There are many benefits associated with renovating property. The most common reasons to renovate are to refresh the look and feel of your home and increase its value—who wouldn’t want to reap these benefits? Construction and renovation however, aren’t the most environmentally friendly practices. Nowadays, sustainability is a hot topic amongst many industries, and all with good reason.
Commercial construction companies, property developers and home renovators should all seriously consider the impact of their work on the environment and take appropriate measures to reduce negative impacts on the environment.
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1. Choose the Most Sustainable Construction Materials
Nowadays, commercial construction companies and home renovators alike are becoming more aware of the impact that building has on the environment. More environmentally-friendly, sustainable materials can be used in your renovations today. Here are some of the best materials to include in your renovation.
Stainless Steel
This is a highly versatile and durable material that will last in your home for decades. Many forms including plate, sheet and coils are available in varying stainless steel grades for use in the kitchen or other areas. Be sure to check the quality of the product before committing to purchase, as not all stainless steel is made equally.
Bamboo
Bamboo is perhaps the most environmentally friendly and affordable construction material you can find. This incredibly strong, abundant material grows rapidly in many parts of the world. It does not need to be replanted after harvesting and a single stalk of bamboo completely regenerates within only six months.
Today, it is a popular material to use for kitchen floors, due to its moisture-resistance, living rooms and bedrooms of your home for more decorative purposes. It can also be used to build furniture items such as cabinets that withstand the test of time.
Precast Concrete
Precast concrete is considered to be a truly sustainable construction material. It is highly durable, long-wearing, inexpensive and produces minimal waste during its manufacturing process. Indoor air quality is notably improved in buildings made with precast concrete. This robust material can also be fully recycled at the end of its life.
2. Use Eco-Friendly Paint to Refresh your Walls
Repainting the interior and exterior walls of your home is likely the simplest and most popular way to refresh your property’s look and feel. However, conventional paints can include seriously harmful additions, such as heavy metals, formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOC), which can be detrimental to the health of your family and will decrease the quality of air in your home.
A smart decision is to have your walls repainted with low-VOC or eco-friendly paint. The true definition of eco-friendly paint, can cause confusion, as each paint supplier provides differing descriptions of their product. What we do know, is that these varieties of paint will be better for your health and air quality, containing lower amounts of the harmful ingredients found in traditional paint varieties.
3. Optimize Natural Light within your Home
Who doesn’t love to enter a home full of natural light? Mirrors and other reflective surfaces in your home, have an impact on the amount of natural light coming through. A carefully positioned full-length mirror for example, will amplify a natural source of light coming from a window, spreading it around the room. An added bonus is that large mirrors will also give the illusion of a more spacious room.
If a room in your house cannot see natural light and has no windows, a wonderful alternative is to install a sun tunnel. A sun tunnel will allow for natural light to enter the room, via the roof and can be installed on a pitched roof or flat roof extension. A relatively low-cost addition to your home, that will liven up your space.
4. Consider Switching to LED Lighting
Traditional lighting such as incandescent and fluorescent lights are not the most eco-friendly option available to you. Though incandescent lights offer the most aesthetic lighting solution, LED lights are up to 80% more energy efficient in your home. They convert 95% of their energy into light, compared with fluorescent lights, which only convert 5% of their energy into light. Making the switch to this more sustainable option, will result in significant cost and energy savings now and for the future.
These are just a few considerations to make when deciding on how to renovate your property.
Hopefully these ideas will spark a change and together, we can help reduce our carbon footprint by renovating sustainably.