Eco Friendly Houses

People often assume that eco friendly houses cost too much to make them realistic for most people. That may have once been true, but not any more!

As people become increasingly concerned about the health of the environment, more and more of us look for eco friendly options when building our homes. As a result prices are going down, and the variety of possibilities increases.

There are now many very cool ideas around you can incorporate into your new home build or changes you can make to you rexisting home as an eco renovation.

Cool Ideas For Eco Friendly Houses

I used to picture odd shaped ugly houses with solar panels and wind turbines sticking out everywhere.

Incorporate Salvaged Materials

You can make an amazing artistic fashion statement by building with salvaged materials.

One way to do this is to check out auctions and salvage shops for old & antique architechural items from old torn down buildings. These can be used in their original manner or re-purposed into an unusual conversation piece or decorative focal point.

Old claw foot bath tubs are favorites. Period chandeliers, wall sconces, old wood arches, church pews, stained glass windows, wrought iron railings, tin ceiling panels, door knobs, and fireplace mantels are all excellent examples of old items you can use again to give your home style.

Another fabulous idea is to create glorious hard wood flooring using salvaged hardwood flooring, that has been replaned and restored.

Salvaged old wood flooring has a sheen, patina and unique wear markings that give it a unique character that is just not found in modern day flooring. Plus the wood that is in these old floors is just not available these days.

If you get really creative, you can re-use old antique intems in your eco friendly home in a way that is quite different from its original. We once found a scruffed up antique Roman marble pedestal and re-used it as a water fountain just brimming with old world character - and certainly one of a kind!

Using Recycled Materials in Eco Friendly Houses

Of course you have probably already seen many building materials and supplies that are made by re-using recycled materials.

One of the most beautiful is glass bathroom tiles made using recycled glass pop bottles and glass containers.

A little more "out there" but still very interesting are free standing shower walls made of actual soda bottles.

Kitchen and bathroom countertops are now also made using large slabs of recycled glass. Many designers say that these countertops are the new granite in modern homes. It gives a home an ultra modern feel and a very unique look.

Eco flooring can be made from recycled bottles or reclaimed wood.

On a less glamorous, but vitally important aspect of eco friendly houses is the use of recycled materials in roofing, siding, and insulation.

Eco Friendly Houses Are Energy Efficient

Ideally, eco friendly houses that are built from scratch are positioned on the land with consideration to the prevailing winds, sunlight, and surrounding vegetation. This gives the home a great start towards energy efficiency right from the beginning.

Ensuring that the house is positioned and designed so that the sun shines in and heats the interior in the winter, and is kept out during the summer makes a big difference in terms of the energy needed to maintain a proper indoor climate.

This sort of strategic positioning and home design means less energy is needed for interior temperature control.

One of the most popular options for heating and cooling eco friendly houses is the geo thermal system.

Simple Eco Friendly House Ideas

Even if you are not building a new house from scratch or performing a MAJOR renovation you can incorporate green eco ideas into design items and decorating.

These options will not cost you more than the traditional options available. When you need to paint a room, you can choose one of the many eco friendly paints available.

You can cover your windows with eco friendly fabric from a fabric store instead of paying high prices for professional drapery, or choose eco friendly furniture.

You can plant eco gardens or grow an eco lawn, fully utilising the kitchen waste we all produce, to enrich the garden & help reduce pressure on our vastly over-used landfill sites!

On the simple side, switch to eco friendly light bulbs and solar hot water heaters.

If you'd like to learn more about transitioning your home to solar power, learn more about home solar power systems please just click the link.

Turn your kitchen into an eco friendly kitchen or better yet create an eco friendly house plan.

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