Green roofs, which are basically vegetated roofs, can have a huge benefit on the energy efficiency of your home, but there are a lot of myths about it that causes skepticism in some homeowners. Source: Houzz

If you’ve done any research about green building practices, then you may have stumbled upon the mention of green roofs. Green roofs, which are basically vegetated roofs, can have a huge benefit on the energy efficiency of your home, but there are a lot of myths about it that causes skepticism in some homeowners. The following are a few of the more common myths about green roofs:

• Green roofs are experimental – Green roofs are a result of a sustainability trend that may not end up having much effect. This is simply not true – green roofs have been around for centuries!
• Green roofs are only for green buildings – You don’t have to have a zero energy home to be able to install a green roof. Some homes have green roofs just for aesthetic purposes and to increase their garden space.
• Green roofs cause structural issues – Green roofs are not more susceptible to leaks than normal roofs. In fact, a green roof may last longer due to the protection against ultraviolet sunlight that the greenery provides.

Avoid these myths and consider a green roof for your home. For more information about green building, contact us at Trilogy Builds.

Achieving a net-zero-energy home means that you’ll be paying zero dollars on your energy bills, while also having quite a positive effect on the environment. Source: Houzz

If you want your home to be as energy efficient as possible, then you should look into creating a zero-energy home. Achieving a net-zero-energy home means that you’ll be paying zero dollars on your energy bills, while also having quite a positive effect on the environment. The following are a few tips for achieving a zero energy home:

• Increase insulation – Make sure that you have insulated your walls, floors, ceilings, basement, attic and even your duct work and piping. This helps reduce the amount of energy that your home loses.
• Seal all holes and cracks – By using caulk and weatherstripping, you should have all the holes and cracks around your home sealed to prevent outdoor air from leaking in and indoor air from escaping out.
• Replace old windows – Upgrading your windows is an easy way to help make your home more energy efficient since older windows often leak energy through the glass or their frames.
• Replace light bulbs – Use CFLs of LEDs instead of old incandescent bulbs. These use less energy, produce less heat and last longer.

Use these tips to help achieve a zero energy home. For additional eco-friendly tips, contact Trilogy Builds today.

Eco-friendly countertops and sinks in your bathroom spaces often utilize recycled glass, rubber, and other like materials that combine to form a sleek, modern look for your bathroom’s interior design. Source: Houzz

If you’re planning on designing a sustainable home, then you should consider green building materials for every aspect of your home design. For example, using eco-friendly countertops and sinks in your bathroom spaces. The following are a few examples of eco-friendly countertops and sinks you could use:

• Countertops – Countertops made out of recycled glass combined with cement and additives as well as other recycled materials are not only a eco-friendly, but also a great way to introduce a beautiful and unique aesthetic to your bathroom design. In fact, there’s a lot of visual options when it comes to creating a recycled glass countertop, which means it’s a very flexible choice for whatever bathroom design you are planning.
• Sinks – There are many eco-friendly sink options to choose from. A rubber sink is a great way to add a sleek, modern look. For something a little more rustic and homey, use  a salvaged sink or a recycled copper or bronze sink. You can use a lot of salvaged materials for your sink, like wood or even porcelain.

Consider these eco-friendly countertop or sink ideas and be sure to contact us at Trilogy Builds today for additional eco-friendly tips.

Consider green building methods for every part of your home design, including your driveway, which can reduce storm water run-off. Source: Houzz

If you’re looking to reduce your environmental footprint as much as possible, then you should consider green building methods for every part of your home design – including your driveway. The following are a few tips for building a green driveway:

• One of the issues with typical driveways is that storm water tends to run down driveways and into a storm drain, where much of the storm water runoff will end up in nearby lakes and rivers. If you’re trying to help out the environment, then you’ll want to figure out a way to redirect storm water into the ground. This will help to prevent erosion caused by runoff. So how do you do this?
• By using a permeable surface instead of asphalt or concrete. For example, using open-cell pavers, which are concrete pavers with holes that are filled with pervious material, such as vegetation.
• Or use pervious pavers, which contain joints filled with aggregate that lets water seep between the pavers.

These are just a few ways that you can reduce water runoff and make your driveway more eco-friendly. For more information about green building techniques and how you can implement them, contact us at Trilogy Builds today.

Concrete, terrazzo, and linoleum are all eco-friendly options for bathroom floor designs. Source: Houzz

If you’re in the midst of planning out your bathroom design, then you’ve probably realized how important the flooring is going to be. Not only does it need to be durable and long lasting, it needs to be slip-resistant and water-resistant as well. If you’re also trying to build green, you’ll want an eco-friendly floor as well. The following are a few eco-friendly bathroom floor options:

• Concrete floor – Concrete is both durable, water-resistant and cost effective. To give your concrete floor some personality, choose a concrete aggregate that contains recycled materials such as porcelain or glass.
• Terrazzo floor – Terrazzo is incredibly durable and provides a unique, beautiful look. The material is basically made from chips of granite or marble that’s set in concrete and then polished. For a more eco-friendly version, choose terrazzo that uses low-VOC sealers and low-impact aggregates.
• Linoleum floor – Linoleum is fire and water resistant and antimicrobial, perfect for the bathroom. Look for adhesives labeled as no-VOC.

