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  • Asbestos Removal & GREEN Alternatives for Homeowners

    Asbestos Removal & GREEN Alternatives for Homeowners Located in the western part of the United States, Utah is the center of information technology, transportation and a large tourist destination for outdoor recreation activities. Utah was named the fastest growing state in the United Stated in a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureaus. The path to owning a home is an exciting time for everyone, but one that will bring additional responsibilities. Used throughout the greater part of the 20th century, asbestos was one of the most highly sought after building materials due to its flame resistant qualities. Utahs asbestos has been as a result of its large petroleum industry. Oil giants such as BP Amoco, Chevron and American Oil all have refineries stationed in the state. Potential home buyers, re modelers or those constructing a house

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    Published On: 3/17/2009
    674 Views

  • Go Green with home plan NDG-844

    Go Green with home plan NDG-844   The NDG-844 is a modest home that could house a large family comfortably. The best green highlight is that it uses the 2470 sq. feet wisely. Four bedrooms could house up to eight people, a very large family by today’s standards, while giving each enough room to feel comfortable. The open living spaces and multi-level design give place for various activities to happen simultaneously. This keeps the materials used down, and leaves more open landscape to Mother Nature.   This is another conventional house plan, like most, that doesn’t take passive solar power into consideration. Thats okay here. You could easily put additional windows on the rear side for southern exposure and solar gain, especially in that two story great room. If your lot doesn’t

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    Published On: 5/27/2008
    2077 Views

  • Go Green with home plan DDI105-202

    Go Green with home plan DDI105-202   The DDI105-202 has some major green advantages and opportunities. To start off with, its basically a three story home, which is not only less expensive to build than something spread out, but disturbs less ground. Its many windows and outdoor decks allow natural cooling and ventilation. Perhaps most important, it fits a lot of house into a small square footage. The size of homes has basically doubled in recent years, so a small house that works extra hard for you is a great start!   What can you do to make it green? Well to start off with, think insulation. This plan has a lot of windows and they're spread throughout the house. Passive solar is not an option and windows represent a weak point in a home's insulation. Look into a soy based spray on insulation.

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    Published On: 5/15/2008
    1706 Views

  • Heating Your New Home

    Heating Your New Home Heating costs are an expensive part of most of our lives, unfortunately. I remember my first winter in my own apartment. My utilities jumped up to $150.00 a month. That was a hard pill to swallow, especially since my rent was only $275.00 a month! Thank goodness I didnt have to spend another winter there. Like many of you, Ive since become very conscious of the energy Im spending just to keep warm. Most of you have a more efficient system than I did (electric base board heaters), but still cringe at the cost jumps that come along with heating. There are solutions to this problem. My parents, for example, bought themselves a wood burning stove. More than anything, I think it has a nostalgic quality for them as they were both raised in cozy farmhouses of yesterdays

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    Published On: 3/17/2008
    1074 Views

  • Mayne LEED disconnect

    We like to show our readers good and bad examples from those who have built before them, so they don't make the same mistake. The fact of the matter is that codes and regulations are constantly changing. Therefore, the plans to any architectural project become paramount. The design process is where it can all start to go right, or wrong. Ensuring that your plans are up to speed may cost a little extra money, but can save you from crippling mistakes. You cant get any higher profile of a project than Thom Maynes Federal Building. For those who are unaware, many government entities are requiring LEED certification for new buildings. LEED is the nationally recognized benchmark for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and the certification program for new construction is called

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    Published On: 2/19/2008
    940 Views

  • Greenwashing Debates are Heating Up

    I've heard a lot of talk about greenwashing lately. It's been a topic of discussion for quite some time, but it's getting more attention. Greenwashing is a term used to describe overstating a products "greenness", or, as some have appropriately put it, a products "shade of green". There are two main arguments. The first is that greenwashing is an evil practice used to deceive consumers and slow down the green movement. The second is that accusing companies of greenwashing is unnecessary slander that punishes them for taking small steps in the right direction. What do you think? Since it's obvious that some companies will want to overstate a products green characteristics to save money, I believe that it's important to call out those who truly and blatantly greenwash. Those companies are

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
    795 Views

  • The Global Warming Deadline

    I just read an interesting article by Ross Gelbspan at gristmill.grist.org. He warns that we have passed the deadline to turn our carbon emitting habits around and that dangerous climate change is now inevitable. According to Ross, "The IPCC, which reflects the findings of more than 2,000 scientists from over 100 countries, recently stated that it is 'very unlikely' that we will avoid the coming era of 'dangerous climate change.'" He continues "As one prominent climate scientist said recently, 'We are seeing impacts today that we did not expect to see until 2085.'" So how do we react to this hard notion? How valid is the argument and how frantic should we become? Some say that this whole thing is a hoax. As a good friend of mine pointed out, we had a global cooling scare in the 1970's.

