Kitchen Remodeling to Benefit the Environment

Refurbishing the most used room of the house is a fantastic way to update it and make it feel brand new. There is no reason to sacrifice the environmental friendliness of your home just to accomplish your goal. In fact there are a ton ways to come up with green options for kitchen remodeling. More earth conscious solutions will not only offer a choice that protects the health of the ecosystem but also that will save money over time because of reduced energy costs. Here are just a few options and steps that can be taken the next time you are looking to revamp the cooking area.

First of all be sure that you shop around for renewable or reusable building materials. It is possible to have wood flooring and cabinets made of bamboo or other fast growing plants allow you to have a natural appearance without causing a detriment to nature. Some of the options to consider are looking at used building supply stores. They often have cabinets and boards that have been removed from demolished or previously renovated buildings. You can not only give these unwanted materials a new home but they are also often available at very reasonable prices.

Similar to using reusable resources and renewable plant material during your kitchen remodeling, look into what sort of natural stone is quarried near your home. All over the country are different minerals. It is likely that there is a type of quartz or granite that comes from near by which reduces fuel costs from imports that have travelled a long way. If stone is not your taste consider using porcelain, stainless steel, glass or other recyclable material.

After doing the actual kitchen remodeling, replace the appliances and lighting with energy efficient alternatives. There are options for better functioning units that use less energy than their counterparts. Buy stoves that use natural gas and dishwashers that more effectively heat the water. Consider installing more windows or skylights so less lighting is necessary and replace all of the bulbs in the existing or new fixtures with compact fluorescent or LED lights. Although these are expensive they will last a very long time.

During the whole process of kitchen remodeling it is best to keep it green by donating and recycling as much as you can as you pull it out of the house. Appliances can be given to Goodwill or other resources where they will be put to good use in a second life. If it is not possible to donate them, make sure they go to a recycling center and are not just tossed in the dump. This way all of the dangerous chemicals they may contain can be properly dealt with.

Article Tags: Kitchen Remodeling