Thinking of building a shed? Do you want to be as environmentally friendly as possible?
More and more people are starting to be concerned about their 'carbon footprint' and their environmental impact on the world. To that end, many people have started looking to making their homes and outside building 'greener' here are three steps to help you in the right direction.
1. Use recycled building components
The first thing you can do is look for products and materials that are in great shape and can be reused. Recycling building products is a great way to go green if you are planning on building a shed in your garden. Not only will recycling building materials help the environment, it can save you money as well.
Check out your local landfill for salvageable lumber, millwork, hardware and other useable items that someone else has just thrown away. More often than not these items can be cleaned up and make the perfect fixtures for your new shed. Plus, if the items you find are of an older style, it will give your new shed a unique and individual look.
2. Insulation to prevent heat loss
If you plan on insulating your shed, then you will want to use a natural product such as sheeps' wool or cellulose.Both these types of insulation have a low embodied energy and require few petrochemicals in their manufacture.
Sheeps' wool insulation is breathable, can absorb moisture without losing thermal efficiency, and release moisture to help cool whatever building you use it in. It is safe to handle, and it only takes a fraction of the production energy to make than glass fiber insulation.
Cellulose insulation is another environmentally friendly product that is made primarily with recycled and fire retardant treated newspaper. In the past cardboard, cotton, straw, sawdust, hemp, and corncobs have also been used to make this type of insulation. Like sheeps' wool insulation, it is moisture resistant as well as acoustically sound proof. So if you're tinkering in your shed with noisy tools, the only person you may find you're bothering is yourself
3. Include a green roof in your shed design.
When you design your shed you will know exactly how you are going to use it, whether or not you want to make it cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and if energy consumption is going to be an issue. Adding a green roof to your shed can help with all of these considerations.
An extensive green roof is a thin layer of soil on the shed roof that allows drought resistant plants to grow and thrive. The soil along with a waterproof membrane and a drainage layer form the green roof system.
A green roof replaces the growing space taken up by the footprint of your shed. The drought resistant plants effectively create a new habitat in the garden which is very attractive to pollinating insects. The thermal mass of the roof also helps regulate the internal temperature.
To find out more about how to construct an extensive green roof visit http://www.secrets-of-shed-building.com/extensive-green-roof.html.
John Coupe is a Professional Engineer who just happens to Love sheds. Secrets-of-shed-building.com gives him an outlet to help people design and build their own shed.
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