choosing-roof-coverings / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Choosing a roof for a home: a homeowner's & pro's guide Deciding on a roof profile is one of the most consequential steps in residential design, influencing structural longevity, thermal performance, and future maintenance. Roof shape is the primary aesthetic feature that determines the curb appeal of the home.  Ch...

Urban heat island effect and how to mitigate it Have you ever noticed how much hotter it feels in the city on a sweltering summer day compared to the surrounding countryside? This phenomenon is known as the urban heat island effect, and it has significant impacts on human health, energy consumption, and the environment...

1. Asphalt shingles: Asphalt shingles © Ecohome We’ll start with shingles to get it out of the way, because choosing an eco-friendly, durable roof covering starts first with dismissing any idea of installing asphalt shingles. High-embodied energy, rarely if ever recycled, they deteriorate rapidly with UV rays, emit s...

Rooftop solar-power production is fairly commonplace now, and you always know exactly which roof has them because they are highly-visible and somewhat clunky looking. They aren’t ugly but, they aren’t really beautiful either.  As a follow-up to our original article on the Tesla solar roof here, the next phase of solar-...

DIY green roof installation The following DIY green roof video shows the steps needed to ensure your green roof will not leak. Watch more Green Building Guide videos from Ecohome on YouTube here   The most common building material used for roofing in North America is asphalt shingles, and because of their poor durabil...

It is pretty much inevitable that at least some warm, moist air from living areas will find its way into the roof of a building and bring with it the very real risk of frost and ice forming in a cold climate, or mold and rot in a temperate climate. This is a simple product of physics and the realities and limitations o...

The Telsa solar roof tiles are in the news again. They now have solar panel shingle installations going in 8 states so far - with what's becoming competitive pricing. If news of these PV roof shingles is also news to you, check out our Tesla solar roof review from when it was first announced in 2016. What was missing b...

Mineral wool roof insulation used to best effect: Watch more green building video on the Ecohome YouTube channel here The Ecohome's Edelweiss House LEED Platinum certified V4 roof is a 2/12 pitch insulated to R95 with Rockwool (formerly Roxul) mineral wool batts. R95 far exceeds the most rigorous Canadian building cod...

Roof cleaning and treatments: a homeowner's and pro's guide To ensure the long life and peak performance of your home's primary shield, this homeowner's and pro's guide to roof cleaning and treatments outlines the most effective and eco-friendly maintenance strategies. A roof is often overlooked until a problem like a ...

The complete guide to metal roof maintenance To protect your long-term investment, this complete guide to metal roof maintenance provides homeowners and pros with a definitive resource for cleaning, treating, and preserving this durable material. Metal roofing is a premium choice known for its exceptional longevity, we...

How to choose eco-friendly drywall: There is a lot more to choosing drywall than one might think, and as it finds its way into pretty much every building made, a lot of resources are used in the process and noses irritated. In the LEED Platinum certified Edelweiss House, we used CGC Sheetrock® Brand Ultralight gypsum ...