With time, our houses start appearing shabby and deteriorated, in utmost need of some change. Ideally, people may want to move to a new place, but the economy is not always in their favor. So, the best option they’ve got is to renovate their current house and revamp its entire structure. Renovation enhances the curb appeal of your property, all the while boosting its resale value if you plan on selling it.
But most notably, it’s a chance for you to make your house more sustainable. At every step of your renovation project, you’ll get opportunities to mitigate the carbon footprints of your activities. Therefore, if you’re planning on refurbishing your house, ensure to do it sustainably.
But before starting with the renovation project, you have to ensure that your personal belongings are safe from any potential damage.
How to secure your belongings during the home renovation?
Keeping your belongings safe before the commencement of your project should be your utmost priority. Household items like furniture, electrical appliances, and other equipment can come in the way during the renovation process and get damaged. While you might think of moving your valuables to the neighbor’s house for some time, it’s not always a viable idea. Instead, it’s more feasible to opt for storage facilities to store your belongings for as long as you want. This way, you can ensure that your valuables are safe and secure, and you can check up on them anytime you want. What’s more, with a quick online search, you can find a reliable storage facility in your region. Let’s say you live in Kingsport, Tennessee, then search Kingsport TN storage units and enjoy flexible storage options.
Now that you know where to keep your valuables during the renovation, let’s discuss some sustainable home renovation ideas.
1. Send unwanted stuff to a charity
Sharing and giving new life to your old goods is sustainable too. Home renovation is your chance to declutter your house and separate things you don’t need anymore. Even if you send all your useful stuff to a storage facility for safekeeping, you’ll still have a lot to donate. So, think about helping others; your discarded stuff might become a treasure for someone.
Things you might want to give away include old furniture, clothes, and crockery. Giving all these things a new life will significantly help planet earth because otherwise, these things will end up in landfills. Some charities even offer home pickup services, so ring them up, and they’ll send someone to pick up the items.
2. Buy used material
Reusing the old stuff is a viable way to promote sustainability in your house renovation project. Nowadays, there are various places where you can buy used construction materials.
Common examples include second-hand wooden doors, bricks, stones, steel, and concrete from a demolished building. These are not only environmentally sound choices, but used material is often inexpensive too. However, when going for second-hand material, you must consult your structural engineer about the load-bearing capacity of this material. If they go in favor, there’s no reason to do otherwise.
3. Salvage as much as you can
Even during your renovation project, you might be able to salvage a lot of material you can use at other places in the house. For instance, if you are knocking down some walls and windows, think about ways of using the material again in the same project. Consider everything from fixtures to tiles to cabinets and drawers; it is your opportunity to be frugal.
Similarly, if you plan to change the chandelier in the dining room, don’t throw it out. Instead, adjust it somewhere else, such as above the staircase on the roof high up. You will see how just a little effort at being sustainable helps you make substantial differences.
4. Use reclaimed wood for floor renovation
The floor is one of the most frequently renovated areas where eco-friendly material can be used for renovation. Besides, there’s no need to go for new and polished wood all time. Instead, reclaimed wood is a much better option. Reclaimed wooden boards for floor renovation are highly preferred because they don’t warp after proper installation.
Moreover, scaffold boards are also easily available and suitable for the floor and walls.
5. Use cork in place of new wood
Another material used in place of old wood is cork which the same tree can produce for centuries, and it’s also renewable. Moreover, cork is waterproof, offers mold-resistant properties, and is highly durable. Likewise, it possesses good thermal and acoustic qualities and is springy. The biggest benefit is that it grows much faster than wood and does not require harmful agricultural inputs like pesticides for its growth.
6. Switch to renewable energy in the house
Electricity used in the house is primarily produced in coal-fired plants, which is extremely detrimental to the environment due to greenhouse emissions. With a home renovation project, it is your chance to add an alternative energy source to power your house. The easiest way is to install solar panels on your property. You can install solar cells on your roof or in the garden as well.
The sun is an abundant and ever-present source of energy, so you can expect to have electricity to power your house all the time. You can store the excess energy in batteries during the day and use it at night. This way, you’ll help the environment and secure your budget against unbridled utility bills.
Conclusion
While modernizing their properties, homeowners often forget or altogether neglect the significance of sustainable households. However, given the drastic environmental changes our planet is witnessing, it’s our responsibility to promote sustainability within our houses. So, if you’re carrying out a house remodeling project, ensure that you’re doing it sustainably. Use second-hand material, ecologically sound equipment, environmentally friendly products, and you’ll be well on your way. Also, donate or resell the items you don’t need anymore instead of discarding them and creating waste.
