3 Great Sustainable Renovations for Your Home
Wondering how you can go green at home without breaking the bank? Now more than ever, green options are affordable and smart additions for every budget. Here are the three best sustainable renovations that you can make for your home.
Update the Bathrooms
You might be surprised to know that giving your bathroom a quick upgrade actually helps you live a more sustainable lifestyle. Start by updating the plumbing fixtures, particularly the toilet. No one enjoys thinking about toilets, but they actually contribute to a significant amount of water waste for an average household. Replacing your current toilet with a pressure-flushing model is a cheap way to reduce your daily water consumption, and it actually saves you money in the long run. The same thing goes for swapping out your current showerhead with a pressurized, low-flow model. You still get that nice-feeling pressure for your showers, while lowering your water usage.
While you’re giving your bathroom an eco-friendly update, don’t forget that there are cosmetic upgrades that are good for the environment, too. In particular, quartz countertops are a sustainable and highly attractive option for your bathroom surfaces. Quartz is a durable material that has a much higher replacement life compared to other options. It’s also easily recyclable. Check your local countertop experts for a quartz countertop special to make this smart investment.
Add Insulation
Energy loss through conduction is one of the worst culprits in terms of energy waste in a home. Many homeowners don’t realize that it’s both cheap and simple to bulk up your insulation exactly where you need it, reducing heating and cooling loss and keeping your home a comfortable temperature overall. Your best bet is to apply rigid foam insulation in key areas including below floor joists in crawl spaces or basements, along basement walls and behind your garage door. This is actually a project that you can easily complete even if you’re not very handy – all that’s required is a little shaping of the material, then sealing the seams with high-quality tape. Your home instantly becomes more comfortable and you significantly reduce your energy bills.
Ditch the Lawn
Did you know that the average lawn contributes significantly to a home’s overall water waste? A green lawn looks great, but it can actually be quite harmful for the environment. It’s smart to ditch a traditional lawn for an environmentally friendly option, such as fescue grass, or you can replace the lawn entirely with a selection of plants that are native to your area. Many homeowners find that creating a meadow gives you the attractive look of a natural yard without the water and maintenance that grass requires. Use a combination of grasses, sedges and perennials to create your meadow, reducing your water consumption and virtually eliminating the need for regular mowing.
When making renovations to any home, you need to do your research and make sure the investment is a smart one. Keep these sustainable improvements in mind as you upgrade your home, reducing your environmental impact and saving you money at the same time.
Michelle Joe is a blogger by choice. She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences, and express herself through her blogs.
