Real Estate Green Living Tips: Save Money With a Sustainable Home

Reducing the amount of materials and energy required to build or maintain a home can help to substantially reduce your carbon footprint. At the same time, a green approach to home ownership ensures greater peace of mind, physical comfort, and preservation of a sustainable investment over the lifetime of the home.

Save money while living a more responsible green lifestyle - whether buying a condo, remodeling a home, planning new construction, or just wanting to take simple environmentally conscious steps forward. Here are some of the many interesting paths to a greener home:

Construction Methods

The use of recycled materials; formaldehyde-free insulation, nontoxic paint, and intelligent energy-aware construction methods are just a few of the ways to create a more Earth-friendly home.

• Optimum Value Engineering (OVE) techniques are those design and framing strategies for wood or "stick-built" construction that were developed by the Forest Products Laboratory in collaboration with the National Association of Home Builders. Buildings employing OVE practices use less lumber and achieve higher insulation values without compromising structural integrity.

• That translates into lower construction costs and less energy consumption over the life of the home. The amount of lumber bought, transported, wasted due to overage, and transported away from the site as trash is greatly reduced, while thermal and acoustic insulation is boosted.

• A study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC) found that OVE framing techniques can potentially save as much as $1.20 per square foot when compared with conventional wood framing methods.

• Pre-fabricated architecture is also making progressive strides forward. An entire generation of green designers is offering aesthetically award-winning houses and condos that can be built quickly in a modular manner, because much of the work is done off-site. That not only reduces environmental impact but also saves the homebuyer substantial expense.

Systems and Appliances

There are a variety of ways to harness green energy as a homeowner, and one of the best is to install appliances rated with the Energy Star designation. Some states even offer "healthy home" certification for energy efficiency that can qualify the homeowner for tax rebates or other perks.

• Passive heating and cooling techniques can be also employed by almost any homeowner to capture or deflect solar heat with a reflective roof, intensive insulation, or just strategically placed old-fashioned ceiling fans. An open floor plan with good cross-ventilation, in fact, can actually reduce energy bills significantly by making a home easier to cool in summer - so green options do not necessarily have to be radically futuristic.

• For those who decide to install solar panels or wind turbines, there is an increasing amount of government support being offered. Both state and federal tax incentives are available, depending upon where you live, and many local utility companies also provide assistance.

• The utility company may, for example, help install the equipment or share the cost of the system. Homeowners who tie their panels and turbines into a public grid can also "run the meter backwards" by selling the excess energy that they produce back to the utility company. Then the power will be redistributed so it can be used by other customers who share the grid.

Green Products for the Home

Homeowners can also choose more environmentally safe and beneficial products such as "on-demand" water heaters, energy efficient light bulbs, low-VOC paints, and flooring or counter top products made from renewable materials like bamboo, cork, and recycled plastic or glass.

• Conventional house paints contain toxic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). But low or zero-VOC paints and finishes perform just as well and they are more pleasant to use because they do not have the strong odors associated with high-VOC paints.

• Cork bark can be sustainably harvested without damaging the health of the cork tree. Then it grows back within a year or two. Cork is a great insulator and is unusually resilient - making it exceptionally comfortable underfoot. It also cleans up easily and is acoustically superior, so it is a quiet choice for any room in the house.

• Bamboo is harder and more durable than many varieties of hardwood, yet it also happens to be the fastest growing plant on the planet. As one of the most rapidly renewable sources of potential building materials on Earth, it is also beautiful to look at and gives off a warmth and glow that will enhance any ambience at a highly competitive price.

If you decide to build an outdoor deck, check out the newer decking materials made from recycled plastics. They look and perform like wood but have none of the harsh chemicals and annoying splinters that are found in conventional pressure-treated lumber. Maintain a healthy canopy of trees outside to shade the home and reduce air conditioning costs, keeping in mind that trees and plants clean the air - making the environment better for everyone.

Jeffery A. Hammerberg, Author
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Living Off Grid in British Columbia

Going off grid is becoming increasingly attractive, especially to people who haven't done it yet. There are ls of reasons to consider going off grid.

First, it's more sustainable and has less impact on the environment (most of the time) than modern, urban living.
Second, it offers a simpler lifestyle.
Third, it requires less money.
Fourth, it may offer more security, especially if the current financial crisis becomes worse.
Fifth, its kind of romantic.

All that said, its not easy. If you're ready to take the plunge, British Columbia is a great place to do it if you like fantastic scenery, you aren't afraid of bad weather from time to time, you like wild and remote areas, freedom and hard work.

