The newest style of bathroom remodeling is the green bathroom. Green bathrooms not only help to save the environment but also help so save the owner money in the long run. This article can help give you some green ideas when it comes to bathroom remodeling. Using natural light is the easiest way to start your green design. If you have the option skylights are the best way to light your bathroom. Letting in natural light not only gives you bathroom a friendlier brighter feel but also eliminates the need for electric lighting. If skylights aren’t an option replacing bathroom windows with larger ones can also drastically help the lighting of your bath. When it comes time to plan the actual electric lighting aspect of your bathroom look into low voltage led lighting as an alternative to the conventional bathroom lighting. Installing timer switches is also a great way to ensure you save energy. Another great way to save money is to switch from a hot water tank to a solar hot water tank of an inline heater. A solar hot water heater uses energy from the sun to heat your water saving energy and money. With the cost of these units starting around $1500 dollars these are a great investment. The inline water heater gives you hot water on demand giving the added bonus of never being able to run out of hot water. Either of these alternatives are better for the environment then the standard hot water tank. There are a number of ways to help save water when it comes to your bathroom. Automated faucets save water by automatically turning themselves off after a certain amount of time. They are turned one by either a motion censor or push button, these are a must have if you have young children. Water saving shower heads can also cut your water usage down significantly. In the past water saving shower heads ruined water pressure and drizzled out water making them detested by many; however today’s water saving shower heads conserve water while still giving decent pressure. Another great way to save water in your bathroom is through the use of water saving toilets. There are a wide variety of models on the market to choose from the most popular being the 1.6 gallon flush. These 1.6 gallon flush toilets are becoming somewhat out dated though. There are now 1 gallon single flush toilets that are just as effective as the 1.6. There are also dual flush toilets on the market. These have a .08 gallon flush and a 1.6 gallon flush. They have been know to save a family of four over 10,000 gallons of water a year when compared to a conventional toilet. Pressurized toilets are another type of water saving toilet that has become more popular in recent years. There have also been great improvements in the designs of these toilets. They used a pressurized air tank to assist the flushing of the toilet allowing for a lower volume of water. Saving water isn’t thing that makes a bathroom green. Buying recycled building materials is also part of designing a green bathroom. There are many types of bathroom vanities that are made from recycled glass that have an ultra modern look to them. There are also a variety of tiles on the market that are made from recycled material. Buying recycled building materials can help save you money and the environment at the same time. No matter how serious your bathroom remodeling project is there are easy little ways to make your bathroom and home a little more energy efficient. These were just a few bathroom remodeling ideas to help you help the environment.

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When it comes to gardening, nearly everyone wants their plants to thrive, yet the desire to grow great plants often doesn’t translate into reality for many. The simple fact is that not everyone has a green thumb, and for those that don’t, some assistance is required. I’m not referring to hiring a full time gardener, but instead purchasing a mini greenhouse. Mini greenhouses are the perfect tool if you’re looking to provide the perfect environment for your plants. The reason a greenhouse works so well is that it provides the plants within with a consistent environment. When it comes to growing healthy plants, one of the most important aspects is consistency, since inconsistent conditions can lead to disease, poor uptake of nutrients and general slow growth. So, what should you look for when choosing a greenhouse?
Most mini greenhouses that are available for purchase for the home environment are available as kits from local garden centers and online specialty retailers. As such, they are relatively easy to put together and don’t require much knowledge to operate. Unlike commercial greenhouses that contain complicated environmental controls and other advanced features, a mini greenhouse operates with very few inputs. When using a mini greenhouse, you’re simply looking to provide a buffer from the outside world. The most important thing to consider is the size of the structure, since you want to fit all of your plant material without overcrowding. It’s also worth considering whether or not you want to have walk-in access, and if so, how much additional space and budget a larger structure might require.
At the conclusion of this article, the best thing you can do is to head online to look at some of the available options. Once there, you can get a feel for the pricing and available options. It’s also worth phoning a couple different companies in order to ask some questions. After all, you want to be sure that you’re buying a structure that will last you for years to come.

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If you want to purchase quality uPVC windows and doors, then you need to consider the range of option available carefully.  In this article we will give you steps to take to ensure that you purchase uPVC windows and doors that are of good quality and that you will be happy with for years to come.
1.    Consider the energy efficiency of your home.
The fact that you are considering installing uPVC windows and doors means that you are probably aware that you want your property to be as energy efficient as possible.  Not all uPVC products are of equal quality however and you should consider the ‘R-value’ of each window and door unit that you look at.  ‘R-value’ measures the resistance of the product to heat loss so the higher this value the better the uPVC windows and doors in terms of insulation.
2.    Contemplate the style options of the windows you require.
uPVC windows and doors are available in almost any style that you might want.  This is a far cry from the days that these products were produced in limited styles.  Consider which style of window best compliments your home.  It may or may not be the same style that you already have.
3.    Ensure that you have planning permission to replace your windows.  This may not apply to a lot of homeowners, however homeowners have found out to their cost that they did need planning permission to change windows.  Check this out with your local planning department before you purchase new uPVC windows and doors.
4.    Consider your glazing options.  There are many different types of glazing available for uPVC windows and doors, all of which perform different and possibly quite specific tasks.  If you require additional security for instance, you can purchase glazing that is very difficult to break.  Again consider your requirements and get expert advice as to which type of glazing would suit your windows.

