Three Environmentally Friendly Home Design Options to Look Into

Getting the opportunity to help design your own dream home is an exhilarating experience. If you're lucky enough to be working through this amazing process at the moment, it's a good idea to make a list of things to talk to your building designer about, and one of those things is sustainability. What are your options for creating a cleaner, greener home in a way that doesn't compromise on style, comfort or convenience? Read on to learn about three innovative ideas that might work for your household. Ask your designer or architect about them right away and find out if they can be included in your plans.

Focus on keeping your energy bills down in the long term

Reducing the amount of energy you use at home will save you a huge amount of money over the lifespan of the building--and it's also one of the most powerful things you can do to protect the environment. Good insulation is key, as it will help you keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. You'll also want to discuss ventilation with your building designer, as a good flow of air is another way to regulate the temperature and will help protect against damp conditions. Opt for open-plan spaces and large windows, to keep a good movement of air, heat and light throughout the building.

Choose durable, sustainable materials for all parts of your home

What your home is built with matters just as much as how it's built. Ask your home designer to include recycled, reused, sustainable materials wherever possible and to avoid materials treated with toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde (which is often used to treat prefab wood and MDF planks). In some cases, it may be possible to use super-green building materials like bottle walls or straw without losing durability or convenience.

Include as much greenery as possible

Your garden design isn't the only place to think about plant life; your building design can include plenty of lush greenery too. Grass roofs and earth-sheltered buildings are the clearest examples of this, but if they're not possible for you or they're not what you're looking for in a home, they're far from the only options. Ask your designer about moss wall pieces and other living wall options, for example; these are often easy to look after and can make a huge difference to the air quality, as well as being good insulators when properly installed.

Reach out to a local building designer to learn more.