Green Construction

As housing prices rise and people become more concerned about their environmental footprints, green construction has been gaining popularity. So what are some unique, eco-friendly alternative housing ideas?

By Becky Striepe

With the increase in "green building," cool roofs are becoming popular. These are roofs that have been built or modified to maintain a lower temperature in bright sun. We'll examine some of the many ways you can cool your roof.

By Beth Brindle & Melanie Radzicki McManus

"Greening" your roof -- that is, adding a layer of grass or garden atop your house is a great way to cut down on heating and cooling costs while beautifying the area. But it can be costly. How can you reduce your expenditure?

By Beth Brindle

Building a new home is the perfect time to add green features that will help you lower your energy costs. But choosing the right ones isn't always easy. Here are 10 to help make the decision process a bit easier.

By Danielle Fisher

Recycled and reclaimed materials are becoming popular construction options as people look for greener ways to build. But could building a recycled home be as simple as stacking up the bottles from your recycling bin?

By Rebecca Fairley Raney

The drive for energy-efficient building comes down to a quest for the so-called tight envelope, which you can often achieve using renewable, recycled material. What are some of the latest energy-efficient building materials?

By Rebecca Fairley Raney

The first real line of defense against the heat is a building's roof. And some materials are better than others -- especially in hot climates. See which ones are best at keeping the heat at bay.

By Terri Briseno

When it comes to roofing, materials matter -- especially in a hot climate. So when it comes down to asphalt shingles or a metal roof, which really is better?

By Terri Briseno

Today's homeowners are more aware than ever of the demands their appliances, lawns and heating and cooling needs have on the planet's limited supply of fossil fuels. So what are some affordable eco-friendly home improvements?

By Matt Cunningham

Many homeowners pursue eco-friendly home upgrades with as much of an eye toward saving money as saving the planet. So how does a homeowner on a budget become more eco-friendly?

By Matt Cunningham

Once considered too expensive, or even radically environmental, green building is fast becoming part of the new standard. But architects, builders and engineers have been essentially building without definitive green guidelines. Finally codes are catching up to sustainable building, and soon, the gray areas of green construction will become black and white.

By Terri Briseno

To help homeowners distinguish among green contractors, a number of organizations now provide green certifications. But do all green contractors actually need green certification?

By Denise Harrison

Although tearing down a house and recycling the building materials is more expensive and time consuming than outright demolition, it is far better for the environment. While not every bit of it can -- or even should -- be recycled, read on to find out the top 10 things that can.

By John Perritano

Whether you're renovating a new building or demolishing an old one, recycling your construction debris will pay off big-time. Read on to see how you can save tens of thousands of dollars and help the environment at the same time.

By John Perritano

Zinc was all the rage in Europe in the 1800s, and modern American architects and contractors seeking more sustainable resources have rediscovered its value for roofs and walls.

By Cristen Conger

Green communities aren't neighborhoods with lush grass and lots of trees. They're communities full of people who want to be eco-friendly.

By Sara Elliott

It used to be easy to decide how to construct a deck. You could make it out of wood -- or wood. Nowadays, some decking material doesn't even have a trace of wood in it.

By Richard Winter

OSB stands for oriented strand board -- it's a competitor for plywood. So how do the two products stack up?

By Rosalind Jackson

It seems simple enough -- a skylight is a window in your roof. But skylights do more than just light up your room. They can have a profound affect on your mood, too.

By John Fuller

Fluorescent lighting uses less energy than incandescent bulbs, but there's no replacing the sun for efficiency and for lifting your spirits. Is it possible to bring natural sunlight indoors?

By Jonathan Strickland

Here's something that might surprise you -- after water, concrete is the second most consumed substance on Earth. But now it looks like we might have an environmentally friendly replacement for the concrete block.

By Molly Edmonds

People in the market for new homes usually have their eyes on key features during the search for their perfect potential abodes: location, space, a pretty yard. Others look for the green factor -- something Enertia Building Systems may provide.

By Jessika Toothman

Remember the story of the little pig who built a straw house, only to have the big, bad wolf huff and puff and blow it down? Nowadays, that pig would have a sturdy, energy-efficient home.

By Molly Edmonds

The Energy Star program helps cut down on the energy drain from computers and home appliances. But how much energy do Energy Star products save? And how much money will they save you?

By Tiffany Connors

Let's say you're building a house. You want to "build green," but where do you start? Most likely, you'll turn to LEED.

By Tiffany Connors