Green Home Plans

From LoveToKnow GreenLiving

Green home plans are readily available to meet your design needs and aesthetics and still provide low-impact living by conserving energy and resources. You don't have to live in an adobe hut to have a green home.

Basics of Building Green

Green building is a newly-emerging home building trend. "Green" does not just mean adding fluorescent bulbs or using more insulation. Building green considers the total environmental impact of the home during the design, construction, maintenance and use:

Design

Site-specific positioning – Placement of the house on the property should maximize the energy efficiency.
Energy-efficient design – Green buildings are designed to need less heating and cooling.
Sustainable and renewable materials – The materials check list should only include building materials that are sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable and nonpolluting.

Construction

Energy-efficient building techniques to:
- Produce the building materials – Suppliers should also be considering the environmental impact of their manufacturing.
- Transport the materials to the building site – Consider the energy required to get the materials onto the building site. Buying locally will minimize the fuel requirements.
Indoor environmental air quality.
Energy self-generation.

Maintenance and Use

Energy-efficient heating and cooling – Systems are chosen that operate with minimal use of energy.
Water conservation – Kitchen, bath, laundry and landscaping needs are met by a judicious use and reuse of available water.

Key Elements of Green Home Plans

If you are considering building a green home, your building plan should include elements with positive environmental impacts, such as:

A north-south orientation – South-facing windows will capture the natural light and solar energy.
Materials conservation – 2x6 exterior wall framing, as compared to 2x4 framing, will minimize the amount of wood used.
Energy-efficient design – Avoid high volume ceiling heights to avoid heat trapped at the ceiling.
Energy-efficient components – Windows should have a R-5 or R-6 rating, as compared to the typical R-1 window rating.
Renewable heating and cooling – Heating and cooling systems should use renewable energy sources such as geothermal-based heating and cooling.
Water-wise – Water use should emphasize conservation and include systems such as low flow toilets and low water landscaping.
Eco-friendly kitchens – Countertops should be made of natural materials such as granite, marble, or ceramic tile. Lighting fixtures should be compact and use energy-efficient bulbs.
Renewable materials – Bamboo and rattan are good alternatives to hardwood.

Finding the Right Plan

Green home plans can be designed or purchased in a wide variety of styles and materials. It is important to think through your preferences before contacting a potential architect or before purchasing an existing building plan.

Styles Available
- Conventional – This includes both one-story and two-story homes in the styles typically seen in new home development. The house may be a square, rectangle or a combination of the two. The common feature is that the house has defined corners in the rooms.
- Rounded – This style became popular in the 1960s as construction techniques allowed for the placement of beams to accommodate domed ceilings. The overall shape is curves, and may be round or oval. The house walls may be seamless around the curves or they can be constructed of a series of short sections which provide a "rounded" appearance when attached end to end in a circular manner.
- Earth-sheltered – This style uses the Earth as a key portion of the home's construction. The advantage of this design is that the temperature about six feet under the Earth is consistent year round and so it will take less energy to heat or cool the home. The home could be built against the side of a hill, covered with dirt, or built totally underground.
- Organic – This style involves using the natural elements that surround the building site as key elements of the building. Elements used vary widely and could include trees used for center supports, hills into which the home can be built and sun and air sources that can be captured to their advantage with skylights and windows.
Materials
- Earth – Sand and clay mixed as adobe or earth buildings have been constructed outside of the United States for centuries and are generally long lasting.
- Wood – This has been the traditional building material in the United States; however, the over harvesting of forests has led to environmental problems in the world. New processes using harvested wood and cordwood building have created a way to continue using wood without the environmental consequences.
- Straw – Straw bales are increasingly being used as the basis for home designs in more temperate climates.
- Stone – Stone has traditionally been used both as a sole building material as well as a trim material.

Finding a Green Home Planner

Planning for a green home combines the talents of many different professionals. In addition to an architect, a plan can often be enhanced by the input from engineers, construction specialists, geologists and interior designers.

To get the planning process started:

Purchase ready-made plans. They can be customized to personalize your floor plan, adding bedrooms and re-arranging living areas to meet your lifestyle needs and to better fit your property and climate.
Hire an architect or designer that specializes in green building. They can work with you and custom design a plan to meet your needs.
Commission a home architect or designer who will customize existing plans to suit your "need to be green."