pre-fab / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

LEED Platinum Prefab Home Kits
LEED Homes

LEED Platinum Pre-fab Homes

...Pre-fab homes are a very credible option for high performance home construction. When it comes to high efficiency sustainable housing, until recently prefab homes didn't even show up on the radar. A few companies in recent years have taken huge steps to change that, notably with the recent completion of the Beachaus I ...

The Fincube tin house
Tiny house

The Fincube off-grid tiny house

...pre-fab multi-purpose dwelling, it's built to operate off-grid, it's portable, and it's beautiful. It's also made in Italy so would hardly be a "green" choice for a North American dweller, but one can't help but be inspired by it just the same.  The most obvious and unusual design feature about the Fincube is the exter...

Pre-fabricated straw bale SIPS panels, an environmental choice
Wall assemblies - new construction

Modern straw bale SIPS construction: high performance, durable, affordable & interesting

...pre-fab construction practices. Here is what you might have heard and already think about straw bale homes: They are too labour-intensive and therefore expensive. They can't handle the humid climate. The risk of water damage during construction is too great. They look like a gnome's house. They will be infested with bu...

Home construction
How to Find Qualified Green Building Professionals

Hiring professionals or doing it yourself

...pre-fab kit homes. There are two significant environmental benefits with prefab houses: their components have never been exposed to the elements, and all their cuts are made at the factory where everything is calculated to minimize losses. So right here you are reducing the waste generated by your project. This option ...

Prefab LEED Passive House Kit Homes the Future of House Building?
Passive House

Prefab Passive House & LEED ready kit homes - the future of home building?

Prefab Home kits are ideal for Passive House or LEED certified homes Écohabitation the French language Quebec affiliates of EcoHome, in conjunction with experienced Architects & Kit home manufacturers, have launched a series of Canadian Manufactured stylish & affordable, prefabricated sustainable green kit home...

Choosing a building envelope
Wall assemblies - new construction

Choosing a building envelope - starting with the perfect wall

...pre-fab manufacturers, including high R-value walls and breaking thermal bridging. There are pre-fab walls that meet LEED standards, and even turn-key prefab homes that have successfully achieved LEED Platinum certification. Pre-fab walls can seriously speed up the building process, and reduce waste as well. Simply fin...

LEED Platinum home certification FAQ
LEED Homes

LEED Certification for Homes - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find LEED certified building materials? There are no LEED certified materials, only buildings can be certified. There are certain products that can help earn LEED points by having passed other certifications e.g: FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) wood or  EnergyStar windows.  When can I advertise my LEED home? ...

How to REPAIR DRYWALL - jam that sticky white stuff in those holes folks
Walls and ceilings - interior surfaces

How to repair drywall - fill holes, cracks and dents in walls like a pro

DIY drywall repairs are an easy home improvement that pretty much anyone can handle. Cracks and dents in drywall are cosmetic only, so if you completely screw up a drywall repair job, the only real problem would be a fresh dent in your ego. The most common damage to drywall consists of dents, minor cracks and popped na...

Natural swimming pool design DIY (NSP) for eco homes
Natural swimming pools and ponds

Natural pools and natural swimming pools

Natural swimming pools - what are the origins? Natural pools were inspired by the beauty and joy of swimming in mountain lakes, a team of Austrian researchers are credited with launching a movement back in the 1980's that saw chlorinated swimming pools being replaced by natural swimming pools and swimming ponds. The id...

Carbon Offset Schemes - Whale Poop leads Nature's Own Way
Lifestyle and environment

Save the Whale's (Poop) - Save the Planet !! (And $2m per Whale)

What do whales listen to?      'Pod' casts...   Talking of which, I listened to a fascinating podcast recently explaining how the carbon capture potential of whales and supporting international efforts to restore whale populations around the world is one of the simplest ways to fight climate change. The podcast was hos...

World carbon emissions by country global overview
Lifestyle and environment

COP26 and world carbon emissions by country per capita - which countries top the charts?

With the recent COP26 Global Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, all the world's countries are talking carbon emissions amidst a certain amount of finger-pointing. In the closing minutes as the sustainable world watched the much applauded COP26 conference and a host of private jets were revving up their eng...