The right home improvement products, techniques, and services:
Contractors, home improvement stores, and specialty shops in your area may not yet have a complete familiarity with the ‘green’ opportunities, products, system integration, and overall savings potential. So, you may get some resistance, since people in general are typically more comfortable recommending something that they are already familiar with rather than something new. To help break the inertia, use the information across this website like our Return on Investment Master ROI Table. Also feel free to post a question in our forum on the message board about a particular need for your home relative to your area. Our team has spent multiple years aggregating research from public and private sector performance reports and from manufacturers and homeowners across the country in order to provide you with the perspective you may need to see the initial payback and long term advantages. Environmental enthusiasts and leading institutions like the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Realtors, see the value and link into our resources to support their members.
The Green Home:
For your overall home improvement, you can save money, improve your family’s health, and save the planet. Find out for free how much it will cost to do different types of home improvement in your home from a qualified and member approved contractor in your area. Get a FREE Quote . Plus, regardless of the size and scope of your home improvement project, save money and keep your home clean with the top rated chemical free and concentrated Green Home Cleaning Products .
Category Checklist:
Make sure to consider the latest Home Improvement products and services. If you are doing the work yourself or planning on working with a home improvement contractor use this checklist below as a guide to review and ask questions about the preferred products, details, and installation techniques related to:
- Attic Remodeling: Attic Fans and Insulation, Attic Storage, Finished Attic Remodeling, and Planning for Attic Remodeling.
- Basement Remodeling: Basement Flooring, Basement Remodeling Ideas, Basement Waterproofing, Finished Basements, and Foundation Repair
- Bathroom Remodeling: Bathroom Accessories, Bathroom Cabinets, Bathroom Floor Installations, Bathroom Lighting, and Bathroom Linen Cabinets.
- Ceilings: Ceiling Décor, Ceiling Tiles, Flush Clip Mount Ceiling, Suspended and Drop Ceilings, Tin Ceilings, and Wood Furring Strip Ceilings.
- Fire Protection: Battery Smoke Detectors, Emergency Ladders, Fire Alarms, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Protection Equipment, Hard Wired Smoke Detectors, and Home Fire Sprinkler System.
- Flooring: Area Rugs, Bamboo Flooring, Carpet Installation, Carpeting, Ceramic Flooring, Cork Flooring, Floor Repair, Flooring Installations, Flooring Structure, Hard Wood Flooring, Install Wood Flooring, Kitchen Design and Renovation, Laminate Flooring, Marble, Terrazzo, and Stone Flooring, Radiant Floor Heat, Rubber Flooring, Tile Floor, and Vinyl Flooring.
- Garage Remodeling: Garage Cabinets and Storage, Garage Door Openers, Garage Doors, Garage Floor Paint and Coatings, Garage Floors, Walls and Ceilings, Garage Organization, and Garage Remodeling Plans.
- Home Repairs and Seasonal Upkeep: Home Foundation Repair, Home Repair Costs, Home Repairs Yourself, Replacing Filters and Seasonal Tune-ups, and Water Damage.
- Home Theater: Home Theater Design, Home Theater Furniture, Home Theater Speakers, Home Theater Systems, and Wireless Home Theater.
- Kitchen Remodeling: Kitchen Accessories, Kitchen Appliances, Kitchen Cabinets, Kitchen Countertops and Backsplashes, Kitchen Lighting, Kitchen Safety, Kitchen Sinks and Faucets, and Kitchen Storage Space.
- Walk in Closet Remodeling: Closet Remodeling Ideas, Remodeling with Double Hanging Racks, Storage Systems for Clothes, and Storage Systems for Shoes.
- Walls: Base and Crown Molding, Drywall Installation, Eco Friendly Drywall Substitute, Hanging Pictures, and Through Wall Fan Installation, and Wall Paneling.
Tips on Interior Home Improvement: Overall, the potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5% to 25% per year, and the home is generally much more comfortable afterwards. Check windows and doors for leaks. Check closets and attic access panels for leaks and drafts. When it comes to household electricity use, add LEDs or Compact Florescent Lamps (CFL) in any room or recessed light where appropriate to save energy.
At the top - Attic: Check for leaks, by looking for daylight. Check insulation for loft and coverage in open areas around the sides. Check attic hatch for insulation and seal. Consider a whole house fan. If you already have one the Air Flow is important for reducing humidity, moisture mildew all of which can reduce indoor air quality. If insulation gets moist it can become ineffective. Check and see if there is a vapor barrier under the attic insulation. Your vapor barrier might be tar paper, graph paper attached to Fiberglas bats, or a plastic sheet. This reduces the amount of water vapor that can pass through the ceiling. Large amounts of water vapor can reduce the effectiveness of insulation and promote structural damage, so if you don’t have it, then add in the plastic layer or have a professional do it for you. Consider Solar attic Fans as way to draft the hot air up and out of your home in the summer.
At the bottom - Basement: Check foundation and sill plate for leaks and cracks, most often these can be filled with a decent caulks or expanding foam sealers. Consider insulated your walls by adding interior wood or metal studs to the existing concrete blocks or poured concrete. Since ground temperature is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than outside air temperatures, you can take advantage of the difference to reduce your energy bills.
For the Bathrooms: Check bathroom fans to see that they are vented properly and that there are no drafts coming from inside the event from around of an installation. Check for drips and leaks. Go for water saving toilets, faucets, and shower heads.
In the work zone - Kitchen: Go for ENERGY STAR appliances to save electricity, water, and natural gas. Check the coils behind your refrigerated to see if they are clean. Careful use a brush to clean them if necessary to save on energy. Check vent hoods for, proper operation, leaks, and baffle closings. You may find that LED under the counters work well. Rather than buying bottled water, consider an under counter water filtration system, if you do not already have one on your refrigerator door.
Home Improvement Basics:
When it comes to home improvement basics, look for interior home improvements like creating a clean, safe, and healthy home through sustainable ‘green’ furniture, home décor, zero VOC and Interior Paint, plus ENERGY STAR Appliances and Electronics. For energy and utility savings you can focus on insulation and air sealing, windows, doors, lighting and skylights, water saving plumbing opportunities, and high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems. On the outside of your house, look for exterior home improvement opportunities through landscape design and gardening plus solar energy, wind and other power sources. If you are undertaking a major home renovation, an additions, or building a new home, then take the lead to ‘go green’ in as many ways as possible to save money and the environment.
