Pros of Green Environment-Friendly Homes in Portland, OR

There are environment-friendly home builders in Portland that specialize in outstanding custom homes that are energy efficient, comfortable, safe for the family and pets, and built to the highest standards.

What are the eco-friendly materials that are being used?

They are described as products that increase energy efficiency and reduce the impact on human well-being and the environment. Many different materials can be used for foundations, insulation, exterior and interior walls, flooring, and countertops. Such materials come from rapidly renewable sources, ones that reuse waste that would otherwise have landed in landfills, have low VOC emissions, are exceptionally durable, require little maintenance, have a longer life of material so has fewer requirements for replacing and thus reduces the quantity needed to produce, and other benefits. Eco-friendly materials are good for the earth and the wallet.

Some conventional eco-friendly materials are the following:

* Faswall is an alternative to traditional foundation and wall materials and cinder blocks by using waste materials from wood that is mixed with cement to create a durable and robust material that is also wind and fire and sound resistant and has excellent insulating factors.

* Cotton insulation is an alternative to fiberglass. Cotton insulation is derived from natural cotton fibers that are recycled into a similar shape as traditional insulation, is easy and safe to install, has sound-insulating qualities, and a high fire rating.

* Great choices for eco-friendly flooring: recycled wood taken from demolition sites or trees that were torn down but were never used. Bamboo is a grass that fully matures in only three years and is durable and robust and has an attractive appearance that is similar to wood flooring and cork flooring that uses only the renewable bark of the tree and does not kill the tree.

Prehab green housing and tiny homes have become a significant and growing lure.

Many prefab houses have advantages such as speedy building, solar energy shingles, built with toxin-free materials, have energy-efficient windows and doors, spray-in airtight insulation, a healthy indoor environment, an air-filtration system that removes allergens, energy-efficient appliances, low-flow water systems, paints and other finishes which are VOC-free: radiant heat flooring, Energy Star windows, and other energy-savers.

Tiny houses fit into that category and can range from perhaps 500 square feet to over 3,600 square feet. They are popular because you can pick a zero-energy or LEED platinum house directly from a website and have it installed on your lot as a full-time home or a secondary structure. You can also take it with you pulled by a proper vehicle when you go on a short-term getaway.

You can get more details and advice from environment-friendly home builders in Portland who would be happy to discuss the whole concept with you.