free green home plans

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How to get your own green home

May 25, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

Over the last two weeks we looked at pros and cons of building green vs. buying green vs. remodeling green…

One choice is likely right for you. Following are some resources that can help you out no matter which decision you make:

RESOURCES FOR BUYING A NEW GREEN HOME:

RESOURCES FOR BUILDING A NEW GREEN HOME:

RESOURCES FOR A GREEN HOME REMODEL:

Of course this list is by no means comprehensive but it should get you going. Later I’ll post some of my favorite green home books for remodels and building.

FREE Green Home Guides!

April 30, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 2 comments

If you’re looking to green your home, it’s not hard to find valuable information that can help you do so, for free. I recently came across some good green home guides that will cost you nothing while offering some great tips.


The Green Living Guide to Home Water Conservation – this guide is offered courtesy of Kohler’s Save Water America Campaign and is published through Green Living Ideas. The free book offers simple (yes, easy) ideas on how home owners can save water and money. Get your free PDF copy of this book.

The REGREEN guide is very cool and includes 10 case studies covering different green project types. It highlights what makes each project successful and is a great way to see green design in practice.

Green Building Design 101: A Basic Guide to Building and Remodeling Sustainably – I haven’t seen this book yet, developed by Tree Hugger Consulting but it sounds awesome. Basic green guides are always nice when you’re first going green.

Right Angle Gas and Boiler Works, in Chilliwack, British Columbia has a page of free and cool eco-booklets regarding energy conservation in the home, selecting a heating system, and more.

NOTE: IF you choose a free book from a company website, vs. say the EPA you’ll probably see some product news as well as tips. This isn’t always a bad deal, but just be aware that not all products are the same. While the tips offered at a company may kick a**, you might be able to find a better product for your home elsewhere.

Also find out where to get Free Green Home Plans!

Free Green Home Plans!

March 18, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

Later today we’ll wrap up our green apartment series, but first I wanted to alert you to a super-fly green home site; FreeGreen.

FreeGreen offers spiffy (and free) building plans for green homes. Plans vary in depth, some showing energy consumption between buildings that meet basic code vs. building that have greener features.

HOW IT WORKS:

  1. Head to FreeGreen.
  2. Search for a home you like – there are various ways to do this. You can search by type of home, check out the open source network (which is not free, but cool), plus you can search by all types of various criteria like energy use, size, popular green features, and more.
  3. Download the plans you like and even buy blueprints.

EXAMPLE:

I picked one house to check out so I could tell you how this works. I went with the Suburban Loft. Once you click on the virtual tour you can make changes and add custom features. Basic features and concepts are explained during the tour. The image slide show is crisp and really nice, showing both exterior and interior features.

Once you click download, you’ll have to register, but the form was short and fast. Then it asks you if you want basic or premium service (which is $100 a year). The plans are pretty basic but give you a nice idea to start with if you’re considering building green. Plus this particular plan offers slides of both energy features and efficiency.

Visit FreeGreen and see the plans for yourself.