Two tips for homeowners who want their home renovations to be eco-friendly
Here are two tips for homeowners who want their home renovations to be eco-friendly.
They should use building supplies made of sustainable materials
A homeowner with this goal should ensure that the building supplies they or their contractor select for the renovations are made of sustainable materials. For example, if a homeowner likes the look of hardwood floors but understands that the use of hardwood contributes to deforestation, they might want to have their contractors construct their floors with bamboo floorboards instead. Unlike, for example, walnut trees, bamboo plants grow extremely quickly and so the use of this material in home renovations has less of an effect on the environment.
On a similar note, if a person is determined to have some wooden features added to their home during their renovations (in the form of shelves, for instance), they might want to see if their contractor can source some reclaimed wood for these aspects of the project, as this will eliminate or reduce the amount of new timber that they use for the renovations.
Additionally, if the homeowner is replacing their kitchen benchtops, they should consider having the contractor build the new ones with benchtops made of recycled glass. These are usually comprised of shards of glass that are combined with resin or another binding substance. The use of these recycled materials can cut down on the amount of glass that ends up in pollution-producing landfills.
They should avoid wasting any of their building supplies
Another step a homeowner with this goal can take is to avoid wasting any of their building supplies. For example, when people buy timber slats to build structures in their homes, they'll sometimes order extra ones so that if they make a mistake when cutting or fitting the timber structure, they'll have some spare timber that they can immediately use as a replacement. This spare timber then often ends up unused and disposed of in a landfill. Even if it is sent to a recycling plant, the process of recycling it will still increase its carbon footprint. However, if a homeowner hires a skilled contractor, there is no need to do this, as it's extremely unlikely that this professional will make errors that will result in more timber being required.
Additionally, if the contractor needs to cut off some small sections of prefabricated timber building supplies, to make these items fit the unique dimensions of a person's home, the homeowner should not throw the timber scraps out but should ask the contractor if there is a way to utilise them in some other part of their renovations. For example, the contractor might be able to build a small spice rack or shoe rack with these items.
For more information on building supplies, contact a professional near you.