Benefits of Green Home Design

Sustainable building and green building practices come with an array of benefits and we hope that as more technology advances and information becomes more readily available, the costs of green building will decrease and become mainstream.

The built environment and infrastructure has a great influence on our natural resources and environment, directly impacting human health and our standards of living. Picture a world built primarily on sustainable practices and intentions. Waste should be considered a crime because we are directly harming one another through harmful building methods. Instead, we hold the power to integrate green construction methods to any building at any stage, from design to construction, deconstruction to renovation. The potential benefits of sustainable building may be unleashed if we just set our minds to it as a whole. It will take the joint efforts of government officials, design and construction teams, and consumers to work together from an early stage of a built project to significantly optimize the sustainable benefits of green building.

The most obvious benefit is environmental. From protecting the biodiversity to delicate ecosystems to improving air and water qualities, the ways in which we gather building materials, the way we construct, the buildings we create, and the technologies we use all play a role in sustaining resources. Reducing waste streams and reducing by-products as much as we can is the most sure-fired way of conserving and restoring our limited natural resources.

A healthier home and living environment should be enough of an incentive for anyone looking for a reason to support and implement green building. Green homes use toxin-free building materials to help resist indoor air pollution. Green homes also have far fewer problems with mildew or nasty toxic mold. While natural ventilation in green homes are widespread, mechanical ventilation systems bring in more fresh air from the outside in while filtering out stale air. A cost efficient home is at the priority of every home-buyer these days and if you calculate all the costs of owning a home, a green home is comparable to and in some circumstances cheaper than owning a standard home. Though you may be dishing out higher upfront costs, in the long run you will be saving on your electricity bill to offset the initial costs.

Exploring Slow Home Design

What is slow home design? Basically, it is the principle of slowing down to design homes and spaces that are sustainable, practical and functional.

The slow home movement began in 2006 when John Brown, Matthew North, and Carina van Olm wanted to create a "critical response to the poor design practices that pervade the mass housing industry. Our intent is to advocate for a more thoughtful approach to residential design that improves the quality of our daily lives and reduces our impact on the environment". Slow home design strives for a more "considered, calm and intuitive" approach to residential design. The concept is to use well-considered design principles to create smaller homes that will be both environmentally sustainable and literally so, in the sense of being built to endure. The practice also includes remodels of existing, appropriately sized older homes that need updating.

Brown says in an interview with The Chicago Tribune that a slow home is "reasonably sized and carefully designed to support its occupants. It might have an entry where family members can easily take off their boots, stash their keys and store their backpacks, for example. It might have a living space that encourages people to talk or read, not just watch television or surf the Internet. It's energy efficient, filled with natural light and designed for easy flow among rooms and access to the outside."

North, in this interview with The Calgary Herald says, "I think the boom of the big-house era is coming to an end. So those houses will be less desirable and valuable as time goes on. Expect a shift to smaller, more energy-efficient homes, North says, and a move away from homes on the fringes of cities. A decade ago, a 5,000-sq.-ft. home sounded like a dream to some. These days, that much square footage sounds like a noose around your neck. There's uncertainty about the energy cost to heat your house."

Slowing down to design a space that is functional, long-lasting, meets the needs of the family now and later, and is, of course, stylish and comfortable - that's the aim of the slow home movement.

But even if you are not starting from scratch, you can still join in living a slow home lifestyle. Re-work your rooms to make sure that they are functional for your family's everyday living. Instead of purchasing a new piece of furniture, look for family hand-me-downs or thrift store finds to re-purpose. Organize your kitchen, bathroom, closets and office using bins, jars, boxes and dishes that you already own but rarely use. Make the stuff in your home work for you and create a stylish and comfortable space that you will be happy with every day and for years to come.

A Guide for Home Owners

The planning stage of home design often determines whether or not your custom home design will fulfill the dream you had envisioned. Victor Hugo wrote, "Where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidence, chaos will soon reign." Hugo was certainly right as far as custom home design is concerned. To avoid wasted time or chaos follow these six tips to help your designer create the perfect custom house plan for your family.

1. Start simple.

It isn't necessary to invest in fancy software to begin making decisions about your custom home plan. All you really need is a pencil and a piece of paper. Brainstorm and sketch your ideas. Making lists of features you want each room to have will help you get your idea onto paper and into your custom home design.

2. Think about the future.

Consider the future of your family and how you will accommodate for different scenarios, such as having children, accommodating grandchildren and grandparents, taking care of elderly parents. Even accommodating extended family for holiday occasions should be considered in your house plans. Similarly, if you hope to transition from an office job to operating your own business out of your home, your custom home design should include an office or flexible space. When you think about the amenities in your custom home plan, be sure to not limit yourself or the growth of your family.

3. Prioritize features.

Once your ideas are recorded in rough form, begin prioritizing features for your new house. Custom home design can easily exceed a budget if you let your fancies run amok. With so many luxuries to choose from, it's important to prioritize the most important aspects of your design. For instance, if you've always dreamed about a box window in the kitchen where you can grow herbs, you may want to prioritize that over installing a line to facilitate a gas stove.

4. Consider function and flow.

As you and your designer begin playing around with where various rooms should be located, consider how your final design will flow and how your family might function in each space. For instance, to reduce noise in sleeping areas, it's wise to place bedrooms away from the communal areas of the house. Likewise, if you're the kind of family that tends to gather around the kitchen, an open floor plan with easy flow between the living room, kitchen and dining area will suit you well. This kind of design also allows for excellent flow between rooms.

5. Reflect on light.

Light has a powerful influence on humans. Indeed, in areas that see little natural light during the winter months, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is not unusual. This disorder brings feelings of depression, along with weight gain, daytime sleepiness, social withdrawal and lethargy. If you have suffered from SAD in the past, or if you're moving to a place with long, cloudy winters (such as the Pacific Northwest), it is smart to add skylights to your custom house plan in order to maximize the natural light in your home. Heck, even if you've never felt sad on a cloudy day, skylights are smart because they reduce the need for artificial light and provide as much as 30 percent more light than vertical windows.

Natural lighting should also be figured in the floor plan design in a custom home plan. As an example, if you want to enjoy natural morning light in your dining nook, it would be wise to face the nook east, where it will catch the morning sun.

It's also wise to think carefully about how electrical lights in your home will facilitate comfort. For instance, a custom home designer would suggest installing bright task lighting for kitchen countertops to facilitate food preparation. Lighting can also create a mood - for example, dimming sconces in the bedroom can create a sense of romance or peace.

6. Showcase and maximize the lot.

Usually, those in the market for custom house plans already own the property where the home will be built. If you already know where your custom home will be situated, be sure to consider the topography, size and best features of the lot. For instance, if your lot overlooks a beautiful natural setting, you might choose to face the living room toward the feature so you can showcase the wonderful view. Alternatively, if you have a brook or stream running though your property, you might choose to place bedrooms nearest the stream so you can enjoy the beautiful sound of running water while you sleep.

In addition to thinking about which windows should face the home's best views, you'll want to consider whether the land is sloped. A custom home design for a steep slope will look very different than a design for a flat lot.

Considering the tips provided above can be helpful in creating the home of your dreams. Take your time when working with your home designer and voice your likes and dislikes. It far easier to achieve your dream home in the design process than it will be to remodel your home later.