Eco-friendly tips for renovating your home

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Renovations are a rite of passage for most homeowners these days. A quick trip around your neighbourhood is likely to reveal a host of contractor signs planted on lawns, offering everything from roof replacements to major additions.

With environmental awareness on the rise, creating an eco-friendly home is becoming another reason to renovate.

Eco-friendly renos can help create a safe and attractive environment for your family, extend the longevity of your home, and be a good investment in the long term. Here are some ways to go about it.

The tools of the green reno

Environmentally friendly reno materials are growing in popularity. These items range from paints free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde-free carpets, all-natural linoleum, and reclaimed wood.

Eco-friendly paints. Many paints and paint strippers are now available solvent-free or with low levels of solvents. These usually cost more, but don’t have the toxic fumes normally associated with paints.

When choosing indoor paints, opt for water- or clay-based paints with no VOCs.

Green flooring. If you want carpeting in certain rooms, use a water-based adhesive.

While wood flooring is pricier than putting down carpet, it’s durable and long lasting. New green flooring options include bamboo and cork (which can be harvested without damaging the tree), and reclaimed wood (from old buildings).

If you’re looking for flooring or tiling that be easily cleaned, marmoleum is a better option than vinyl flooring. Marmoleum is an all-natural linoleum made from linseed oil, pine resin, wood flour and ground limestone pigments. Durable ceramic tiles are another option.

Did you know? You may be eligible for a 10% Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CHMC) mortgage loan insurance premium refund when you use CMHC-insured financing to purchase an energy-efficient home or make energy-saving renovations.

Go with natural furniture. When shopping for new furniture, select products made with sustainable materials such as bamboo and reclaimed wood. Choose products treated with a water-based varnish or stain, not VOCs.

Avoid stain-repelling finishes that are frequently found on sofas, rugs, chairs, and mattresses.

Building a deck? Avoid woods treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). Non-treated wood will cost you more, but is a safer choice for you and your family. If you do choose treated wood, used AFM sealer to keep toxins from leaching out.

Tip for the do-it-yourselfer. If you’re handy and don’t mind searching, you may be able to get your hands on recycled bricks and other materials from open building sites. Or look for a brick or rock recycler in your area. The savings can be substantial.

Landscaping. Choose low-maintenance shrubs, or opt for an eco-lawn that’s composed of hardy grasses that don’t need pesticides or much watering. You’ll save on water, reseeding, and sod. Sedums, wildflowers, American Wisteria, and ornamental grasses are options.

Go solar. Solar heating can minimize your reliance on electricity and produces no harmful emissions. Energy from the sun is collected by solar panels and used to heat water, which is transferred to a storage tank. An electric water heater or one powered by fuel acts as a back-up for overcast days.

Solar collector panels can be mounted on any unobstructed roof, wall, or ground frame that faces between southeast and southwest.

These are just some ideas for eco-friendly renovations. Greening your roof, for instance, is now primarily done by businesses and large buildings, but will no doubt become more accessible to homeowners. Innovation and financial incentives may even make it feasible for large numbers of homeowners to generate their own power and then sell excess power back to the grid.