Before you build or remodel, read these guides to find out which materials offer the best value and easy maintenance. Check out ways to keep your project earth friendly and which siding is the best choice for your location.
Earth-Friendly Building Materials
You don't have to strain your budget to choose a healthy home. These days, it's easy being green. Here's what's new in environmentally friendly products and materials for the home.
"… density fiberboard) for doors and cabinets. Many building materials have natural alternatives. Select cellulose insulation … quality performance tests on these items to ensure building materials aren't emitting fumes or trapping air, which …"
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Alternative Building Materials
… curing has essentially eliminated those. Special Note: Today's housing market includes an array of alternative building materials and methods. To find out more about each, search the Internet or contact the National Association of Homebuilders …
… involve a lot of materials that can end up in the recycling/reuse stream rather than in a landfill. Most common building materials —wood, plastic, steel, brick, drywall, concrete—can be recycled or reclaimed for future use, so product …
Green Building: Remodeling Ideas
… to minimize impact on the landscape. Take advantage of passive solar gain and shade-tree cooling. Use green building materials . Consider Icynene insulation; millwork certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC); remnant granite …
… away from chemical-laden building materials and toward healthy, natural … and walnut. Reusing salvaged building materials , from flooring to fixtures … new products, check out used building materials retailers, online exchanges …
Environmentally Friendly Building and Remodeling Materials
… approach could be harmful to your health. When building materials emit fumes and trapped air creates mold, sick building … and human health. Proponents recommend nontoxic building materials , natural air movement to control humidity, filtering …
25 Tips for Keeping Your Budget on Track
… with leftover materials, such as windows and flooring, or check out www.buildersexpress.com to bid on excess building materials . 5. Seek cheaper alternatives. If your heart is set on granite countertops, opt for tiles instead of a slab …
Slide Shows
Real-Life Makeover: Raw-Material Apartment
See how to create an extraordinary home from ordinary, inexpensive building materials .
Budget-Friendly Ideas for Outdoor Rooms
… pumpkins. This outdoor room looks expensive. but that's just what the homeowner wants you to think. Inexpensive building materials such as gravel, cinder blocks, and pressure-treated wood form the backbone of the design. Tile backboard and …
Water is the enemy of all building materials . Concrete floors, particularly those at or below grade, are especially vulnerable. Don't install any kind of tile on a slab …
… wall soften the hard architectural lines and add color. Test Garden Tip: Create more interest by selecting wall- building materials that allow you to plant in nooks and crannies along the wall's surface. If one big wall won't do, several …
Earth-Friendly Building and Remodeling Materials
… The Greenguard Environmental Institute performs quarterly air-quality performance tests on these items to ensure building materials aren't emitting fumes or trapping air, which creates mold. Air-polluting volatile organic compounds, VOCs …
Easy Eco-Friendly Kitchen Ideas
… can be toxic, that are emitted from products such as wall paint, paint stripper, cleaning supplies, and some building materials . Natural flooring, such as wood, cork, or linoleum, doesn't contain the toxins found in many manufactured …
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