Your home is your sanctuary, and you want to make sure that it is the ideal location in which you and your family can relax and have fun. As such, many people carry out extensive renovation work on their property in order to create their dream home. However, with an increasing concern about the environment and ecological conditions, you might be concerned about the impact your renovation will have on your ecological footprint. Here is a short guide to carrying out a sustainable renovation on your home.
Use reclaimed wood
From hard-wearing wooden floors to a solid-wood bannister and staircase, most people love the look and feel of wood in their home. However, using entirely new timber can be wasteful, particularly if you have a lot of surplus left over at the end of your project. As an alternative, you could seek out reclaimed wood to use. This is wood that was used for buildings and structures from the 18th to the early 20th century, and has now been reused and recycled. Reclaimed wood has a beautiful aged quality and of course a history, which is a huge draw for a lot of people. Your hallway floor, for instance, might once have been part of a railway station in belle époque-era France.
Install a flueless gas fireplace
Most people love the look of a roaring fireplace, and there is nothing more relaxing than lounging in front of one on a cold night. However, a traditional wood- or coal-burning fire is notoriously bad for the environment, producing harmful smoke that could contribute to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A flueless gas fireplace is a great sustainable alternative as instead of burning wood or coal, it is powered by gas. Furthermore, most flueless gas fireplaces have an in-built catalytic converter which prevents harmful carbon monoxide from being released into the environment. Check out stonewoods.co.uk for more information on flueless gas fireplaces.
Use eco-friendly paint
One of the easiest ways of updating your home is to give your walls a fresh coat of paint. However, most conventional paints contain harmful chemical ingredients that evaporate into the environment as the paint is drying, known as VOCs. Eco-friendly paint comes in many vibrant colors to suit your taste and design scheme, and which provide the same great color, coverage, and durability as conventional paints—but without the toxicity.
Install LED lighting If your home does not get much access to natural light, you will probably find that artificial lighting makes up a large part of your energy bills. However, traditional incandescent bulbs only convert around 10% of their output to light—the rest is lost as heat. LED lights are a more sustainable source of light, as they use a low amount of power and can last for up to 22 years. LED lights work best with track and recessed lighting, and as such are a great option to use for ceiling lights.
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Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.