These are a few eco-friendly bathroom floor materials that you can use for your bathroom design. For additional eco-friendly tips and for information about our green building services, be sure to contact us at Trilogy Builds today.

There are different types of insulation, and when you pick insulation for your homes, you need to look at the R-value, or the thermal resistance of the insulation.

One of the most important aspects of a green building design is the insulation. Every home needs to be insulated in order to keep heat and cool air produced by your HVAC system inside and to prevent outdoor air from seeping in. This will keep your home at the level of comfort you desire while also preventing wasted energy. The following are a few things to know about insulation.

There are different types of insulation, and when you pick insulation for your homes, whether it’s for your walls, flooring, ceiling or attic spaces, you need to look at the R-value. The R-value rates the thermal resistance of the insulation. The higher it is, the better the thermal insulation will be. The thickness of the insulation as well as the make-up of it can determine its R-value. Often, the thicker it is, the higher the R-value is. The amount of insulation needed in your home depends on factors such as what your climate is, what kind of HVAC system you have, what your budget is, what parts of the home you are insulating and more.

For more information about green building materials, be sure to contact us at Trilogy Builds today.

If you’re struggling to decide on what direction to take with your home design, then we suggest taking a look at some of the current home building trends for inspiration. The following are just a few of the home building trends worth checking out:

• Clean lines and open spaces – Homes are being designed in more contemporary styles, which includes the use of cleaner lines and open spaces, which is accomplished by eliminating smaller rooms and using less hallways. Porcelain tiles are also a great option for achieving a wood look.

• Natural look – Engineered woods that boast lighter, more natural finishes are currently growing in popularity, as are grey, white and washed-wood finishes. Engineered woods allow you to achieve a more exotic aesthetic.

• Green building – Green building will continue to grow as more homeowners look to reduce their environmental footprint and take advantage of the savings involved, including tax credits and lower utility bills. Examples include the use of triple-glazed windows, home automation and LED lighting.  
• Virtual Design and Modeling – The technology now exists to enable a home to be modeled in 3D CAD where homes are perfected and “test driven” before construction. Trilogy Partners is pioneering this strategy with it’s Project Management Modeling. 

Consider some of these home building trends when designing your new house. For more information about implementing these home building trends, be sure to contact us online at Trilogy Partners today.

Green architecture is no trend – it’s here to stay. The benefits of green building are too many to count, from the long-term savings to the environmental benefits. The following are a few green building tips for your home and office:

• The Home – Consider designing a zero energy home. A zero energy home is a home that produces as much energy as it consumes. This means creating a thermal envelope using thick walls, high-quality insulation and energy efficient windows and doors that will keep heat and cool air trapped inside and prevent outdoor air from leaking in. If you’re looking to renovate an existing home, have the energy efficiency of the house tested with blower door tests and infrared camera scans.

• The Office – There are a lot of green classifications out there for office buildings, but one we recommend is the Living Building Challenge. Its requirements include that the building can’t contribute waste to the environment, that it generates all its own energy, that all materials be locally sourced, and more.

Be sure to keep these green building tips in mind when designing a home or office. Contact us at Trilogy Builds for additional green building advice.

Choosing to build a net zero energy home can have a huge effect on not just reducing your environmental footprint, but on the cost of your home over its entire lifespan. You may have to invest more money into building a net zero energy home, but that the savings you’ll experience over the home’s life will be well worth it.

Source: Shutterstock.com

Once you factor in utility incentives or tax credits, your net zero energy home will only cost between 5 and 10 percent more to build than a normal home. The leftover difference will be recouped over the next 5 to 10 years in energy savings.

One of the key aspects to designing a net zero energy house is to build the most efficient building envelop that you can afford. The building envelope is the thermal barrier between the inside of your home and the outside of your home. The more effective it is, the less heat will leak out during the winter and the less cool air will escape during the summer.

Consider the benefits of designing a net zero energy home and contact us at Trilogy Builds for advice on selecting the green home design for you.

Sustainable homes have become more and more popular over time, but their appeal cannot be understood without answering two simple but not so straightforward questions. What is sustainability and why has it become so important?

Source: Trilogy Builds

Sustainability is sometimes said to be about maintaining a balance between human interests and the well-being of the planet. However, this is too simplistic, not least because human interests are reliant on the continuing well-being of our planet. Instead, it is more accurate to describe sustainability as using natural resources to meet human needs in a manner ensuring that said resources can continue to be used for said purpose in the future.

In short, sustainable practices consider the interests of a much-expanded number of stakeholders. For example, being sustainable when it comes to building a home means considering the interests of both the homeowner and the home-builders in addition to the people whose lives will be impacted as an indirect consequence of their economic choices. That said, it is important to note that sustainable practices do not provide less value to their practitioners. In fact, such practices provide more.

If you are interested in learning more about sustainable homes, please contact us at Trilogy Builds.