Sustainable Home Checklist: Simple Green. Easy & Economical
Simple Green. Easy & Economical
Anyone can do these.
- Timers for irrigation and outdoor light systems
- Rain barrel or water cistern to capture water
- Organic fertilizers
- Composting
- Mulch or wood chips
- Use of native plants/ Elimination of invasive
- Group plants by water needs
- Deep rooted plants (they take less water overall)
- Reduction of grass size
- Pest resistant plants
- Natural animal repellant plants
- Trees for wind blocking (to prevent soil/mulch erosion) and shade to naturally cool your home.
- Set mower to 3 inches to allow for pollination
- Use low VOC paint for less toxic air
- Recycle old materials, or even old furniture by giving it a facelift or donating instead of tossing.
- Use HEPA air filters
- Replace all main lights with LED
- Use solar or LED for all garden and cafe lighting
- Install dimmers on lights
- Utilize motion sensors
- Power Strips to prevent a phantom load
- Clean refrigerator coils
- Weather strip doors
- Caulk window trim
- Repair window glazing
- Putty around window panels
- Remove shrubs at foundation (anything too close to the house can go into the foundation with its root system)
- Aerators on faucets
- Wrap hot water heater, pipes
- Dual flush toilet controls
- Fix leaks
- Low-flow shower head
- Programmable thermostat (smart thermostat)
- Thermal drapes (blackout curtains, or UV filtering)
- Clean air filters often
- Seal ducts
Lighting is one of those things you don't think about until it's wrong. Bad lighting makes cooking harder, working from home a headache, and relaxing at the end of the day nearly impossible. But the right lighting? It transforms how your home looks, functions, and even how much you spend on your electric bill.
Growing up as a contractor's daughter, I was immersed in the world of construction and renovation from day one. Weekend trips meant walking job sites instead of playgrounds, and dinner conversations revolved around square footage, structural integrity, and the satisfaction of transforming something overlooked into some
You're not buying a house. You're buying a location.
You can renovate a kitchen in a weekend. You can repaint every room, replace the floors, and knock down walls. But you can't change your zip code. You can't relocate the grocery store or redesign the downtown or choose different neighbors.