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How to Increase Your Home’s Resale Value While Staying Eco-Friendly

April 20, 2021 2

When you want to improve the value of your home, making eco-friendly upgrades will increase the value and provide you with a healthier environment for family and friends. Below are some ideas to consider to help improve the resale value of your home.

Figure What Is In Your Budget

Figure out what is in your budget before you begin to remodel. Homeowners often spend between 5,000 to 10,000 dollars to make changes to their homes. This was the standard amount spent in 2018 by consumers. Even if you do not have thousands to spend you can make small improvements that will improve the sustainability of your home. Try to decide what you want to improve before tackling the project Do you want to install energy-efficient appliances, add a tank-less water heater, paint the inside walls with eco-friendly paint made from natural materials, landscaping, and energy-efficient exterior doors. For major upgrades, you should contact local contractors that specialize in eco-friendly remodeling and installation.

Install Energy-Efficient Exterior Doors

Replacing outdated exterior doors on the house will save you money on your energy bills. The doors that you enter or exit the house should be energy efficient. This can save you 10% on your heating and cooling bills. Energy-efficient outer doors made from fiberglass save the most energy. Fiberglass looks like real wood and is designed for cold climates and humidity. Steel doors are stronger and wear well in dry climates. Unless you are handy, it is better to hire a contractor to install them. Steel doors can be insulated to retain heat and stay cooler in the warm weather. Double glass panes are often installed to reduce heat flow and magnetic strips reduce leakage of air in the house.

Make Your Landscaping Eco-friendly

Investing in hiring a landscaper improves the value of your home. If you are an experienced gardener, you can do the work yourself. Native plants from a local garden center grow better and use less water. Invest in planting native flowers, herbs, and vegetables in a small rain garden. A rain garden collects runoff water from your yard. Rain gardens attract butterflies and reduce soil erosion. Planting native trees and shrubs can help with cooling your home in the summer. Installing a drip irrigation system to water plants in the yard and lawn will cut the water bill by 50 percent.

Permeable pavers instead of concrete driveways and walkways allow water to go into the ground. Reusing stones and bricks for borders and wall counts are considered eco-friendly landscaping too. You should reduce the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Test the soil it may just need organic compost that you can buy and the organic pesticide that uses natural substances and have a lower level of chemicals. Over 60% of potential home buyers say a well-landscaped property is one of the things they look for in a home.

Install A Tankless Water Heater

The benefit of installing a tankless water heater is it only will use water when you need it. It can save you 30 to 50 percent on fuel costs. This device works when you turn on the tap and sensors detect water coming into the heater that has to be heated. They range in price from about $200 to $2,000 depending on the size and are gas-fired or electric. They should be installed by a professional. The benefits are they produce instant hot water, some are Wi-Fi compatible, and in time save money on water and fuels. They are compact about the size of a suitcase and hang on the wall.

Upgrade to Green Appliances

Consider buying energy-efficient appliances when you replace older models. They are refrigerators, dishwashers, air conditioners, stoves, washers, and dryers. These Energy Star appliances will save you on water and electricity. They reduce pollution and create sustainability in the home. When you buy an energy-efficient dishwasher it uses less water and reduces your water bill by 25%. An Energy Star refrigerator will decrease your electric bill. Refrigerators are an appliance that uses more electricity than others appliances. Energy Star is a label that appliances get when they meet government regulations for energy efficiency and reducing the use of water and electricity. They can reduce utilities by about 30% in the home. A minor kitchen remodel will have an 82.7% return on your investment.

These are some ways to make the eco-friendly upgrade to your home for a healthier home environment.

Why A Green Kitchen Remodel Is Worth the Investment

July 14, 2017 0

For many parents and homeowners, remodeling is a dreaded subject. It is something to be avoided and decried as too expensive, too time-consuming, and too difficult while the kids are still young. In fact, that aversion to change is likely why 47% of Americans haven’t updated their home decor in the last five years, with 9% having neglected it for more than a decade!

But remodeling is the best way to make your home feel more like an extension of who you and your family are. And it is the best way to increase the value of your home should you ever want to sell. That’s why many parents decide, reluctantly, to take remodeling one step at a time.

Among the more popular starting remodeling projects is the kitchen remodel. People remodel their kitchen for a number of different reasons: some want a more open floor plan, others want to improve the efficiency of their kitchen, and some just get tired of the ugly wallpaper that came with the house. For many people, the fact that even a minor kitchen remodel, done right, has an average return on investment of 82.7%.

But if you are in the market for kitchen remodeling, consider opting for greener options when selecting your design components. Not only will you have the satisfaction of leaving a smaller footprint on the planet, but it might even help to increase your home’s resale value.

According to Realtor.com, 61% of homebuyers in 2017 will be below the age of 35. As millennials continue to represent more and more of the housing market, they will bring with them their own tastes and desires, such as sustainable offerings. In fact, nearly 75% of millennials are willing to pay higher prices for sustainable products, more than any other generation.

Items such as sustainable kitchen cabinets, flooring, and countertops can make your kitchen look stunning and reduce the environmental effect of your remodeling project significantly. But even if you spend all your free time watching HGTV — all six minutes of it between tucking your child in bed and falling asleep on the couch — it can be hard to know what exactly is or is not sustainable.

We’ve put together a few quick tips to help you pick the right, sustainable materials for your kitchen remodel.

Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinets are a great place to start your search, considering the majority of cabinets are made from wood. Make sure that your wood is either reclaimed or can be certified as sustainably harvested. Also be certain that they use formaldehyde-free glues.

Countertops
For countertops, look for materials that are recycled or at least made of sustainable materials. Some of the coolest options on the market are made of recycled glass and cement before being finished to look like limestone. You can also find a number of interesting counters made from wood reclaimed from old barns and other buildings.

Floors
While linoleum often gets a bad rep, it is a great option for environmentally friendly floors. Made from biodegradable materials, this durable flooring comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Cork is also a popular option, and it is made from wood that is carefully monitored to maintain available supplies.

There is more to consider, of course, such as energy-efficient appliances and the smaller touches like efficient LED lighting. But if you can find sustainable options for these three components, then you are already ahead of the curve.