From Guest Blogger Jenny Richards: Five Things to Consider When Building a House Green

These days there are many things to take into account as you decide what type of house you would like to construct. If you would like to construct a house with a “green” philosophy then the following steps will help you do so:

Step 1: Consider the alternative for Green Housing Construction Ideas

It will be a good idea to initially consider the type of house that you would like to build based on your bottom line needs or wants.

For example, you can choose to build a Cob House, Straw-bale Construction, Shipping-crate Home, Wood-pallet House or a Hemp Concrete construction. You can view a few of these either online or physically. Once you make your choice, it will be easier to decide the green construction materials that will be appropriate for you.

Step 2: Research on current alternatives for green building materials

What do you especially want green in your house? Do you want the whole house green or just part of it? For example, you may only want a green roof. Maybe your primary need is the collection of water from rain and harnessing solar energy for lighting your home and heating water. Or maybe you are fully into the green philosophy and want every single thing green.

Either way, you will have to consider what materials you want to originally build with and what green alternative materials you have as available options for you.

Step 3:  Gathering the resources

What will it take for you to gather all the resources that you need in order for you to achieve the desired results?

For example, if you don’t locally have bamboo in your area yet you want to use it for some structural work in your home, is it worth adding to your carbon footprint by getting the bamboo from some far off location to where you want to build your house?

Step 4: Consider getting some training

How will you construct your house? Do you have contractors available in your area who have skills in constructing houses that are green or will you do the construction yourself?

If you don’t have a contractor to build your house then you will need some training. For example, if you intend to have a wooden house then you may need to take a carpentry course like the AbleSkills carpentry training course that will help you know what you need to do to construct and maintain your house.

If you do have access to people who can construct your house green then you won’t necessarily need a course, though it may still help you to take a course that will help you decide on an appropriate contractor that you can communicate with constructively.

Step 5:What are the cost implications?

Sometimes the wise thing to do is to just consider how much it will cost you to meet your green requirements.

Let’s assume that in the plan to design your house you will need to dig up a foundation, dig up a septic tank and dig up a refuse disposal pit for your organic garden manure. If this is the case, then maybe the best alternative for you will be to use the soil that you dig up to make some bricks to construct your house.