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
    874 Views

  • Insulation

    One of the most fundamental ways to green up your home and save on energy bills is properly insulating your home. This in turn is great for the total environment, because most heat comes from fossil fuels. Traditionally, insulation has struggled with three main obstacles: formaldehyde, low r-value, and air gaps. Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound or a VOC that stinks. Remember dissecting the frog in high school? VOCs create poor indoor air quality over a long period of time and are known to cause a number of diseases. R-Value speaks of insulations ability to control temperature. Just remember, the higher the better. Lastly, air gaps greatly reduce a products ability to perform. Air gaps must be filled in to receive the full benefit of insulation. Here's a quick breakdown on

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
    1138 Views

  • The Green Roof

    Urban areas create several environmental problems. A major problem discussed widely now is the urban heat bubble. Asphalt on roads, parking lots, and roofs reflect heat into the air. This causes a heat problem. Other issues involve water. The asphalt and concrete that make up our urban areas do not absorb the water, so we get flash flood effects in our storm drains and sewer systems. Another problem is air pollution. Not only do we clear land full of oxygen producing plants, but we put carbon dioxides in the air. These are all issues that green roofs can help solve: reduce ambient air temperature, energy use, and utility costs help cleanse the air and water utilize local and recycled materials extend the life of the roof improve aesthetics create

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
    1214 Views

  • Green Resources

    I just know that there are several of you out there who will run into my humble green blog and wonder (as cliché as this approach may be) "How can I go green?" or "How can I find green products?" The answer is kind of hard unless you know where to go. So here are a few sources that I've found useful. Building Green: these guys are truly a neutral party. They don't accept advertising, so they're unbiased in their reports. Go to www.buildinggreen.com United States Green Build Council: or the USGBC. They are the nationally accepted authority on green buildings. They have a certification program that is the benchmark for ecologically friendly building. Their resources are invaluable. Go to www.usgbc.org Green and Save: an experienced architect's

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
    816 Views

  • Consequences

    You know, I've been thinking a lot lately on the impact our lifestyle choice has on the rest of the world. This is probably, or at least should be, a pretty well covered topic out there, but it's been on my mind lately. I'm currently in an Architectural Systems class at my University and our professor was sharing some stories about building techniques and lifestyle in the 70's. Apparently, and I know this because of my parents house, they didn't really worry too much about insulating homes. Gas was so cheap that the necessity to worry about our energy sources just wasn't there. No wonder environmentalists were considered hippies; not that I want to take the hippie title away from any proud hippies out there. But, now that we're in an energy crisis, and we've all begun to accept the

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
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    719 Views

  • Green Light

    Lighting is a major source of energy consumption in a residence. There are a few simple things that can reduce your dependency on the light bulb. Windows in the right places. It's best to put more windows facing south to absorb as much sunlight as possible. Windows on the other sides of the house help as well, but not as much. Make sure you get well insulated windows. The more efficient, the more expensive, but only up front. Light shelves on all south facing windows. A light shelf is a reflective surface located near the top of the window that bounces the light toward your ceiling and farther into the house. There are both exterior and interior light shelves, and it works best if you install both systems. Florescent and LED lighting. The incandescent

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    Published On: 2/13/2008
    742 Views

  • 6 Easy Ways to Green Your Home

    6 Easy Ways to Green Your Home Green Design is a popular buzz word and a money saving tactic. Many great steps are being taken in the architectural world to green up our actions and decision making. This is an important step in saving our planet and greening up our wallets at the same time. However, the residential world is slow to take on the green movement. While many home products are designed with the ecosystem in mind, the vast majority of new and existing homes are not optimized to green standards. So how do you get a green home? Are the plans different? Do they look different than any other home? We want to show you how any home can be eco-efficient with a few simple steps. Going green is easier than you’ve ever imagined! The boys and girls at GreenandSave.com have stepped up to help us. Not

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    Published On: 1/8/2008
    810 Views

  • See the Return on Investment for GREEN Home Remodeling

    See the Return on Investment for GREEN Home Remodeling By Charlie SzoradiNow you can take any house plan and add the green finishes and systems that have real payback for your wallet and the environment. While Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio have done a great job making films to inform Americans about Climate Change, Green Architects Charlie Szoradi and Master Carpenter Mark McGraw, along with a team of partners have spent two years building an eco-friendly house and a website that shows mainstream Americans how to help themselves and also save the polar bears.  GREENandSAVE.com is the first site to offer Return On Investment (ROI) rankings for home improvement projects that not only save you money but also help save the environment. The house remodeling site is designed for both hands-on weekend Do-It-Yourself DIY home improvers as

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    Published On: 12/12/2007
    1458 Views
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