Green Remodeling Trends in 2020

Green Trends focus on indoor air quality

Making Homes Healthier

Green building has been a hot topic in the remodeling and design industry for quite a while, especially in older homes. More recently, making homes healthier is just as important as sustainability in making green choices.  Older homes are typically inefficient and provide unhealthy indoor air. The basics of building science and designing for the environment are necessary to consider and the knowledge is there in making homes healthier.  As a Green Certified Professional remodeler, Steve Shinn and the team make sure sustainability, performance, and design come together.

“We need to look at the home as a system and not just a bunch of little parts,” Shinn says. Homework Remodels help homeowners figure out which enhancements promote healthy indoor environments – without breaking their budgets.  Below are some things to consider when planning for your next remodel and creating a healthy home.

First, test for potential issues

A healthy indoor environment free from VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), formaldehyde, mold, and other pollutants not only makes your home more enjoyable to be in, but it can also help prevent asthma or other respiratory illnesses.

Make sure your home is not harboring mold, radon gas, carbon monoxide.  There you can test with kits available to consumers.

Be green in your home improvement practices

One of the best ways to ensure good indoor air quality is to think ‘green’ when taking care of your home.  Using green cleaning supplies, minimizing the use of sealants and purchasing furniture with low risk of off-gassing can help you keep the air you breathe healthy.  Choosing environmentally sound green flooring and countertop materials will help you manage air quality as well.

Deconstruct instead of demolishing

When remodeling your home, think strategically about what to deconstruct and what items to keep.  Demolition has an immense impact on the environment due to material waste.  It also can save you money when you find materials within your own home to reuse in new ways.  Light fixtures, molding, cabinets and even doors can be repurposed.

Refresh instead of replacing

Repurposing items and materials are still an ongoing trend. Saving natural resources and reducing the emissions from the manufacturing and transportation of these materials saves the environment.

Cut down VOC’s

Environmental concerns include surface finishes for building products.  Choose products that are low or no VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds).  VOCs are emitted by a variety of home products. As people become more aware of what is in the products that surround them in their homes, they care about how much their paints or carpets are off-gassing.  From cabinetry to flooring, these products often have added urea-formaldehyde, which emits gases and harms healthy living. Glue, sealant, paint, and coating may also have toxins. By moving away from the look of surfaces embalmed in smooth polyurethane, you are also improving the indoor air quality.

Amp up ventilation

To suck bad air out of a home and bring fresh air in, you need to install adequate ventilation. Add a fan in your kitchen and bathroom and it will help remove odors, bacteria, humidity and cut down mold growth.

If your home is sealed tight, you will also need to install a small reverse fan that introduces fresh air into the house.  This improves air circulation and helps stop the growth of mold.

And, open your windows more often in general, and let fresh air circulate in your home!!

Add air filtration

According to the EPA, the air inside your home could be up to five times more polluted than the outside air. But there’s no need to hold your breath—air purifiers can help clean the air by capturing microscopic contaminants. The filters remove irritants like mold spores, pet dander, cigarette soot, and dust, making it easier for people with allergies to breathe.

“A lot of new air conditioning manufacturers are providing high-efficiency HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filtration systems that are built into the ductwork,” Shinn says. “It will help reduce heating and cooling bills and keep your home cleaner.”

Another option is to build a green wall, setting out plants or growing herbs in your home creates more oxygen and filters out pollutants.  Making design choices that respond to the human inclination to seek connection with nature – can be as simple as adding some literal green to your living room with a plant or two.

Making your home healthy

Wellness-focused changes can include paint, flooring or cabinetry with non-toxic materials, touchless faucets that reduce germ spread, circadian lighting that improves sleep, water, and air purification systems.  Ready to make your home more healthy?  Let us do your homework for you!  Call (480) 895-3442 for a free 60-minute consultation.  Learn more about us here.

New Year, New Goals

Home Improvement Goals

We’re all guilty of making New Year’s resolutions that we never really keep. We have the best of intentions, but life gets in the way and we push our resolutions to the side to make way for other, more interesting things. This year, why not focus instead, on resolutions with a home improvement twist?

Ten New Year’s Resolutions with a Home Improvement Twist

  1. Install a programmable thermostat – and use it. A programmable thermostat saves your family about $180 per year when programmed properly. It only takes a few minutes.
  2. Remodel the kitchen bringing in those amazing cabinet features you saw online. Make this the year you decide to bite the bullet and remodel the kitchen to suit your cooking and entertaining style.
  3. Get rid of those textured ceilings. Nothing says outdated like popcorn or acoustic ceilings. Today’s homeowners want a clean, smooth ceiling that helps reflect light and provides an amazing space for decorative or recessed lighting.
  4. Open the floor plan between the kitchen, dining room, and family room. The floor plan can make a home feel claustrophobic if the primary rooms are blocked and surrounded by four walls with a few doorways leading to and from. As has been the trend for several years, an open concept floor plan creates many designs and decor options, as well as a great space for entertaining family and friends.
  5. Add the half-bath you’ve always wanted for your guests. A half-bath is a wonderful addition to any home. It adds both functionality and value to your home.

And Here Are 5 More!

  1. Change the look of a plain room or your entire home with molding and trims.  Don’t just think about the ceiling and floors.
  2. Design and build that amazing specialty room you’ve talked about for years. It doesn’t have to be a single-use room. It can serve multiple secondary purposes including a laundry room, craft room, mini office and yoga studio. Do some research online and allow us to show you how we can create a specialty room for your home.
  3. Remodel your bathroom to make it more efficient and functional both now and later years. Many homeowners wait until they need more of the features that allow them to enjoy their bathroom even if they have mobility issues before they make the change. By adding universal design features to the bathroom you can enjoy a beautiful bathroom that will serve you well even if you injure yourself causing accessibility issues now or in the future.
  4. Add on to your home. How would a new master suite change your life?
  5. Make this the year you focus on Home Wellness improvements…nontoxic materials, water, and air purification systems and circadian lighting to improve sleep.

Take a look at some of our award-winning projects; we are sure you’ll be inspired!  Why not begin today in making your resolutions with a home improvement twist!

Let Us Do The Homework For You

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