BC has many different areas where you can go off grid. The first is the coastal area, either on the Mainland or on Vancouver Island. You can be by the sea and enjoy a moderate climate. Temperatures will seldom go below freezing, but there will be lots of rain coming in off the Pacific during the winter. As a plus, marine scenery is outstanding, and there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy crabs, salmon, cod, halibut and prawns (you'll need a boat).

Once you cross the Coast Range and get into the Interior of the province you will experience more blue sky, but in the winter you'll also get colder temperatures, and in some areas, much more snow.

The Okanagan/Kamloops area is dryer, and warmer, year round, with the understanding that as you climb in elevation it will get colder.

The Kootenays are snowier, generally, and more remote. Large valleys between mountain ranges define this area, which is fairly remote even though its in the southern part of the province.

The Cariboo/Chilcotin is in the center of the province. Winters are long, but the area is huge, with thousands of lakes and rivers. Its great cowboy country. If you want horses and a log cabin, this is the area for you.

North of Prince George the province becomes very remote, in ways that someone from the Lower 48 of the US or Europe might find hard to imagine. Let's just say its really remote, with few roads, and really long winters.

Let's say you pick an area. Now what? If you're going to live off grid you need shelter, heat and water, not to mention food. Water and heat aren't a huge challenge in most of BC. There is lots of fresh water and that creates lots of potential heat on the mountain side in the form of trees. That means lots of wood cutting, however, and splitting and stacking. Wood that you cut in the summer and let dry is more enjoyable than wet winter wood.

Shelter is a different challenge. No matter where you are in BC you can die from the cold in a few hours during the winter if you are not prepared. You absolutely require somewhere to get warm and dry. That could be a tent, or a trailer, or a camper, or a cabin, or a yurt, but you will need something. If you don't bring it you'll have to build it. Building off grid is very hard.

Here are a few things to remember: most off gird sites in BC are not within walking distance, or for that matter, easy driving distance, to a building supply center. If you're driving off grid in a pick up truck with a trailer, then you're halfway there. You can load up on tools, nails, chainsaws, generators and redi-mix. However, if you're using a boat to access your build site, or worse, a horse, a plane, or walking, it can be very hard to get heavy stuff where you need it to be. You'll either do without or be very creative.

Don't get me wrong - people have done it many times, and you can too, but its hard, and progress will be slow.

Some options are:

Finding a property with existing buildings.Building in stages before you take up permanent residence.Using a trailer, bus or camper as a base.Making a small shelter that is weather tight and then making use of tents and taps to keep equipment and supplies dry.

Other things to consider are that you won't have power tools off grid unless you bring a chainsaw or a generator, at least until you get your micro-hydro, solar or wind system set up. You also won't have electric lights or satellite access to the internet to get questions answered (unless you plan for that).

On other words, don't under estimate the challenge.

If you're still willing to try it you have to ask: where do you get the land?

Can you just squat? As a matter of fact, yes you can. BC is huge, and you can easily get yourself lost. However, if someone owns the land, or wants to log it, or guides in it, you might get kicked out. Its a risky business.

You can also rent a place, but the market for that is very unorganized. It isn't easy to find someone who has property who will rent it to you for a long enough term for you to make the improvements you'll want.

That leaves buying, which you can always do. The issue is price. Waterfront properties can be expensive, but they can also be very reasonable. Smaller places cost more per acre, but large remote acreages can sell for less than $1000 per acre. You can find out about property for sale by simply starting with Google. There are lots of for sale by owner sites catering to rural BC. You can also contact me for help - again, google me; I'm easy to find.

Rob Chipman is broker owner of Coronet Realty Ltd,a Vancouver BC, area real estate and property management company specializing in residential rental real estate and non-resident taxation for offshore investors.

He also specializes in off grid, fly in, waterfront or otherwise unique properties in the Cariboo Chilcotin region of British Columbia. He has a blog at Off Grid BC as well as Bush Pilot Properties.

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'Lost Tribe' Discovered Living Off The Land In Wales

Lost middle-class tribe's 'secret' eco-village in Wales proves that Eco Straw Bale homes embody the essence of living simply and sustainably.

The Preseli Mountains of West Wales: Brithdir Mawr, a community of roundhouse known as Tir Ysbrydol (Spirit Land).

Pioneering: Eco-dweller Emma Orbach is delighted planning has been approved

Who would have thought that a 'secret' eco-village could exist in the countryside of Wales, for years, without anyone knowing!? Well, it did and has! Unbeknown to anyone until recently, this village was undiscovered and is occupants lived their lives without any interference from the outside world.

That is the simplicity of this style of building and living: very minimal cost, using local, natural resources available, growing their own food, using only solar power and living off the land.

