Are you planning on remodeling your home soon? If you are, then you should keep the environment in mind as you do so. The following are a few green remodeling tips to implement into your home renovation in order to reduce your environmental footprint as much as possible:

• Replace windows – Upgrade your old windows with more energy efficient models to reduce the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home. In fact, you can use different glass panes for different parts of the home in order to get as much sunlight into your home as possible.
• Upgrade appliances – While upgrading appliances such as your water heater or furnace may seem like unnecessary costs initially – you’ll end up saving on utility bills due to their added efficiency, making the initial costs worthwhile.
• Use green products and materials – Make sure your remodeler uses green products, whether they are recycled materials or new, more energy efficient materials.

Use these green remodeling tips to ensure your home is environmentally-friendly. If you are in need of additional home remodeling advice, be sure to contact us at Trilogy Builds today.

We always like to hear about what’s going on with the LEED program here at Trilogy Partners. Recently, we learned that the historic Gragg Building of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department achieved LEED Gold status after undergoing a $16 million, two year renovation process.

The Gragg Building

The department director, Joe Turner, said in a statement that when the renovation project began, the department asked the architects to preserve the Gragg Building’s historic significance while updating it so it can continue to be used for years to come. “By being responsible stewards of the Gragg Building and its history we hope to serve as an example of how historic preservation can go hand in hand with sustainability and green design,” he said.

The Gragg Building is very significant to Houston, as it was home to NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center from 1962 to 1964. It was purchased by the city of Houston in 1976. Its recent renovation involved reusing the entire original shell of the building and bringing in natural light into about 82 percent of its interior, The Houston Chronicle reports. Additionally, reclaimed mahogany paneling from the original building was reused when possible, and the new materials used in the renovation were either made of recycled materials.

We think the Gragg Building’s renovation and achievement of LEED Gold status is great proof that green, LEED-certified renovations and remodeling is possible!

Image Courtesy of Swamplot.com.