Sustainable Sites
When building a home, it is crucial to respect the land we are building on. On lots larger than 1/3 acre, one should designate areas outside the building area with flags or fences to protect the original, native vegetation. In the area of disturbance, erosion controls must be used to prevent erosion of earth churned up by heavy construction vehicles. Extra care must be used when working on hilly sites, the steeper the grade, the more a site is prone to erosion.
After a home is built, landscaping with native plants requires less water and less maintenance. In this case, green is not necessarily green. The common strain of grass used for lawns, Kentucky blue grass, is indigenous to areas with fertile soil and damp climates. To replicate those conditions here, lawns require constant watering and regular applications of fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides. Turf lawns should be kept to a minimum if not eliminated completely from the "green" yard.
Adding a structure and paving to a plot of land dramatically effects the way water is absorbed into the soil. Instead of soaking into the ground, water flows rapidly from roof tops and driveways. This concentrated flow coming dripping from the eaves or flowing off the driveway can be too much to absorb into the ground. Consequently the water runs off into the road and into storm drains. The natural absorption of water into the ground works as a buffer, slowing down the surge of water from storms. The water rushing down the gutter of the street has little in its way to slow it down before it dumps into a stream or lake. Development without proper management of run-off increases the hazard of flash floods since the rainwater or snowmelt.
Properly designed driveways and roof-lines that don't concentrate run-off can help minimize erosion and help protect our sensitive mountain streams and lakes. Creating rock or mulch lined infiltration trenches under drip lines reduces compaction from the dripping water, helping ensure the water gets into the ground instead of flowing away. Pervious concrete or pavers can be used instead of traditional asphalt or concrete driveways and walkways that can eliminate run-off.
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Choosing A Site
Where you buy or build your home has a profound influence over your ability to meet your existing and future needs. Where you choose to live will have a significant impact on the environment and your finances. Remember the real estate adage:
"It's location, location and location."
Choosing an appropriate site for a new house or choosing an existing home and developing it to make the most of its natural attributes will yield significant economic, lifestyle and environmental benefits.
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Orientation
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Good orientation increases the energy efficiency of a home, making it more comfortable to live in and cheaper to run.
With good orientation the need for auxiliary heating and cooling is reduced, resulting in lower energy bills and reduced greenhouse emissions.
Choose a site or home with good orientation for your climatic and regional conditions. Build or renovate to maximise the site's potential and to achieve the best possible orientation for living areas.
In hot humid climates and hot dry climates with no winter heating requirements, orientation should aim to exclude sun year round and maximise exposure to cooling breezes.
In all other climates a combination of passive solar heating and passive cooling is required. The optimum degree of solar access and the need to capture cooling breezes will vary with climate.
Where ideal orientation is not possible, as is often the case in higher density urban areas, an energy efficient home can still be achieved with careful attention to design.
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