Archive for the 'Building Materials' Category

Eco Friendly Building Materials

Friday, June 27th, 2008

There are many different reasons why to choose an eco-friendly building material over something that is not very environmentally aware.  In this blog post, I hope to cover several different aspects to this issue.
The building materials you choose affect you inside your home as well as outside.
Certain materials, such as those made with plastics, glues, […]

A Brief Introduction to Green Building

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Building a green house, structure, unit can be challenging, yet very rewarding at the same time. In case you have not previously visited this blog, it and the website thereof are dedicated to helping you create a green building, structure, or green remodel project, and at the same time provide you with as much […]

Schellac

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Schellac is a resin used much in the same way we use varnishes. Schellac is made from lac, which is a secretion from the female Kerria lacca insect. When schellac dries, it becomes incredibly hard, which makes it a very durable surface. While it is durable and hard, it is sensitive to […]

Wool Carpeting

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Wool carpeting is a wonderful alternative to carpet made out of nylon or other synthetic materials. One of the great safe features of wool carpets is that they are fire safe. Wool also improves indoor air quality by absorbing contaminants in the air and is very durable. The great thing environmentally about […]

Painting and VOCs

Monday, May 12th, 2008

You may or may not be aware, but there are paints on the market that contain low volitile organic compounds (more commonly referred to as VOC’s).  Basically what it means is that there are low levels of organic compounds that are able to significantly vaporize into the atmosphere.  These types of paints are basically toxic-free […]

Local Materials

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

If you are interested in finding local recycled materials for your building project, but don’t know where to look, this post should help to give you some direction with where to start looking.  Online, you have so many different sources for types of recycled materials.  There are websites specifically set up for exchange or sale […]

Building Materials - Aluminium

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Aluminium is a great building material, especially when you consider it’s draw on natural resources.  This building material has been used widely for about the past 50 years and will continue to do so well into the future.  One of the best parts environmentally about aluminium is that it can be melted down and used […]

Thermal Mass

Saturday, April 19th, 2008

In general, thermal mass refers to heat storing materials.  This type of integration into your heating and cooling system has the potential to greatly reduce the needed amounts of active heating and cooling, as well as the consumption of fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.  As with any type of passive heating and cooling system, when […]

Composting Toilets

Sunday, April 6th, 2008

The idea of composting toilets may sound bizarre or quite repulsive!  But consider these as your waste system.  Composting toilets basically eliminates the need for a pluming system to remove toilet waste, which is very resourceful and economical.  They also allow you to use the waste to help plants, trees etc grow.  Not food though!!  […]

Building Materials - Copper

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Copper is one of the most resource-efficient building materials available to you.  Copper roofing shingles not only have a high recycled content, but they also require a low level maintenance and are very durable.  Copper roofing can last well over 100 years!!!  The oldest known copper roof was applied 281 years ago and counting!   What […]