Discovered by a survey plane, happening on the area, and likely a very observant pilot, they were finally exposed. After close scrutiny by the planning department, it was realised that planning permission had never been applied for in the past. So, a long drawn out battle ensued and the residents were facing being evicted and having to bull doze their homes.

Thanks to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's 'sustainability' policy, these roundhouses have, after a decade of battling with the authorities and red tape, been given the green light, so to speak. They no longer have to demolish their homes that they have been living in for over a decade.

This style of building, although very primitive, does certainly embody the essence of 'simple' living. So, it is possible, depending on how much you want to do it and what you are willing to give up in the form of 'creature comforts'. This group of people were living their dream of reducing their 'carbon footprint' on the earth and living as simply as possible. They built their own straw bale homes with living roofs and lived off the land. They likely would have remained 'secret', had the survey plane not happened upon them.

It begs the question how many other people my be living 'under the radar' so to speak, and out of the prying eyes of building officials. If there are other communities like this I say "Good on them" and just leave them alone. These people were not hurting anyone and by the looks of it, not dependent on society to sustain them. Maybe more of us could take a leaf from their book and try to live more simply?!

If you enjoyed this article, Kandi Wood invites you to visit her website for more information at http://ecostrawhouse.com/. Your feed back and comments are always welcome. Why not sign up for my free mini email course on Tips To Get Started With Building You Eco Friendly Home!

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Smart Buildings - Living Green in a Big Way

How to live green, find green materials, and go green.

Smart Buildings

In recent years we have heard more and more about how we need to live green, go green with the products we use, and of course build with green materials. In our series of Green Articles, you will read much about Smart Systems, or Integrated Systems in the "Intelligent" Buildings or "Smart" Buildings. What are they, and who is building them?

Intelligent or Smart Buildings (referred to as SB's hereafter) are basically any building that has incorporated streamline operations which deliver better service to their end users. Many would call this a "Smart System". This system will help you live green in many ways.

A decade or two ago, you may have immediately thought of the Jetson's when confronted with the idea, that an elevator could sense you without even touching the button. Or that anyone could program their lights to turn on from down the street, or Internet service would be called Wi-Fi and be hard wired into your apartment building. Look how far we have come today.

One example of an SB is One American Plaza in San Diego, California. The Broadband infrastructure alone in this building affords free Wi-Fi, Tablet PCs and PDAs, to each tenant, and adds to a higher quality service.

Many building owners and developers want to live green, or go green, and they are located in North America and overseas. They are coming to the realization that to compete, they must change, and develop the SB's of the future too. They must use green materials in every step of the building process.

SB's are not built on the same design, construction, and operation process of the past either. The approach needed for the successful development of "intelligent buildings" requires innovative strategies and usually consist of a team of Developers and Architects to incorporate their ideas into reality.

While there is no actual definition for an Intelligent building, or Smart Building, they do have several things in common with each other.

They integrate distinct systems which can be controlled by a centralized common user interface such as a Computer. Every part of the building communications system is a shared network throughout the structure. The high-performance systems of these buildings require that the building owners, and/or property and facility management, are highly trained professionals who understand this technology. This benefits the end-users.

These buildings have a capacity built in, that will maximize its own performance and efficiency. This is accomplished by integrating all systems such as lighting, HVAC, safety, power management, security (access control, video surveillance, and visitor management), seismic and structural monitoring, environmental conditions, including temperature, air flow, and air chemistry and more into one centrally controlled system.

The technology is likened to a Central Nervous System incorporating building strategies set to calculate and then alter its own performance and functions. This has an added long-term sustainable value and overall efficiency and savings to the property.

Jill Manzoni is a Freelance Writer, Web Developer, and Virtual Assistant with over a dozen internet sites of her own. She supports many awards, accommodations, and honorable mentions for her work in print and online periodicals, including the Golden Web Award, the Family Friendly Site Award, Phenomenal Women of the Web Awards, and many other awards for her service to others. Among her books on Natural Health, and Environmental issues, she is a syndicated columnist, and her essays and articles appear in print and on hundreds of internet sites.

http://www.odesk.com/users/~~6df4342456eb94d6

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Downtown Seattle Life Merging Natural Beauty and Cosmopolitan Living

When looking for a place to live, you cannot choose a more perfect place than downtown Seattle. A city on the rise, Seattle is fast becoming one of the most important economic hearts of the nation. While Seattle is growing in cosmopolitan appeal, it has still retained its important roots. As the center of the Pacific Northwest, it also is the icon and epitome of Northwest living. This means that the city is still relaxed and eco-friendly. Despite the bustle of downtown life, residents can still find peace and quiet in the surrounding greenery and fresh air.

