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Designing craftsman style homes while sticking to the green principles

Craftsman style home

A green home can be defined as an energy efficient residential building that conserves and preserves the natural resources. Green homes last for a longer time period and provide a more healthy way of living to their inhabitants. A home that uses less toxic and sustainable harvested materials is healthier for its inhabitants and costs less. You can add the energy saving approaches for making the more green and functional as well. The green approaches can also be added to the craftsman style homes which are very popular in different states of America. All you need is to employ the right plans.

1. Designing

The designing of the craftsman homes is based on a distinct architectural design style. The style originated in the state of California and is inspired by the work of the Greene and Greene brothers. Many homes which were built during the time period of 1905 to 1930 have their design based on the craftsman style. The style is gaining importance, recognition and popularity again in the end of the 20th century. The craftsman style incorporates in it Asian building techniques for enhanced functionality and English arts and crafts styles for good looks that are likeable to all generations. Therefore, these homes look good and have certain functional advantages as well. The contractors, architecture students, etc. can easily recognize the craftsman homes by their building styles.

2. Wood requirement

The craftsman homes require a lot of wood in their building and you should use the sustainable wood during their construction. The wood that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is sustainable. FSC employs sustainable standards in forest management and all its programs are in adherence to the laid rules. You should avoid wood that comes from tropical woods, redwoods and Douglas firs. The products that have been made from using rediscovered or reclaimed wood are also more green as you will be using the already used wood and no additional trees will be cut for fulfilling your needs.

3. Windows

The location and arrangement of windows in craftsman style homes is such that the lighting of the home gets recognized clearly. The windows can use the solar energy passively thereby reducing the energy expenditures. The home will be able to conserve energy and will also be more sustainable in the long run. The passive usage of solar energy does not require solar panels and utilizes the solar energy by planning and positioning techniques. The homes that face south are best positioned for using the solar energy passively. Those which face east and west are more difficult to deal with. There can be taller buildings and trees which can block the solar exposure or the home might not be located at a place which gets good amount of solar exposure. In such situations, you need to be a little more creative for fulfilling your solar energy requirements.

4. Energy saving

Buildings consume around 39.4 percent of the total energy that is consumed in the United States of America. The design of the building should incorporate measures like efficient HVAC, increased insulation solar orientation, high performance windows, etc. These measures will help in saving energy.

5. Water saving

Buildings account for 12 percent of total water consumption in the United States. By using low flow faucets and water heads, water sense or energy star clothes washers and dish washers, dual flush or low flow toilets and drought resistant and native landscaping which has weathermatic irrigation or water sensing in your craftsman style homes, you will be able to save good amount of water. The reduction in water usage and wastage amounts help in reducing the energy amount that is required for purifying the water.

6. Cleaner and healthier air

The indoor pollution levels have been found to be two to five times higher than the outdoor pollution levels. Problems like asthma and cancer arise by living in the polluted air for majority of day’s hours. Americans spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors and therefore, are at a higher risk of getting the diseases. By employing proper ventilation, air sealing, air filtration moisture management and by avoiding pollutants like VOCs and formaldehyde, you will be able to make the air of craftsman style homes more clean.

7. Waste reduction and carbon footprint reduction

You can reduce wastes by using advanced framing techniques, employing efficient floor plans, using renewable resources and materials or the recycled materials. The home can also reduce its carbon footprint by lowering the energy requirements. This will reduce the carbon dioxide emission levels and will make the surrounding environment healthier for living.

Designing a green home can be a real challenge, so if you need help from professionals, make sure you contact Tazscapes landscaping company in Calgary and see some of their work.

Conclusion

Craftsman style homes may lack in square footage area but provide some great features for better livability. The highly sought-after-design can be made to cope with modern energy needs by sticking to the principles of energy conservation while designing them. The process may call for some extra expenditure, but over a period of time the benefits will compensate all the costs involved. The energy that is used in purifying water also gets reduced. Demand of green homes is on the rise and they are a great investment

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