When it comes to making your bathroom a more eco-friendly place, finding ways to conserve water isn’t the only thing that you can do. In addition to installing low-flow faucets, why not install an eco-friendly bathroom sink as well? The following are some of the more environmentally friendly sink options you can choose from:

• Salvaged sink – Pick up anything bowl-like and salvage it as a sink. All you have to do is have a hole drilled in it for the drain.

• Cement sink – Have your sink poured in place using cast-in-place concrete. You can make your cement sink more eco-friendly by adding recycled aggregates such as porcelain or glass.

• Wood sink – As long as the wood was salvaged or the source was certified by the FSC (forest stewardship council), then it’s a great eco-friendly option.

• Rubber sink – For a real unique touch to your bathroom space, consider a rubber sink. There are manufacturers that produce sinks made from recycled rubber tires, which are stretched over a base frame to help form a sink.

If you’re looking for different energy efficient home features to make your bathroom more sustainable, then consider one of these eco-friendly sink options. Contact us for more ideas and information.

Singapore is known for many things from their vibrant food culture to their rich multi-cultural heritage to their high-tech industry. To add to their list, Singapore is leading the way in Asia in terms of green building.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone since Singapore Island only covers 85 square miles and is one of the most highly urbanized areas on Earth. This level of urbanization creates many special ecological and economic problems which Singapore is dealing with via green building technology.

Buildings in Singapore use a wide variety of methods to go green. These range from advanced solar paneling, landscaping the buildings themselves, using better types of recycled/sustainable building materials, as well as improved ‘smart lighting’ which works in tandem with available natural light.

The Singapore government has promoted this move towards green building with a generous incentive plan which has led to 1,534 new buildings passing the local equivalent of LEEDs certification. Along with older retrofitted properties, green structures account for 1/5 of all Singapore buildings making them Asia’s most green country.

Contact us to learn more about green and sustainable building or remodeling as well as other sustainable building tips for custom home design or remodeling.

In many cases, you don’t have to make huge, dramatic changes to your home in order to make it more environmentally friendly. These small changes can help you earn a top green building rating without rebuilding your entire home.

• Choose double-pane glass windows, which help keep heat inside in the winter and cold inside during the summer. If you have old windows, replacing them with new energy-efficient ones is the simplest step you can take towards a greener home.

• Recycled denim insulation helps keep your home a comfortable temperature while also reducing waste that is sent to a landfill.

• Keep solar reflectivity in mind when designing your roof. You will want to choose light colors and possible a special white membrane to keep the heat down in the hot summer months.

• Instead of building an entirely new outdoor dining area, consider installing a rectangular roof with a glass inlay. This gives the feeling of being outside, but can be enjoyed year-round and requires fewer new materials.

If you’re designing a new home or modifying your current property, contact Trilogy Partners. Ask us how we can help you design the green and efficient home of your dreams.

Green villages are catching on rapidly these days, and for many reasons. Whether it’s in urban or suburban areas, the aim is to make sustainable practices part of the neighborhood’s daily life. Here are a few of the main reasons why eco-villages are trending:

• Built-in Eco-Design – When you move into an eco-village, all the green design work is already installed for you. In most green communities, rainwater harvesting and composting, wind and/or solar energy are already being practiced. Other green design facets, for instance recycled and sustainable materials are also included.

• Shared Areas – More Fun and Less Waste – Green villages offer a common swimming pool and playground that reduce the resources and energy that it will take for people to build and maintain them in individual residential property. In addition, these shared areas allow you to mingle with your neighbors.

• Walk around the Village – One of the things that are very appealing about green villages is that everything is within walking distance. There is no need to worry about a car, gas costs, or finding a parking space.

If you are considering a home in a green village, contact us today for advice and tips about eco-living.

We’re committed to helping our clients develop a style that includes as many green home design elements as possible. Some things are simply good old-fashioned common sense, like turning off lights when leaving a room and taking advantage of natural lighting. The mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle” is perfect for reminding us to lighten our carbon footsteps on our fragile earth.

Get creative with decorating by visiting flea markets and antique shops to look at old objects with a new eye to their purpose. Old glass bottles can turn into unique tiles, scrap metal can be re-purposed into wall panels for an industrial vibe, weathered wood can become flooring or a tabletop depending on your needs.

Conserving water is especially necessary these days. Using rain chains and barrels to divert and store rainwater for use later in the home and garden is a good way to conserve resources. Bring the green inside, as plants are natural air purifiers and make a lush background in your home. You can also save money at the grocery store by planting an indoor herb garden and growing veggies in window boxes.

