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:
- Decorating with Wallpaper: Decorative Wallpapers, Grass Cloth, Theme Wallpaper, Understanding Wallpaper and Wall coverings, and Wallpaper Installation.
- Exterior House Painting: Exterior Finishes, Exterior Painting Pointers, Exterior, Repainting and Repair, Exterior Wood Care, and Prep Exterior Surfaces. Go for Zero VOC Paint
- Exterior House Painting: Exterior Finishes, Exterior Painting Pointers, Exterior Repainting and Repair, Exterior Wood Care, Prep Exterior Surfaces
- Home Accents and Holiday Decorating: Decorative Wall Clocks, Frameless and Decorative Wall Mirrors, Functional Design, Glass and Mirrors, Holiday Decorating Indoors, Holiday Decorating Outdoor, Home Accessories, Kitchen Accents, Pictures and Picture Frames, Subtle Accents, and Wall Décor.
- Home Decorating Ideas and Feng Shui: Client - Designer Relationships, Feng Shui, Home Decorating Projects, Home Decorating Styles and Themes, Home Decorating Tips and Ideas, Home Decorating Trends, Trim and Molding, and Unity in Design.
- Home Decorating Ideas for Kids: Baby Furniture, Children's Beds, Decorating Colorful Kids' Spaces, Personalized Furniture, Playrooms and Playgrounds, and Toys and Interior Decorating Storage Tips.
- Interior Decorating by Room: Decorating Bedrooms, Decorating Dining Rooms, Decorating Guestrooms, Decorating Home Offices, Decorating Kitchens, Decorating Living Rooms, and Decorating Other Living Spaces.
- Interior Decorating with Paint Colors: Cool Colors, Interior Decorating with Color and Design, Interior Decorating with White, Metallic Color Accents, and Warm Interior Colors.
- Painting Tips and Tools: Exterior and Airless Paint Sprayers, Exterior Paint Brushes and Rollers, Interior Paint Brushes and Rollers, Paint Brushes, Paint Clean Up and Removal, Paint Quality and Safety, and Painting Supplies.
- Window Treatments: Insulated Window Treatments, Interior Window Shutters and Louvers, Plantation Shutters, Window Blinds, Window Draperies, Window Film and Coverings, and Window Shades.
Tips on Home Décor: Let your personality shine through. Often people see images in magazine and try to replicate the look. Certainly use images as inspiration, but there is no substitute to finding creative ways to distinguish your home from every other home. Often incorporating elements that you may find through travel or ‘art’ work from family members and friends is an excellent way to personalize your home. Go for the middle ground between a costly original from a famous artist and an inexpensive reproduction of that same work, by supporting regional artists and craftsmen. You may be surprised at how affordably you can also frame art work and photographs, especially if you go to a craft center and buy a matt cutter to do it yourself. Overall, by keeping decor personal and local, your house will become even more of a home to enjoy for you and your family and friends.
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.
