Properly installed and maintained gutters not only protect the landscaping right around your home from getting pounded by heavy rainfall, but they also protect your home from getting water damage at the eave point where the roof meets the wall. Look into: Gutters DIY, Gutter Cleaning, Seamless Gutters, Copper Gutters, Gutter Guards, and Home Drainage Systems. Consider storm water management systems that pipe the downspouts into an underground drainage area. Also consider the Rain Barrels as a way to collect and store rain water from your downspouts. Several days after the rain when the ground start to dry up, you can then use that water to irrigate your garden with either a soaker hose or a watering can. On average we use about twice the amount of water per household member in America as Europeans, and a good portion of that is due to excessive lawn and garden irrigation. We use 80 gallons on average in the winter and 120 gallons in the summer, per household member, per day! One or more rain barrels can start to make a difference.
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.
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.