Rainy days are perfect days to stay at home and stay dry while snuggled comfortably under a blanket with a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate. Better yet, if, while you are relaxing, all that rain can help you save water and lower your energy consumption and therefore the utility bills for your small house. Capturing and reusing rainwater is easy and requires minimal initial investment and set-up.
Capturing rainwater is generally encouraged and often the installation of such a system is even rewarded with tax breaks; however, check your local …

Using the sun’s energy to heat a home naturally and lower energy costs is becoming a goal for many home owners. Solar panels are growing in popularity, but the extensive initial cost can be quite substantial and is a turn off for many home owners trying to build or become more eco friendly on a budget.
A Trombe wall is another option for collecting the sun’s heat in a new home. A Trombe wall is built from stone, concrete, metal or other material that acts as a thermal mass that collects …

Building a green home has traditionally been seen as being out of reach due to the costs associated with green building products. Today’s green homes don’t have to cost astronomically more than traditional homes, and the energy savings outweigh any costs that may be higher than non-green options.
Initial Costs
When buying or building a new home, you will have your downpayment and then your monthly mortgage payments. As you are putting your building plans together or considering different house plans with green elements, you will need to not only consider the …

Building a small eco friendly home opens up alternatives for systems you can use to lower energy costs and help the environment. A vegitative roof is one system you can consider when designing and building your small house. Simply put, a vegitative roof is a roof that is designed to hold and grow plant life, also referred to as a green roof.
Benefits of a Green Roof
Energy Conservation - If you’ve ever seen a heat photo of a house you know that the most heat/air is lost through the roof, which …

Going green, or making your home eco friendly is all the rage right now, and for good reason. Creating an eco friendly small home can help the environment, have a positive impact on your energy bills, and even help your health. These ideas can help you build a new bathroom or redo a current bath in your small home plan, or even a large home.
Cabinets and Counter Tops - Normal cabinets are created with urea-formaldehyde that gives off VOCs which include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have …