Eco Friendly Houses

What are Eco Friendly Houses?

Homes that are friendly to the environment are homes that have been built with some, if not all of the following:

• Natural resources
• Nontoxic paint
• Wood from a sustainable forest
• Walls that are insulated with draft-stopping foam or concrete
• Benefits the most from the sun in the winter and minimizes the summer heat (known as passive solar heating)
• Bamboo flooring
• Adobe flooring
• Counters made of recycled paper and fly ash

These homes continue to conserve energy even after they are built by only using renewable resources to heat or cool them. Therefore, houses focused on green principles, usually have at least one of the following components:

• Powered by the sun with solar panels
• Powered by the wind with outside turbines

They also include features such as low flow toilets and water-saving showers and faucets in the bathrooms and energy-saving appliances in kitchens that are eco friendly.

While these green homes at one time may have looked hideous with recycled materials such as worn tires, aluminum cans, and huge solar panels, these days builders are able to hide many of the energy-saving resources and create homes that are not only energy-efficient, but attractive to the eye.

Why Build a Green House?

There are many reasons why a person or family would chose to build a house that is green. Some of these include:

• Energy can be saved in cooling and heating bills. A traditionally-built home loses 15 to 20 percent of its heat or air-conditioning from leakage in the ducts alone. Sometimes it takes two to seven years to recoup the money spent in building a planet-friendly home. However, after this time frame, home owners are able to pocket the savings.

• Ventilation is better in eco friendly homes and cleaner due to the products used to build the home (no toxic paints, glue or stains). This cleaner environment does not exacerbate allergies, headaches or asthma.

• Desire to preserve the Earth's resources. Aside from the savings a solar-powered home will eventually prove, the interest in building a dwelling that is good for the environment is a large reason why eco friendly homes are constructed.

Disadvantages of Eco Friendly Houses

The biggest drawback to homes that are green is cost. Solar panels are expensive to install. Non-toxic paints, stains, and glues cost more than traditionally-used products. An eco-friendly home costs about 20 to 30 percent more to construct than a traditional home. However, some tax-credits are offered on both the federal and state levels which are some more incentives to build a home that is powered by natural resources.

Straw bale homes are economical.

Straw Bale Homes are Eco Friendly

If you don't want to break the piggy bank by pouring loaned money into an eco-clean house, consider a straw bale home. A straw bale house is an example of a home that is cost-efficient while conserving our natural resources. Built from the straw that comes from a field of wheat, the house's walls are insulated with straw and then covered with natural plasters. Not only is a home like this affordable, it withstands even inclement weather.

The two types of straw bale homes are:

• Load Bearing - The straw carries the load of the roof so that no wood is needed. Due to the fact that the lack of strong structural support limits the amount and width of windows and doors, this type of straw home is not common.

• Post-and-beam structure - The straw is used to pack into the post-and-beam frame of the house. In this way, the straw is used as insulation as opposed to carrying the weight of the house.

If you would like to read more about straw homes, read Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook by Nathaniel Corum.