Green & Lean Remodeling in New Jersey
When planning a renovation of your kitchen, bathrooms, or adding additional living space to your home, talk to a professional New Jersey remodeling contractor about creating a house that is more efficient and safer to live in. The benefits of green remodeling include saving money through greater efficiency, improving indoor air and water quality and reducing the negative impact on the environment.
SAVING MONEY
Energy efficiency is the top reason why New Jersey homeowners choose green remodeling, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Remodelers. Homeowners save money on utility bills when the home is more energy efficient. This is an attractive feature to home buyers, so creating an energy efficient home also adds to its market value. A certified contractor can conduct an energy evaluation of the home and suggest changes that can be made through professional remodeling or even simple changes, like using newer energy-saving lights or installing a programmable thermostat.
Some ways you can improve energy efficiency:
• Hire a professional New Jersey remodeling contractor to replace drafty, old windows with energy-efficient dual paned windows and replace aluminum siding with newer vinyl siding.
• Properly insulating an attic will yield the biggest cost savings-your New Jersey home will retain heat better during the winter and stay cooler during the summer. There are many insulation options, depending where it’s used, including fiberglass, spray foam, rigid foam board and cellulose. R-values measure the performance of the insulation, so generally the higher the R-value, the better the insulation level.
• Look for the Energy Star symbol when buying new appliances for a kitchen remodel or when replacing a water heater or clothing dryer, Energy Star is a government-backed program and the symbol represents energy efficiency, helping consumers find appliances and other products that provide cost savings through lower energy and water consumption.
• How old is your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system? Systems older than 10 years are not as efficient as newer models. When considering a new system, choose the most efficient model that will efficiently support the size of the home, especially if remodeling includes additional living space.
Other cost-saving measures include installing a programmable thermostat, having the system professionally checked and cleaned annually, and sealing and insulating the ductwork.
IMPROVING INDOOR QUALITY OF LIFE
A 2011 report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found people diagnosed with asthma increased by 4.3 million between 2001 and 2009-that’s 1 in 12 Americans. Although reasons for the increase are not fully known, environmental factors including indoor air quality is an asthma trigger. Even more people deal with allergies from pollen, animal dander and molds.
You can create a healthier place to live by improving indoor air quality, water quality and reducing noise pollution. Ultimately, a healthier home also saves money by lowering medical costs.
• Choose non-toxic building materials, paints and cleaning products. Many of these household products emit toxic gas containing VOCs (volatile organic compounds) creating poor indoor air quality. Side effects range from symptoms like fatigue, headaches, nausea and irritation to the eyes, nose and throat to respiratory diseases like asthmas and bronchitis to more serious problems such as kidney or liver damage or cancer.
• Remove mold, pollen, animal dander, dust mites and dirt by installing a more efficient ventilation system with high-quality air filters.
• Test the water system to determine if a water filtration system is needed to remove impurities.
CONSERVING RESOURCES: Reduce, Recycle, Renew
We are reminded of the importance of a clean environment every day from advertisements about hybrid and electric cars to neighborhood recycling programs. So consider a trash container filled with debris during a remodeling project-that’s a lot of waste. One goal of green remodeling is reducing the amount of waste that enters a landfill by either reusing or recycling the materials. Materials removed from the property in good condition can be donated to an organization such as Habitat for Humanity.
When demolition is complete and it’s time to start remodeling, choose natural, more durable materials like cork flooring or natural fiber carpets with no toxic chemicals.
• Cork is a sustainable material, as flooring it reduces noise pollution in the home and is a healthy option for those who suffer from allergies.
• Install low-flow toilets and shower heads which use less water than standard plumbing fixtures.
• Are the old plumbing fixtures leaking? Replacing leaky faucets could save thousands of gallons of water in a year.
• Consider renewable energy sources such as solar power by adding photovoltaic panels to your roof or yard. You can even consider new photovoltaic shingles when it’s time for a new roof.
Green remodeling can range from larger projects like a kitchen renovation or newer windows and siding that require a professional New Jersey contractor – to smaller changes a homeowner can easily make such as using non-toxic paints and cleaning products. Saving money, improving indoor air and water quality, and reducing waste are all benefits of green remodeling. Creating a home that features these benefits can also add value because of the increased demand for green homes.
Talking to your New Jersey professional remodeling contractor about how you can incorporate green concepts into your remodeling projects to save money and stay healthy is a WIN-WIN!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=P._Matthew_Potter
If you’re looking for a professional New Jersey room addition company, then give us a call today at 800-734-3737 or complete our request for a design and budget consultation.
A Built-In Wardrobe for Your Built-Up Wardrobe
When you have limited space in your New Jersey bedroom, it is so difficult to organize and put away all the things that you want it to contain. Of course, you need wardrobes so that you can have space to keep or store all of your clothing and accessories. However, since your bedroom space is very limited, you will have to choose carefully on which wardrobe to put inside your bedroom. You need to make sure that the wardrobe will not occupy all of the space left in your room. Therefore, you will need a space saving wardrobe to use for your clothing. A perfect type for this situation is the built in wardrobe.
This type of wardrobe can maximize the space that you have allotted for it in your bedroom. You can have the right size for the space since this will be built according to your preferences and choices. Built in wardrobes will be made right inside your New Jersey bedroom, maximizing the space that you have for it. This will allow you to adjust the spacing and still make room for other things that you need inside the room. You can also choose on the right style appropriate for the space that you want the wardrobe to occupy.
Slim type wardrobes will work best for limited spaced bedrooms. You can choose slim types but still have lots of compartments in it to make sure that all of your things will fit in the wardrobe perfectly. It is also better if you can have sliding doors for your wardrobe. This will not occupy additional space when you try to open the wardrobe doors. You can consult with your New Jersey remodeling contractor about the type of wardrobe that can help you keep a good amount of space in your bedroom.
With built in wardrobes, you do not have to move it from one place to another. It will be fixed where it is installed. This then prevents you from cluttering your space again for a makeover. You can simply decide on how much amount of space you will need to accommodate all of your clothing. You can then sort out your clothing according to its type. This will help you see how much space you will need for all of them. This will then be your basis on how big or small the wardrobe should be
Your New Jersey remodeling contractor can help you design a space saving wardrobe for your New Jersey bedroom This will give you an easier time getting what you want from the wardrobe that you will be having built right inside your bedroom. So, make sure that you know what type of built in wardrobe you really want and need. This way, the remodeler can easily design one for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_T_Finney
