The Best of Green Home Designs

Green home designs use materials, furniture, and accessories that are environmentally friendly or reusable. This type of design uses long lasting materials as well as those that can be renewed. Green home designs focus on recycling material and making sure that material is non-toxic. Green home designs use very few items that are brand new. Green materials such as cork, bamboo and eucalyptus are primarily use today in home design because they are earth friendly. For example, the extraction of the cork does not destroy the tree. Being green means that you will salvage or restore items whenever possible.

There are so many options in today's market for green flooring. These flooring materials can be sand down, painted, or refinished. All this can be done with using material that contains volatile organic compounds or VOC's. The finishes and glue used for some floor installations can contain formaldehyde resins. It is important to use non-toxic materials with little to no VOC within the sealants, cleaners, finishes, adhesives, polishes, etc. As a result you will create a home that has less toxicity in the air and is healthier for the planet.

Nothing is guaranteed 100%, so even buying materials with little to no VOC doesn't assure you that it is completely safe. This is because there are so many chemicals produced today. Regardless of that, if you want to remodel your home using green home design techniques, you need to select products that are environmentally healthy.

Every area of your home can benefit from green design. When constructing or renovating your home, be sure to install many windows, glass doors, skylights to allow the natural light to enter. These measures conserve energy and make the home bright and inviting. Concrete floors are very stylish, an come in many patterns, colors, and textures. This flooring is one of the greenest because you can install it without the uses of chemicals like glue or finishes. Concrete can also be used as kitchen counter tops, which have become very popular. They are natural in appearance and create a modern looking style. This material also works well in the bathroom and on the fireplace. Recycled glass is another option for green kitchens. This is a very versatile product that can come in different colors. Try recycled glass as a kitchen counter top, back splash, or even tiles. Recycled glass is a great alternative in green kitchen design. Green Building Supply provides recycled glass in various sizes. The prices range from $1,129.00 to $4,223.00 for 30" x 54" to 60" x 108" slabs, and each are 1 1/4" thick. You choose from five different color palettes.

Appliances are major purchases for you home. You need to think about function, and style, but most importantly energy saving capability. Whirlpool sells a Whirlpool Black 21.7 Energy Star Certified Side by Side Refrigerator for $765.00; item #ED2KVEXVB. Energy efficient appliances are readily available in the market today. It is actually very easy to to find appliance that save energy and water usage, and there is something for every budget. Be sure to recycle your old appliance properly.

When planning green home design, install a lot insulation for your ceiling and walls. This the best way to help your house be energy efficient. Make sure the the insulation material is earth-friendly. High quality glass windows, doors, and skylight with multiple panes help to also conserve energy. The cost of energy is steadily increasing. Being energy conscious makes good economic sense. After your initial investment, you will save money, reducing the world's exposure to harmful chemicals, and aid the environment.

How to Budget Your New Home Designs

You want a new home design but you have no idea if you can afford it or not. There are lots of options to choose from, yet you want the home design that suits your taste and of course your wallet. If you want to have some ideas, you need to check out some home design and house builder sites that provide amazing listing of new home designs and styles to get the house design of your dreams.

The first thing you need to do is estimate your house, meet up with the home builders who make houses that are similar in size, quality, and features to the home you want. Home builders will tell you how much per square foot they frequently charge for home structure. They can also give you an approximate idea of what your dream home might cost. Ask them if they have already some price lists, this will both lessen the waste of time.

Expect some features to cost more like new furniture, new paints, new landscape and etc. The most costly areas in building a home are regularly the bathrooms and the kitchen. The number of windows and the size and quality of windows can also change the charge. Vaulted ceilings and high roof pitches can increase the cost of a home design. When you want to use other homes to calculate an estimate, be sure the home has the same style and features of the home you plan to build.

According to About.com, "the cost per square foot is often higher for a small home than that of a larger home. When building a larger home, the cost of expensive items (such as a furnace or kitchen) is spread over more square footage. Consequently, a larger home may have a lower square footage cost than a smaller home. Also, it usually costs less to build a two-story home when compared to a one-story home that has the same square footage. This is because a two-story home will have a smaller roof and foundation. Plumbing and ventilation are more compact in two-story homes."

Check all the sizes of your house, from the living area, dining, kitchen and bathroom. Have your home size rounded up or down to increments of two feet. This reduces wasted materials. Also, the shape of your home is important, better yet take a picture all the different sides of your house. In this way, house builders will have a draft beforehand before the ocular.

Get the most comprehensive listing of new home designs, home plans, house builders & construction at Display Houses. You can also find and buy real estate, property investment, land for sale in Australia or list your properties for sale to give them maximum exposure and sell them fast

Home Floor Plan Design Software - Total 3D Home Design Deluxe

For some, the sheer number of home floor plan design software may be simply overwhelming. Choosing from the myriad of available options and selecting the best among them becomes quite a challenge. Although there are definitely a lot of applications out there that should be apt for all sorts of situations, there are certain circumstances that require specialized designer software. One such application is Total 3D Home Design Deluxe.

At a Glance

The publisher of this awesome floor plan design program is none other than Individual Software. They've done a great job with Total 3D Home Design Deluxe which happens to be an excellent program that lets users start their designs from scratch. However, one of the downsides of this software is that its customization options are not as extensive as other more advanced programs available in the market.

However, considering that it is available for only $24.99, it definitely delivers value for money. Users who want to do a little experimentation in their remodeling or perhaps even start designing the dream house for the future will definitely have a blast with Total 3D Home Design Deluxe.

Main Tools and Features

What's great about this program is that it lets users literally drag and drop pre-made room layouts into their scenes making the entire process a whole lot easier. Once they're in place, it becomes a matter of adjusting the room's size depending on the type of floor plan the user wants to come up with. Those who reach dead ends in terms of creativity may want to venture into the program's huge library that holds tens of thousands of actual product images to serve as an inspiration for their own design.

After the floor plan is completed, this program's 3D walk through feature lets users take a virtual tour of their newly designed home. This is definitely a handy feature that becomes useful as it provides users with an actual preview of how their new home will look like once the remodeling process is completed.

Summary

At the end of the day, it is true that there are a lot more floor plan design software out there that can provide more features and functions than Total 3D Home Design Deluxe. However, what sets this particular product apart is that it is a quick, easy, and inexpensive home design application that should be able to serve its primary purpose. Folks who are looking to add minimal details into their remodeling plans or those who simply want to explore different interior design ideas will definitely find this program handy.