6 Design Tips for an Eco-Friendly Home - The Happy Homes

Home. A word that’s associated with calm, peace, and rest. Your private oasis in a chaotic world. We continually strive to create better living conditions for our loved ones. It’s not surprising that a lot of people are seeking to convert their private sanctuary into an abode which is at harmony with the environment. After all, in the world we live in today, going eco-friendly is no longer just a service to the society or nature. It has become a necessary extension of our desire for sustainable living, for leaving a better environment for our future generations.

Designing an eco – friendly home is an effective way to reduce our carbon footprint. While there is an initial investment involved in creating a green home, the true value of going green yields results in the years to come. A productive eco-friendly home is able to cut environmental costs at several levels. You end up using less electricity and try to eliminate products that can have a negative impact on the environment. There are many simple, cost-effective ways to design an eco-friendly home.

Use Sustainable Building Materials
Green homes use environmentally or eco-friendly products which reduce the impact of construction on the environment. Each and every part of your house such as roofing material, building material, cabinets, counters and flooring should be environmentally friendly. Use locally sourced products such as reclaimed wood, recycled plastic, recycled glass or natural products such as bamboo, cork and linoleum which are made of natural, renewable materials.

Make use of natural light
If possible, incorporate large, glass windows in your home design. Even with regular windows, let the natural light come into your home, instead of drowning it out with heavy drapes. Don’t turn on the lights until absolutely required. Natural light, in addition to helping cut down your energy bills, will also lend a wholesome energy to your living space. 

Eco-Friendly Lighting
While installing, both LED and CFL cost more, but use far less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs. They are long lasting, and offer significant cost savings in the long run, making them an ideal addition while designing your eco-friendly home.

Embrace plants within and outside your home
If there are no trees around your home, now is the time to plant some, and watch them grow. If you are lucky enough to have them, ensure you don’t cut them down. Trees provide shade that keeps the house cool. Go a step ahead and bring the greenery inside the home. Indoor plants are known to cut down certain pollutants while keeping air temperatures down – a great way to have a healthy home, while reducing the cost of running air-purifiers and air-conditioning. 

Source: https://balconygardenweb.com/eight-common-indoor-plant-myths-you-should-know-about/

Think recycled furniture
While it’s tempting to go the quick route and pick up cheap and easily available furniture from a popular retailer, it’s far more eco-friendly to consider picking up some furniture made from recycled materials. Make a round of your local antiques market for ideas, salvage an old piece of furniture, or get your carpenter to source reclaimed wood. Not only does it add to the green quotient of your home, this furniture will have far more character than the usual cookie-cutter designs.

Protect your construction’s durability and Life Span
Long lasting construction is the definitive way of going eco-friendly. From the foundation, to insulation, to interior and exterior wall finishes, there is now a wide variety of materials that are eco-friendly while protecting the structure’s longevity. Investing in quality exterior coating like Dr Fixit Raincoat not only gives your construction superior waterproofing benefits during the rains, it also provides excellent heat insulation and energy savings in non-monsoon months. Good quality waterproofing solutions lead to healthier homes, higher quality builds, low maintenance, and most importantly, it means you’re supporting a more sustainable way of doing things. Plus, it can save you some major headaches, repairs, and ultimately a lot of money, as the years roll by.