The Reading Room
Regularly updated with useful articles on green building and remodeling ideas, materials and methods.
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Bamboo Flooring Basics ~ By using bamboo as your flooring of choice, you are choosing one of the strongest and most durable products available that still provides you with a luxurious finished product that will last for decades and has the added benefit of being environmentally friendly. Read article...
Building a Home to Incorporate Passive Solar Heating ~ Use the power of the sun to heat your home -- without expensive panel systems. A basic introduction to passive solar. Read article...
Building and Remodeling: What Does Green Mean? ~ Despite the absence of a universal standard (it's coming), greenbuilt projects do tend to have a number of features in common. If you want your own project to create a positive impact -- on the environment, on your comfort and health, and even on your utility bills - you now have more choices than ever, in eco-friendly designs, methods, and materials. Read article...
Condensing Boilers - A More Efficient and Inexpensive Way to Heat Your Home ~ Need to replace your boiler? A condensing boiler can achieve up to 98% thermal energy efficiency and save you up to 40% on your home heating billis by recouping energy that conventional furnaces and boilers lose. Payback is 2-5 years at US 2007 oil and gas prices, depending on where you live. Read article...
Cork Flooring Basics ~ Cork trees are a variety of the oak tree species. While most other wood or grass (bamboo) flooring materials are made by utilizing the stalk of the plant, cork is the outer layer of bark. Harvesting the bark of the cork tree is environmentally friendly, as it does not kill the plant. Read article...
Geothermal Heating And Cooling - Harnessing the Earth's Energy ~ Geothermal (or geoexhange) systems are the most energy efficient, environmentally clean and cost-effective space conditioning systems available, according to the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Read article...
Insulate Your Home With a Coat of Paint! ~ With the high costs of energy anything that increases the "R" factor of your home's insulation saves you money! Now you can paint and insulate at the same time. Read article...
Lanscape Remodeling - Think Green ~ As with all landscaping projects, good planning is the key to success and cost efficiencies. If you plan green, you will obtain a wide range of additional benefits that include, comfort and convenience coupled with beauty and efficiency and all of these will be structured on environmentally sound conservation principles with a view to increasing the health of you and your family. Read article...
Metal Roofing - The Facts ~ Metal roofs are durable, very lightweight, maintenance free, fire retardant and energy efficient. Metal can be formed to imitate the appearance of almost any other style roofing, and metal roofs have a life expectancy exceeding 30 years. Read article...
The Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters ~ Are you interested in purchasing a tankless water heater? If so, then you want to make an informed decision based on both the positive and negative information regarding them. A tankless water heater is going to cost you more money than a conventional water heater. Are you willing to make the investment for the added benefits? Read article...