
Green home conversion involves using old materials instead demolishing the entire building. This reduces the waste disposed into nature and helps the environment to survive. Also, due to the reduced usage of power, carbon emission goes down by a big margin.
Additionally, the materials used for sustainable home renovation are eco-friendly. This also ensures the environment will not be hurt in any way due to the use of these materials such as paints, etc.
High property values:
Nowadays, people are all about saving the environment. So, all of the decisions made are based on how eco-friendly that decision will turn out to be. If you have energy-efficient home renovations, the value of your home will skyrocket if you ever decide to sell it.
It allows the inhabitants to live a healthy and happy life:
Since all the materials used to renovate the house are eco-friendly, they don’t usually pose any threat to the inhabitants’ health. As a result, they can live healthy and happy life.
How can you sustainably remodel your home?
The best thing about sustainable remodeling is that there is no fixed way you can go about it. You can implement your ideas and make use of a myriad of materials to sustainably renovate your home.
The main ways to remodel your home in an eco-friendly way are:
Contact a green expert:
Before remodeling your home, make sure to get in touch with a renovation expert whose expertise is in green remodeling. They will be able to tell you how to go about remodeling your home in such a way that it helps protect the environment.
Plan early:
Make your plan before you even start your renovation work. If you leave your planning for the eleventh hour, you will have to make a lot of last-minute changes to it.
Use reclaimed doors and reused materials:
Doors use up a lot of wood, causing a rise in the number of trees being cut down. If you use reclaimed doors from ships, hotels, etc, you will help in reducing deforestation.
Also, if you reuse some of the materials from the old house, you won’t have to buy these, resulting in a downward shift in demand for these materials. This will result in a reduced supply and eventual reduction of cutting down trees as well.
This blog may be informative for you – Are old houses worth renovating?
Place windows and skylights in favorable positions:
Windows bring much-needed light and air into the room, which causes the use of AC and heating units to be minimized. Since the USA is in the northern hemisphere, it’s best to place your window to the south so that it brings maximum light into the house.
As more and more light enters the room, you will automatically minimize the use of light bulbs. This is also true for skylights, as they can also enhance the amount of light entering the house. Cover the skylight with opaque filters, so that it doesn’t resemble a black hole during the night and creates soft lighting.
Have plants:
You can have plants in your homes that can not only increase the amount of oxygen produced in your home but will also enhance energy efficiency. Deciduous trees will block out the excess light and heat during summer and let in light and heat during winter as they shed their leaves.
Final Words
Sustainable home remodeling is the best way to solve a lot of our environmental issues. It helps reduce carbon emissions while also reducing deforestation, which is two of the biggest headaches of world leaders and policymakers. If you have the option of renovating your home, then always choose sustainable remodeling over reconstruction or regular remodeling.
FAQ
1. What are the 4 factors of sustainability?
Sustainability has 4 factors that help to preserve resources and protect the environment. These factors are Human, Environmental. Economic and Social.
2. What are the 4 types of remodeling?
Remodeling can be of four types, which makes it a dynamic idea. The four types of remodeling are
- Passion Projects
- Curb appeal
- Basic, and
- Best bang for the buck.
3. What Should You remodel first in a house?
When you remodel your house, it is very important to choose the place that needs to be remodeled first, to save money and make the plan come together. Most experts believe that it is best to remodel your kitchen first.
