When it comes to adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle, there is no single place that you have more control than in your home, where you can decide what comes in and what goes out (not to mention where it comes from and where it goes to).
It is your choice whether or not to recycle, to purchase organic food and textiles, to conserve energy and water, to re-purpose old furnishing or donate them to charitable organizations (rather than throwing them away), and to shop for home goods from vendors that embrace eco-friendly practices and materials. So when it’s time to renovate your home, it is you who decides just how green you want to become.
And there are plenty of options for the homeowner looking to make the process a little less harmful to the environment. Depending on the scope of your renovations, your best option may be to hire a company or contractor that specializes in green building projects. These people are well acquainted with the latest advances in green building practices and materials (local, renewable, sustainable, and so on) and they can help you to find the options that work for your home and your budget.
On the other hand, hiring a contractor can be a fairly pricey proposition in and of itself. Although large or complex jobs may require the skills and experience that a contractor (and crew) bring to the job, there are also several things you can do on your own to spend less as you make your house more valuable and appealing in an eco-friendly way.
For example, you may need to bring in the pros to tackle major plumbing issues, but you can probably install low-flow toilets and aerated taps on your own with nothing more than a comprehensive home repair guide and a few tools. And if you ask demo crews to stay their hand when removing cabinetry, you won’t have to pay them for cleanup; you can haul intact cabinets to a vendor that specializes in refurbishing usable items for resale. You can even assemble your own solar panels (for about a fifth of what it costs to have them professionally installed), although you’ll have to do some research to learn how.
You can also use reclaimed hardwoods throughout your space for flooring, cabinets, furnishings, and so on, and even create an eco-friendly exterior by landscaping with drought-resistant native plants as well as growing trees that will provide shade in the summer, a wind-break in the winter, and extra oxygen all year-round.
Evan Fischer is a contributing writer for Morrison Hershfield, the leader in innovative, eco-friendly and cost effective engineering projects.