Trilogy’s integrated design and build process makes living green in Colorado a sustainable lifestyle. Contact us for more information.

Given the mounting interest in green building, it should come as no surprise to learn that non-profits such as the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institution are sponsoring the push to create better building materials. One of the exciting building materials to receive encouragement from its efforts is self-repairing concrete.

Source: Freedigitalphotos.net

In short, the self-repairing concrete is normal concrete that has been mixed with bacteria that has been engineered to be capable of surviving in arid conditions. As the bacteria run through their biological processes, their bodies expel calcium carbonate as a waste product, which is the same substance seen in limestone. Over time, the calcium carbonate serves to fill in the cracks that can open up in concrete, thus extending its period of usefulness far past its normal length.

However, the same challenge that led to self-repairing concrete has also produced a number of other interesting possibilities. Examples include both bacteria-made bricks that use minimal inputs and mushroom-based insulation that can be cultivated right into the spaces between walls. Although some of these building materials are still in their earliest stages, their current performance carries much promise for the future.

Please contact us for more information about green home building practices.

The path towards a zero-energy home is not as difficult as it may seem. In fact, there are dozens of ways to decrease your energy footprint and contribute to the maintenance of the environment while still building a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing home.

Source: Shutter Stock

Here are just a few examples to go Zero Energy:

• Low Flow Toilet and Shower Fixtures: These wonders of modern technology deliver the best in comfort and convenience while also minimizing the amount of water necessary to do the job.

• Compact Fluorescent and Common Sense: Turning off the lights and unplugging extraneous power supplies is the first step towards zero energy use. Then, use CFLs to keep it at a minimum.

• Insulate and Seal: It is truly amazing how much energy can be lost through poorly sealed and insufficiently insulated walls, ceilings and windows. Have a professional check these areas for the best results.

• Update Your HVAC System: Easily the most costly system in your house. Newer ones are simply far more efficient than older ones.

For more information on this and other green building topics, please contact us at Trilogy Partners.

Doing our part for the environment by adding “green” elements to a home need be neither unattractive nor expensive. In fact, the whole purpose of green living is to conserve resources and therefore save you money.

Here are just some of the many ways to embrace a green home style:

• Energy-Efficient Lighting: This particular technology has really come into its own in the past decade. There are now energy-efficient CFLs for almost every purpose and they come in a variety of wavelengths or “colors” that will satisfy even the most discriminating homeowner.

• Water Conservation Devices: Everything from outdoor catch basins for watering your lawn to low-flow toilets and showers can help conserve water and lower your monthly utility bills.

• Repurposed Materials: While known to fans of “industrial” style for years, the use of recovered brickwork, mantels and other salvaged objects, repurposed materials add a rustic charm while also keeping costs down when remodeling or building new.

For more information on these and other interior design topics, please contact us at Trilogy Partners.

How can you be sure the home you’re thinking of buying is truly green? How can you rate how green it can become after remodeling? The answer comes from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating standards.

Source: Shutter Stock

The LEED standard was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to rate buildings built/remodeled on energy efficiency, sustainability and use of green technologies. This standard allows for a system where builders, buyers and sellers to accurate rate how green a building is. Recently USGBC released the new v4 changes to the LEEDs standard.

These include:

• Rules applying to buildings such as warehouses, datacenters, various hospitality buildings as well as previous pre-existing buildings and mid-rise residential buildings.

• Streamlining submittal procedures along with tutorial aides to help teach the LEEDs submittal process

• Better tools for building managers to maintain a green building to keep LEEDs certified.

• Many new impact categories to help manage one’s environmental impact.

Contact us at Trilogy Parners to learn more about the new LEEDs standard as well as other green building tips for custom home design or remodeling.

Taking care of your home on a regular basis is important in keeping it in the best condition possible for the longest possible time. Not checking for potential problems or fixing them when you first spot them can lead to the damage getting worse and more expensive to fix.

Source: Shutter Stock

The following are some of the more common home defects that you should keep an eye out for:

• Poor Ventilation: If you don’t have proper ventilation, it can lead to moisture problems that can cause structural damage.
• Rotted Wood: Look in areas that are more susceptible to moisture, such as the kitchen and basement for signs of rotting.
• Improper Drainage: Poor drainage can lead to water leaking into crawl spaces, basements and garages, which can cause mold and serious water damage.
• Roof Issues: Inspecting your roof on a regular basis is important since it is the first line of protection for your home. A damaged roof that isn’t repaired can lead to serious safety issues as well as more costly repairs down the line.

For more home repair questions, or to see about having our experts at Trilogy Builds design your custom home in Breckenridge, CO, contact us today.