Green Building Materials for Your Home

Many environmentally conscious home builders are crafting homes by using green building materials. Even if you're not in the market to buy a new home, though, you can help to stop global warming and protect the environment when you replace old appliances or remodel.

My husband never quite forgave me when I gave the buyers of our last home the new front-loading washer. But it was a stickling point for them, and I wasn't going to blow the sale over a $1,000 appliance.

So when the washer / dryer combo unit that came with our present home broke down and parts were unavailable to repair it, our home protection plan offered to replace it for free. Except the appliance they were going to give us was a replica of our existing model, which wasn't energy efficient. A little known aspect of many home protection plans is the company will generally credit you the replacement cost and let you pay the difference for an upgrade at wholesale pricing.

This was an opportune time, I figured, to make amends with my husband and give him the front-loading washer and dryer of his dreams. After all, he does the laundry in my house. But buying green appliances isn't the only way you can green your home. Here are a dozen other ideas . . . read more

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub, click below:

• Home Improvement Mistakes
  
• Stocking the Home
  
• Buying New Construction

_{©2007 Elizabeth Weintraub}

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