As more and more homeowners become aware about protecting our environment and the green building concept, builders, designers and architects are now incorporating green elements in every home that is built. With the advancement in technology and the emergence of modern building concepts, homeowners can now integrate these green elements without sacrificing the overall appeal of their dream homes.

Despite the heightened interest by various sectors about the green building concept, many homeowners still don’t have a clear understanding of what constitutes a green home and how such type of structures are built. An environmentally friendly home has beneficial effects on the health and overall well-being of your family. It is also a financially sound option. (more…)

In Austin these days, like in a lot of the country, people are going green with their building practices. There is a much bigger emphasis being placed on energy efficiency and things of that nature, so construction companies are hopping on board and doing their part.

So what are these green trends that we should be keeping an eye on? In order to get LEED certification, builders have to follow some of the standards set forth in terms of securing the home and using the proper materials. Builders are going a little bit further than that right now, though. They are building homes with a great “green” consciousness than ever before. (more…)

In today’s real estate market, many prospective homeowners are faced with the tough financing situations that are now all too common. The government does not seem to have any viable solutions and seems to just get us further into the crevasse of recession but allowing big banks to run even further off course. If you find yourself seeking a way out of a life of bank servitude, try building your own green home by using these strategies.

Build a cord wood home

Saving a lot of money by building your own cord wood home is easier than you may think. First, cord wood construction is simply using lengths of firewood (cord wood) embedded into mortar structure. This wood is built into the wall in a perpendicular fashion and creates a wall that is about a foot or so thick, whatever length of wood you cut. (more…)

Since January 2009 it has been a legal requirement for anybody selling or leasing a commercial property in the United Kingdom to obtain a commercial Energy Performance Certificate (commercial EPC) before placing the property on the market. Many people have undergone the intensive, expensive, but relatively brief training programme to become UK Government accredited Commercial Energy Assessors and have set themselves up in business.

Some of these people were already involved in commercial property in one way or another, as Chartered Surveyors, Architects or Building Services Engineers. Others were attracted to the new profession by unfounded claims of a shortage of Assessors or simply fell into it because they had been made redundant during the recession and ‘needed something to do’. (more…)

Straw bale home construction is an astonishing new development in the new era of humanity. Based in going back to our roots, the idea is not 100% new, it is just new to this day and age. A combination of straw bale wall building techniques, earth plasters, rainwater cisterns, natural heating and cooling, generating electricity from sunlight will combine to create a energy efficient home and building with a beautiful finish.

It is not stock just in straw bale building, it goes beyond the imagination, and is generating all kinds of great ideas for natural energy generating systems to provide us with true hope for a better greener future. Investing in new renewable energy technology is the clue to the final push that science needs. (more…)

There’s treasure in them there houses, the ones that are about to be torn down! And if you look closely, you’ll see that the treasure is not just what is in the buildings, but the green business opportunities they represent.

Holding on-site auctions at houses that are about to be demolished can be a good business for enterprising individuals who enjoy treasure hunting and are passionate about preserving our natural resources. What’s more, it doesn’t require a big outlay of capital to get started. (more…)