Property Renovations that are Environmentally Friendly
Whether you are planning a small renovation or one that will require you to call in good removalists and move out for the duration, if you were thinking of property renovations it is also wise to consider those that give you the most benefit sustainably. That is, they use environmentally friendly procedures to enhance your lifestyle. For instance, you may need to add an extra room, but is it going to create a dark space by taking away natural daylight from the room it adjoins? If so, you may want to think what you can do to prevent this.
It may be possible to get extra space by rearranging the interior of the home, or by adding a room on another side of the house. If not, can you add a skylight to the room that is left without a window? Or maybe you can repurpose the room by creating a window into the new room. This is only possible if privacy is not an issue.
There are many other ways to make sure renovations are environmentally friendly and add to your lifestyle rather than taking anything away from it.
- If adding larger windows, consider glazing to prevent loss of heat or coolness.
- Use paints that have no formaldehyde emissions.
- Use carpet made from natural products rather than those that give off fumes.
- Try not to build living areas on the west or south sides that are really hot and cold sides
- Make use of natural shade by planting shrubs on the west side.
- Save water; reduce the lawn area by converting it to paving. This does not need to be a hot area. You can add a shade sail and fill it with large tubs of greenery – plants that don’t require a lot of water.
- Add insulation to your renovations if you are building another room.
- Make sure the new room is properly sealed to exclude draughts and save on the cost of heating and cooling.
- Add energy efficient lighting.
Sustainability also comes into play during the groundwork stage of your renovation. If you have to hire excavators or other equipment, be sure to choose wisely with regard to size and type to get the most out of your hire. Make sure that everything is ready for the job to be done before they arrive. They won’t want to hang around waiting for you to shift some rubbish and it will cost you more to have them there not working.
Also make sure the equipment you hire can fit between the boundary fence and the house, if it has to work in the backyard. You may need to take the gate off or remove some of the fencing between the gate and the boundary fence. It is possible to hire equipment that is extremely small, made especially to fit through spaces like this.