Many people who know exactly what they want out of their forever home will opt to build the house themselves. Sometimes it can just be too difficult to get everything exactly right unless you start from the ground up. For some people, this might be a custom layout, oversized garage, or Hoshizaki ice machines in the kitchen. For others, however, building their dream home might look a little more green. Meaning eco-friendly! Some homeowners want to do everything they can to help reduce their carbon footprint, and building an eco-friendly home is a great place to make huge gains. Green homes do good for more than just the planet, though. They can also help the owners save money and live more comfortable, healthy lives.

Water and Energy

One of the many benefits of living in an eco-friendly home is watching your monthly utility slowly shrink, sometimes to almost nothing. When you install efficient systems in your home, such as water filters, low-flow toilets, energy-saving light timers, or quality insulation, your home will lose materials and thus not have to make up for as much. 

Take your toilet for example. If you have a family of four, the toilets in your home are probably flushed quite often. Each time you flush, the entire tank and refills itself. A toilet typically holds about 2 gallons of water, so if you're flushing the toilet 10 times a day, you've gone through 20 gallons of water! And that's not including washing your hands, washing the dishes, or taking a shower. Low flow toilets can help you to regulate the use of water in your toilets, so you're not wasting more than you need.

Maintenance

Eco-friendly homes are, in general, less costly to maintain than normal homes. This is because sustainable materials used in eco-friendly buildings are often more durable and last longer than traditional ones and require less upkeep. Owners won't have to worry about replacing siding, mending the roof, or watching for cracks in their frame if they choose quality materials to begin with. This means they're spending significantly less money on repairs in the long run, which can often make the investment in higher-cost materials well worth it.

Indoor Environment

The world we live in is more toxic than ever before, with harmful chemicals even floating around in the air. When you build an eco-friendly home, you can make sure to include state-of-the-art components that will contribute to a healthier lifestyle. You can choose building materials free of any chemicals or harmful substances that might end up in your home. You can include water filters to take out harmful substances and air filters to make sure the air you're breathing is as clean as possible. Especially for those who are sensitive to environmental triggers, making the switch to an eco-friendly environment can often mean improved health as well.

Carbon Footprint

Or should I say "no carbon footprint?" You can absolutely design your eco-friendly house to be carbon neutral if you're looking to go that far, but most people are happy with significantly reducing their carbon footprint. When you have an energy-efficient home, you don't have to burn as many materials to keep your life moving along. Things like solar energy and conserving water can help the planet as well as your budget!

If you want to go the extra mile, you could even start up things like composting in your backyard or bringing recyclables to the recycling plant in your area. 

Property Value

There's also the benefit of having a higher property value because your home is eco-friendly. The more you put into it, the more you can typically get out of it, especially because more and more people are seeing the value in cutting down on their energy use. Some homes that are well-equipped with eco-friendly features might even grow in value as they age.

Owning an eco-friendly home comes with plenty of benefits to make it worth the cost.