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Hi, check out this very amazing article , I just read and stumbled across . It is the latest news about Go Green In Your Home Improvement Plans: Green Is More Than Solar Panels and Wind Turbines. It’s got very fun pics and images and I would like thoughts about this very interesting article . Please feel free to express yourself .

There will be big money made in the renewable energy business, but some of the easiest money is ready to fall into your own lap. Going green can save you green…a lot of green.  There are dozens of things you can do to save energy that will not only help the planet but your financial health as well.

Some green projects for your home improvement plans are fairly elaborate and may cost a little money, and others are very simple.  Some things will give you astonishing returns on your investment, while others will pay you back more slowly, but give you that warm green feeling, anyway.

You will get the best bang for your investment buck by focusing first on ways you can avoid using energy around your home, before you start trying to find ways to install renewable energy systems. The fastest return on your investment will come from insulating your attic, caulking around your window and doors, and buying or making insulated coverings to use on your windows at night in the winter.

The next step is to reduce the amount of energy your lighting and appliances require. Replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs or LED lighting pays off quickly, and looking for energy efficient appliances when your old ones die is also a good step.

Once you have your conservation steps all in place, then you might want to think about installing renewable energy systems.  Installing DIY solar panels or building your own wind turbine might be a good option for you if you are handy with tools and knowledgeable enough to work around electricity safely.  Or, you can buy a relatively inexpensive commercially manufactured home wind turbine. One small wind turbine can cut the amount of electricity you need to buy from your utility company by an amount hat can add up to a very significant savings.

Going green can be as simple and cheap or as elaborate and expensive as you want it to be.  The important thing is that you decide on a course of action and then act on it. Especially with the current tax incentives for energy conservation and renewable energy projects, your good green intentions will translate into green in your pocket.

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When I was a kid- I could remember my mom singing” rain, rain, go away- come back another day” As I was driving to work on Monday and saw the Chattahoochee flooding several local businesses I found myself singing it in my head.

GA was in drought,now we are in a flood. A friend of mine owns a rain harvesting business. Even his green clients are not in the mood to talk about collecting rainwater until their basements and crawlspace stop collecting rain.

Let’s not beat up the rain harvesting guys right now- they are part of the solution. Water is still a huge problem. There is either too much or not enough and we are on watering restrictions. If you manage your own reservoir, you could eliminate the peaks and valleys.

Since my company deals with energy efficiency, we tell people the same thing. You cannot control prices of energy from your provider, but you can control how much you use and will not be affected as much if their is a price swing if you home uses less energy.

All this talk about rain gets me on a rant about basements. As a home performance contractor and owner of a design/ build firm, I cannot see how any contractor would build out a basement without dealing with water. If you had a basement that flooded recently, I am truly sorry. Some of them would have flooded no matter what, but most of them could have avoided flooding it designed and built properly.

Here are some considerations that we do on every basement design:

Address bulk water on the outside of the house- most of the water comes from runoff from gutters or improperly sloped yards. Gutters should discharge at least (if not more than) 5 feet from the house. Most gutters dump the water on the foundation. The code for the grade on the house is that for the first 10′ the grade should drop at least 6″. Gutters can be easily fixed with extensions that you can do yourself, or that you can buy at your local hardware store. Fixing the grade is not as much fun.
Water proofing- not damp proofing. For some reason GA thought that it would be OK to dumb down the building code, and allow damp proofing for many years, instead of water proofing. The last few days here we did not have “damp” we had “water”. If your basement flooded- thank the State of GA for not requiring (in the past)- water proofing. If you are building a new home- insist that your contractor waterproof. Here are some of the products that we have used in the past: Delta Dry
On an existing unfinished basement- water proof from the inside. Water will always find a way in. Either through humidity or cracks in the foundation. As a good contractor- I need to give the water an opportunity to “get out.” On our basement specification, we always insist on water proofing the basement before finishing it. If we don’t do this and the basement floods- there will be mold, rot and other unpleasantness that will come about.
Pre-treat for termites, mold. Seems obvious, but why not just make the conditions not so friendly for what we don’t want around. We vaccinate our kids so they don’t get sick. Why not vaccinate your home to prevent a sick home? We prefer to use non toxic chemicals that do not make you sick when they “off gas.”

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