Planning & Designing Sustainable Green Homes

When building a new home, especially a sustainable high-performance home, planning everything out in detail will save time, money & stress, while ensuring the best possible choice of building materials for the budget. Proper planning is the key to successfully building a sustainable green home. An energy-efficient…

As much as we want to see homes that are built sustainably - they must also fulfil their primary function - to provide safe, comfortable, healthy shelter for families to thrive - so durability and good design is key. I’m writing this during a heat wave in June, 2021, as much of the US and Canada seem poised to…

Those setting out to build an efficient, sustainable or even net zero home in the USA or Canada, or to renovate an existing home for lower energy costs and better comfort, need to ask first; "what climate zone am I in?". The first step to building a durable and energy-efficient home in North America, including…

Zero-carbon housing & zero-energy housing are terms used interchangeably to define single family dwellings with a very high energy efficiency rating - but the overall calculation includes many other factors & should insist on good internal air quality. The low carbon footprint of the S1600 kit house The…

Prefabricated & modular construction is growing as the building industry starts to realize the full potential of building homes in the controlled atmosphere of a factory; a new report reveals some interesting facts. Following on from our predictions for green construction in 2020, Dodge Data & Analytics just…

The Top Twelve Green Building Trends for 2020. Top Sustainable Construction Trends for 2020 There are always new green building products coming out that lead to more efficient, more durable or more eco-friendly homes. But most of what grabbed our attention this past year, and the things that we will see through…

The carbon footprint of a building is the sum of 2 things; the embodied carbon from construction & the energy used once built. The EC3 tool from Skanska calculates a building's embodied carbon. EC3 - Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings EC3 Tool – The background - The interest in the environmental impact of…

It's a common misconception that Canada & the US are doing ok 'ish' on carbon emissions - as looked at in terms of absolute emissions the usual suspects are there on top. However, looking at per capita CO2 emissions reveals a different story. With the recent COP26 Global Climate Change Conference in Glasgow…

The amount of food wasted in North America is huge - but beyond the social implications of the "haves" and the "have nots," food waste is having a significant impact on climate change. Here's a comprehensive guide to organizing fridges at home. Did you know that there’s actually an ideal order or layout of how to…

See our DIY instructional video of how to make your own chemical-free laundry soap with Buckeyes, Horse nuts, Chestnuts or Conkers! Whatever you like to call them, we won't think you're nuts. DIY laundry soap made from Buckeyes/ Horse Chestnuts - who knew? The mission of Ecohome goes beyond providing sustainable and…

Home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames control as the main thing to help prevent homes igniting in wildfires. Here are some tips for homeowners & builders to prepare homes to withstand wildfires. Let’s start by pointing out that this post is mostly about fire coming from…