Set in one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, Seattle has been drawing new residents in flocks. Seattle is nestled between the saltwater of Puget sound to the west and the freshwater of Lake Washington to the east. Just over the water, residents of Seattle are graced with the breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains. With rich forests within view, combined with the topography of beaches, oceans, lakes and mountains, Seattle is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Living in downtown Seattle is an opportunity that should not be missed. Downtown life is perfect for families and seekers of night-life alike. The true city livers should consider Belltown, which is in the heart of Seattle and has some of the best bars, restaurants and dance clubs around. Living at the base of Capitol Hill means having easy access to Pacific Science Center, Seattle Children's Theater, Key Arena and the Space Needle. Living close to the water means proximity to Pike Place Market, which is a draw for tourists and locals alike. With its market atmosphere and fresh produce, Pike Place is a hot spot for anyone looking for food and fun.

Brand new condos are springing up in downtown Seattle all the time. As the city grows, opportunities for affordable cosmopolitan living become more and more possible. With views of the ocean and the mountains beyond, the highest floors are understandably coveted. Luckily, however, Seattle has slopes and curves uphill away from the water, meaning more people can afford views that would otherwise never be available. There are also many homes and office buildings available directly on or with views of Lake Union, a similarly beautiful body of water to the east. Public beaches along the ocean and areas like Gasworks Park on Lake Union mean the anyone can have direct access to the water for swimming, boating, kayaking, and even fishing. Seattle is redoubtably on of the best places in the nation to spend the fourth of July, as Seattleites enjoy an incredible fireworks display over Lake Union, as well as shooting from the top of the Space Needle. Thousands gather at Gasworks Park on blankets and chairs, and boat owners take their sailboats and yachts directly under the amazing display.

The attitude and friendliness of downtown Seattle cannot be beat. Locals know that underneath the cement sidewalks and bustling shopping centers, a great heart beats. With the diversity, stunning natural beauty and true big-city living, Seattle is fast becoming one of the most popular destinations for moving families, and seekers of the city life alike.

This article was produced by Eric Badgley; specializing in Seattle Real Estate Agents and Downtown Seattle Condos. http://www.kreick.com/

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Living Life Right - The Insiders Look to Lake Washington

One of the most unique and wonderful places to live in all of Washington, much less Seattle, is undoubtedly on the shores of Lake Washington. For those lucky enough to be able to afford waterfront property, this is an opportunity that should not be missed. Even the more affordable houses with views over this magnificent body of water should not be overlooked, as Lake Washington offers those who live near it aspects of beauty you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

The second largest lake in the state after Lake Chelan, Lake Washington has availability for housing developments along its entire shoreline. Because of its long, skinny shape, the shoreline is considerable and is still open for more building opportunities. Save for the areas that are parks, marinas or airports, the rest of the shores are dedicated to homeowners, and giving those people some of the most incredible opportunities around. The waters of this lake are fresh and blue, and are extremely clean after extreme measure were taken to improve the water quality in the 60's.

Houses built along Lake Washington are built to take in the view. Sweeping windows are common, along with sloping lawns to take advantage of the shoreline. Most houses have docks with the capability to house 1-3 boats, and a smaller percentage of them have covered boat houses. Even those that don't have docks often take advantage of the required buoys just off the shore, and can tie boats off there. Waterfront condos are less common than waterfront houses along Lake Washington, but condos are often built on the hills that rise away from the water, meaning that every floor can enjoy a waterfront view. Great snowy Mount Rainier can be seen from just about anywhere on Lake Washington, as it rises over the southern section of the lake on clear days. Because of the north-south orientation of the lake, and how skinny it is, the vast majority of houses face either due east or due west, which makes for some of the most stunning sunset or sunrise views of the whole state. There is nothing quite like enjoying your morning cup of coffee while the sun rising golden over the forests on the other side, and turning light to liquid fire as it touches the water.

Lake Washington is home to an abundance of wildlife. The waters are teeming with fish that are available to fish (when in season) that include salmon, bass, perch, carp, longfin smelt and even sturgeon. Mallard ducks and Canadian geese are common sights over the water, while bald eagles herons make the occasional appearance as well. River otters are a treat, as there is nothing more adorable than two sleek otters play-wrestling in your yard.

Living lakeside is an opportunity that should not be passed up. It is the ultimate luxury, and provides a stunning setting to raise a family among nature. With the endless summer entertainment it provides along with an epic seasonal backdrop, Lake Washington is arguably one of the greatest places to live in the world.

This article was produced by Eric Badgley; specializing in Lake Washington Real Estate. http://www.kreick.com/

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