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How to Make Your Home Addition Green and Earth-Friendly

June 16, 20150
Consider an eco-friendly home addition.

A home addition can be eco-friendly.

If you’re planning a home addition, making sure it is environmentally friendly and sustainable may not be on your non-negotiables list. It should be, though. There’s only one earth; we all should be good stewards of our limited, finite natural resources. If that moral argument isn’t enough to convince you to go green, how does the prospect of saving green sound? That’s right: eco-friendly home plans can actually save you money.

How You Can Integrate Green Practices into Your Home Addition

Thanks to the growing demand for environmentally sound practices and products, the cost to go green is now more affordable than ever. The practice that once was trendy and reserved mostly for the wealthy is now mainstream, thanks to better education and readily accessible eco-friendly products. In a recent survey of home builders and remodelers, the most common eco-friendly practices requested by clients were:

  • Installing high-efficiency HVAC or water heaters, energy-efficient lighting and appliances and insulation exceeding minimum building code requirements.
  • Using engineered or prefabricated materials that are longer-lasting than wood.
  • Enhancing the quality of indoor air by using materials low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
  • Installing appliances and fixtures that reduce water use.
  • Xeriscaping (choosing a landscaping approach that needs no or minimal supplemental water).
  • Reducing the amount of waste generated during the construction process.
  • Sourcing construction materials that are reused or reclaimed.
Eco-friendly home plans use green materials.

Incorporate green materials in your eco-friendly home plans.

Green Products to Incorporate into Your Home

In addition to working closely with your builder to develop eco-friendly home plans that maximize energy efficiency, minimize water consumption and cut down on hazardous chemicals, there are a vast array of green products you can incorporate into your new home addition. Here are a few examples:

  • Java-Logs: clean-burning fireplace logs made out of recycled coffee grounds.
  • BioBags: biodegradable trash bags.
  • Aerators: inexpensive faucet attachments mix air into the water that comes out of the sink or shower faucet, reducing water consumption.
  • Hot water recirculator: a pump installed beneath sinks that supplies hot water instantly so there is no need to run the water in the faucet waiting for it to heat up.

Little Changes Can Mean Big Savings

Once your new green addition is complete, you can also make small behavioral changes to be more eco-friendly and to save money. Did you know using a programmable thermostat or manually adjusting the temperature setting to 68 degrees in winter and 78 degrees in summer can reduce your electricity costs by 10 percent? Reducing your water heater’s temperature setting to 120 degrees and covering its pipes with insulation will also significantly cut costs. Odds are, you won’t even notice these small changes until you go to pay your utility bills.

If you’re in the market for custom built home plans in Dover and the surrounding areas, contact us. Colony Home Improvement specializes in home additions and renovations, and can suggest eco-friendly building improvements that will save you money. Regardless of the size or scope of your project, we will get the job done right and on time!

Create More Space with a Second Floor Addition to Your Ranch Style House

April 28, 20150
Make your ranch home bigger with a second floor addition.

A second floor addition makes your ranch home bigger.

Ranch style homes are extremely popular and offer a number of advantages over two-story homes. However, when you’re thinking about your ranch style house plans in Dover and the surrounding areas, you should consider a second floor addition to create more living space in your home. This allows you to remain in your existing home, while increasing the space you have and creating an entirely new layout you can enjoy.

Consult with a Professional

Before you finalize your custom built home plans in Dover, it’s important to consult with a professional who can let you know if a second floor is a feasible option for your existing structure. Some homes don’t have a foundation capable of handling the weight of a second story. An experienced contractor will be able to evaluate your home and consider all the elements necessary to help you decide if a two-story home is the right choice for you.

Don’t Forget about the Stairs

One element many homeowners don’t think about when considering a second floor addition is the staircase. Ranch style homes don’t have a designated area for a staircase, which means you’ll need to give up some space on your main floor. For instance, a hall closet may need to be removed to make room for access to your second floor. Your contractor can help you find the ideal location without disturbing too much of your current layout.

Create a second floor with ranch style home plans.

Ranch style home plans can create a second floor.

You May Need to Upgrade

When you purchased your heating and air conditioning system, for instance, you probably bought one that exactly accommodated a ranch style home of your size. Adding an entire second floor will increase the demand on your unit, either overworking your current system or forcing you to upgrade to a new one. Your contractor can help you pick an HVAC unit that will provide the perfect amount of heating and cooling for your new home’s size.

Find Another Place to Stay

Unfortunately, second story ranch style home plans in Dover will require the removal of your roof, leaving the interior of your home relatively unprotected. This means you will most likely need to move out of your home for the duration of the project, at least until the exterior aspects of the structure are complete. While you may be able to keep some items inside your home during construction, anything valuable or breakable should be removed and placed in storage to prevent accidents or theft.

Ranch style homes are ideal for many situations, but they don’t always offer a lot of extra space. If you find you need more room for your family, a second floor addition can be the ideal option. Creating custom built home plans in Dover will allow you to maximize the use of your property by building up instead of out.

If you’re interested in creating ranch style house plans in Dover or the surrounding areas to build a second story, contact us. Our experienced Massachusetts contractors can help you add more space to your existing home.

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