Are you planning to fulfil your dream of owning an eco home? An eco home is a green property that comes with environment-friendly features like solar power, green building materials, and the like.
One key eco home feature you should be on board for is the garage. Nonetheless, to meet your goal of owning and constructing an eco home, your garage should be built with green building principles in mind. Check out the following tips below to help you out.
- Choose Eco-Friendly Materials
Choosing environmentally friendly materials is essentially the first step in building a garage for your eco home.
Avoid materials that emit harmful chemicals or contribute to deforestation and other harmful activities to the environment. Instead, opt for building materials like recycled steel, reclaimed wood, or concrete, such as those from the Garage Door Co or similar suppliers.
Here are more benefits to using eco-friendly materials:
- Saving on building costs: As most contractors source eco-friendly materials locally, it contributes to cost saving for transport. In the end, locally sourced building materials reduce the overall costs of the material.
- Reducing the strain on local resources: Reusing or recycling building materials from other projects saves time, money, and effort. Also, it removes the need to use brand-new materials that may impact the surrounding area.
- Improving the home’s efficiency: Utilizing eco-friendly materials could help the garage be more energy and water efficient.
- Boosting the residents’ health: Spending time in the garage could affect a person’s health, mainly when harmful chemicals or emissions exist. Fortunately, none come from eco-friendly materials.
What use is an eco-friendly home when it doesn’t have a matching garage, right? So, contact local building material suppliers or contractors to find the best solutions for your new garage. Don’t forget to save their contact details for future garage door repairs, among other maintenance.
- Consider The Orientation
The orientation of your garage can significantly impact its energy efficiency. Before building your garage, consider placing it in a way that maximizes natural light and minimizes exposure to harsh weather conditions.
Professional contractors will advise keeping the following in mind:
- Seasonal changes in temperature, wind, and rainfall;
- Surrounding buildings or landscaping like hills or mountains; and the like.
These could play a role in construction as well.
- Contemplate Proper Insulation
Proper insulation is crucial for an eco-friendly garage. It helps regulate temperature, prevent heat loss, and reduce noise pollution. The garage becomes more efficient using eco-friendly insulation materials such as cellulose, cotton, or wool.
Fortunately, there are many options, and finding the right option could be an easy decision. Contemplating the following could narrow down the choices:
- The size of your budget for the project;
- The climate of your region;
- The type of structure you’re choosing;
- The functionality of the garage; and the like.
Recommendations from a reputable, knowledgeable installer may be of great value as well. After all, they’ll know best which material will be suited for the would-be garage of your eco home.
- Place Energy-Efficient Lighting
Using energy-efficient lighting in your garage is an excellent way to save money and energy and reduce your carbon footprint. Moreover, eco-friendly options, like LED lights, are proven to be long-lasting. Apart from these energy-efficient options, residents can do their part as well.
Some of the ways to make lighting more efficient for the new garage could include the following:
- Only switching on the lights when they are needed;
- Using automated timers or motion sensors to activate the lights;
- Utilizing natural sunlight instead of electrical lights;
- Install solar energy solutions; and so on.
Whether connected to the home or detached, renewable or just energy-saving, there are various ways of installing lighting options. Research what’s available in your area and compare it to the requirements for your garage.
- Incorporate Green Roofing Technology
Green roofs are innovative, eco-friendly, and exciting to add to a garage. Naturally occurring vegetation covers the top, which helps absorb rainwater, reduce heat, and improve air quality.
Furthermore, there are different ways of incorporating it into the garage design. Below are three of the most popular options:
- An extensive green roof;
- A semi-intensive green roof; and
- An intensive green roof.
Before considering green roof technology, get all the information about the installation, care, and upkeep from a local installer.
- Install A Rainwater Harvesting System
A rainwater harvesting system is handy for many tasks in and around a garage. It collects and stores rainwater for watering plants, cleaning, and flushing toilets. Additionally, there are other benefits to this system.
If reducing water consumption is a priority for your new garage, read through the benefits below:
- Reduced utility costs: Rainwater is free, meaning residents won’t have to fork out more for the garage’s utilities.
- Use it to water plants: Both the garden and the green roof will thank you for the mineral-rich rainwater instead of municipal water.
- It’s relatively cost-effective: The systems won’t need regular, expensive maintenance, and the installation costs could be lower than other options.
For those who want to make a difference in the environment and their quality of life, rainwater harvesting systems could be the perfect match.
Takeaway
After careful planning and consideration, an eco-friendly home can have an equally efficient garage. With many options that leave a positive environmental footprint, finding the best solutions for your garage-building needs shouldn’t be too difficult.
