All the secrets to building a sustainable home

As inventors and manufacturers come up with new and effortless methods of production on a daily basis, making it easier on the environment, it seems that the humankind is slowly starting to give up on innovation at the expense of the nature and going back to the roots by living sustainably and in accordance with it. Some of the industries hit by this “green movement” trend – that is, waking up from unconsciousness and becoming aware of the harsh environmental consequences of our actions – include construction and real estate, both focusing on making people enjoy a modern, more eco-friendly lifestyle. We at Ranger Roofing of Oklahoma, a top-rated Tulsa, OK roofer are trying to raise awerness of this trend and incorporate some parts of it in our work.

Pros and Cons

The advent of the sustainable home, an environmentally harmless (beneficial, even) construction, has helped reduce the negative impact on the environment, but also helped raise the quality of life for the lower-income individuals by lowering the amount of unnecessary waste while providing virtually the same service as some of the high-end homes. Although sustainable housing is more expensive upfront to build, it pays off in the long run – both financially and in terms of nature preservation. Therefore, a house built this way is often considered an investment due to the relatively high long-term property value, and low power consumption – consequently optimizing the housing experience altogether.

These homes are built in such a way that not only minimizes the waste of resources by making the most use out of the building material in the construction process, but also keeps the home maximally efficient throughout its life-cycle by constructing it carefully so that it uses water and energy economically, without producing waste or harming the environment.

Possibilities of Sustainable Living

It is not necessary to buy an entirely new home in order to start living a sustainable life – you can gradually upgrade your existing house and start changing the wasteful lifestyle. That can be achieved by renovating your home or installing power-efficient energy infrastructure, and it doesn’t need to be set up all at once – take baby steps if your budget doesn’t allow otherwise.

Some of the steps you can take to ensure a more eco-friendly lifestyle are listed below:

• Insulate your house with thermacork, sheep’s wool or aerogel, all environmentally-friendly, to retain a cool room temperature in the face of the summer heat, while preserving the heat in the winter.
• Add a natural source of electricity, such as wind power or sun energy through solar panels.
• Seal your windows and doors as they are the main culprits of air leaks, which raise the energy bills considerably. For example, that can be done by weather-stripping and caulking.
• Buy appliances that save the energy – even though they might be more expensive at the get-go, they turn out to be more energy-efficient and save you more money later on. The LED, CFL and halogen incandescent light bulbs are a good power-saving example.
• Go green! Plant vegetables and trees in your garden and it will not only make you healthier, but it will also help the environment.

Advances in architecture and construction are helping people preserve the nature by allowing them to live sustainably as they become more aware of global warming and other harmful incidents. Today, more than ever, it is possible to make your home produce less waste and keep its negative impact on the nature down.