Sustainable excavation: the ultimate guide for digging foundations for new builds & extensions

Digging deeper into green building: A comprehensive guide for homeowners & pros on sustainable excavation for new homes and additions, covering planning, foundation choices, environmental impact, costs, and more.

Digging the gravel by excavator for the foundation for a green home build

Cedar shingles & shakes a guide for sustainable roofing & siding

Explore the beauty, durability, and eco-friendly advantages of cedar shingles and shakes for your home's exterior, with insights for both homeowners and building professionals.

A classic home with a pitched roof and siding made of warm-toned cedar shin

A complete guide to Carpenter bee prevention & humane removal

Protect your home from carpenter bee damage with our definitive guide for homeowners and pros. Learn to identify, humanely deter, and prevent these important pollinators from nesting on your property

A carpenter bee with a shiny black body resting on a wooden stump near its

How to protect your home & family from wildfire smoke

A new study shows that wildfire smoke is more dangerous than we thought; learn the health risks of PM2.5 particles and how to protect your family and your home's indoor air quality (IAQ) with effective air filtration and sealing techniques...

A hazy New York, New York, skyline bridge colored by orange wildfire smoke

Find the best prefab kit homes in Canada and the USA easily

Your complete guide to prefabricated kit homes. Compare models, see costs & DIY tips, and find reputable manufacturers in the US & Canada.

How to Find the Best Timber Frame Prefab Home Kits?

How to choose safe & sustainable countertops - and no, that's not quartz!

Why high-silica engineered stone quartz countertops were banned, and what are the best, safest, healthiest and most sustainable countertop alternatives to Quartz counters?

Choosing Sustainable Countertops: Comparing Durability, Cost, and Safety

Find Inspiration

Come see what home ideas we find inspiring for renovations, new builds and everything in between...

DISCOVER IDEAS HERE

Find Out "How-to"

Whether renovating or building a new home, our guide pages help to make the best choices all the way...

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Find Professionals

The best trustworthy and experienced construction professionals in every area are in our directory...

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Your trusted resource for building efficient, economical and healthy sustainable green homes - affordably.

Check out our latest posts for sustainable green building news for North America, search by keyword with our intuitive search bar at the top of every page or by category in our Green Building Guides written with the "hands-on" construction experience from LEED V4 Platinum certified Homes projects, including Canada's first, like The Edelweiss, described as "A phenomenal achievement" by Canada Green Building Council President Thomas Mueller. We even have a range of Affordable Green Prefab Homes available now here, in modern, contemporary and tiny house versions. With a full guide to specification on the ECO-HABITAT S1600 an architect designed prefabricated Passive House, Net Zero Energy & LEED ready Kit Homes available in Quebec, Ontario, New York, Vermont, Maine or New Hampshire here or top tips for building a green home on a budget can be found here, and the definitive history of ICF construction and ICF blocks can be found here. If you don't find what you're looking for in the Building Guide you might find it in our Green Building Advice Forum, if not you can ask a question of your own.

Build Better, Renovate Better, Live Better with Ecohome.net, North America's trusted green building information resource...

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Find inspiration for eco-homes

Come see what home ideas we find inspiring for sustainable home renovations, new builds and everything in between - and save and share the best of Ecohome here. It could include healthier internal air quality, sustainable building materials, greater comfort and quality of life, off-grid, solar heating, our listings of innovative home design images, including 'before and after' green home renovation photos grows every day to help inspire dream home designs for all.

BROWSE BEAUTIFUL HOME PHOTOS

FIND THE BEST PROFESSIONALS

Find the right sustainable construction professionals

Ecohome makes it easy to connect with top-rated, sustainably-minded construction professionals for your next eco-friendly building or renovation project. Our platform features a curated network of skilled contractors specializing in green construction practices, including LEED, Net Zero, and Passive House certifications.

With Ecohome, you’ll find professionals dedicated to creating healthy, sustainable spaces using the best eco-friendly materials and building practices. Start your journey towards a greener, more energy-efficient home today by browsing our network of trusted, experienced construction experts.

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FIND THE BEST PRODUCTS

Find the right green building products

Ecohome makes it simple to discover the best eco-friendly, high-performance building products and materials for your next construction or renovation project. With a focus on sustainability, our platform connects you to a wide range of carefully selected, top-quality materials that are designed to meet the highest standards of energy efficiency, durability, and environmental impact.

Whether you're looking for materials for LEED-certified, Net Zero, or Passive House projects, Ecohome provides the resources you need to make informed decisions.

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FIND GREEN BUILDING GUIDES

The green building guides

Search our categorized sustainable construction guides by topic for help with new green home builds or eco-friendly home renovations, or read here for a case study for building 35 Net Zero Energy homes in a cold climate.

"If you can build a house that costs next to nothing to operate for the same price as building a traditional house, why would you build it any other way?" - Mike Reynolds, Ecohome

FIND GREEN BUILDING GUIDES

ASK A QUESTION

Green building forums

If you don’t find the answers you need in our building guide, search over 1000 answered questions in our online sustainable construction forum or ask a question of your own to get responses from construction experts.

ASK A QUESTION

GET TRAINED & ECO+ ACCREDITED

Get trained & ECO+ Accredited

Elevate your knowledge or expertise with Ecohome’s education hub. Our training programs equip homeowners and DIY'ers with a deeper understanding of the best choices for a better home and how to make affordable green choices for both design and materials. Ecohome also trains construction professionals with the knowledge and skills to excel in sustainable building practices. Gain ECO+ Accreditation in eco-friendly construction methods, improve your project outcomes, and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. Construction professionals, start your path to ECO+ Accreditation today and stand out as a leader in green building.