Once you make the decision to design a green home, you’ll need to determine where to begin. When designing a home that is both environmentally friendly and that meets your specific needs, you have many options. Your first step is to go over your options and choose the ones that will work best for your family, your location and your budget.

Green homes focus on saving energy, reducing water consumption and they include using eco-friendly materials in the construction of the home. Designing a green home has many benefits for both the homeowner and the environment, so it’s definitely a great option to include in your plans when building a new home.

Pay Close Attention to Your Roof When Designing a Green Home

The roof is often overlooked but it can do so much more than protect the inside of your home. It creates an excellent opportunity to incorporate green living into your design. The design of your roof can make your home more energy efficient but your location will be a factor in determining which type of roof design would suit you the best.

The three main types of environmentally friendly roof options used today are listed below:

• Cool Roofs– These can reduce the roof’s temperature up to 50 percent and they are made from materials specifically designed to reflect more of the sun’s rays. As a result, they absorb less heat and help to reduce the amount of energy needed to cool your home. These are great for areas with mild winters.
• Green Roofs– This design is ideal for urban structures that are normally designed with flat roofs. These roofs create a beautiful green scenery, you can plant everything from flowers to a vegetable garden on them and they help to manage the water from storms. They also provide insulation for the home, which reduces the amount of energy needed to heat and cool the structure.
• Rooftop Solar Panels– Including solar water heating panels and photovoltaic solar panels in your roof design, will save you money on your heating bill and it can greatly reduce the amount of energy you use throughout your entire home.

Our experienced and knowledgeable Miami interior designers can help you choose the best option for your roof design. We offer a wide variety of services that include every aspect of your building project.

Only Build What You Need

One simple way to build a green home is to design a structure that takes up the least amount of space as possible. For example, if you only need two bedrooms and you do not intend to increase your family size in the future, then there is no reason to build a home with five bedrooms.

Of course, you want your home to be large enough to be comfortable but there is no need to be excessive. It would use more energy to heat and cool the home, more materials to build and all that extra space is simply not necessary.

Each year we learn more about how the way we live affects the environment and the future of the planet. Energy conservation is a necessity and these tips can help you design a green home that saves you money while helping the environment.