Green is good: Eco-friendly renovation projects

Renovation loans equip you to convert your current home into your dream home, but we suggest taking your renovations one step further. Now's the time for you to use renovations to simultaneously enhance your home's aesthetic appeal and eco-friendly nature.

Why not go green with your projects if you already plan to renovate your home?

As Mindy Blackmon, a senior loan officer for Movement Mortgage explains, green renovations create healthy environments for your kids. This means that your environmentally-aware renovations can enhance your entire family's quality of life. You'll also reduce heating and electricity bills by eliminating wasteful energy usage, and who doesn't love cutting costs?

If you're ready to jump on the renovation bandwagon, here are six great ways to modernize your home in an eco-friendly manner.

Bring on the sun

Approximately one-third of your home's heat and air conditioning leak from your windows so refrain from buying the cheapest windows possible. Cheap windows probably won't stop air flow, a problem which increases your AC bill. Instead, try more eco-friendly windows to ensure that your heat and AC stay inside.

Also, consider buying large windows and installing skylights. Although smaller windows may cut purchasing costs, larger windows and skylights lend more natural light. Using more natural light reduces your need for man-made light (aka electricity) so installing new windows can save you money on your electricity bill; you simply won't need to have your lights on as often.

You can find eco-friendly window options at local hardware stores, like Home Depot, or by speaking with local builders.

Whether the weather is hot

Speaking of the indoors, we know. It's hard to choose a comfortable temperature for your home thermostat, but setting your thermostat at extreme temperatures wastes energy.

To limit energy usage, purchase a programmable thermostat. Unlike ordinary thermostats, programmable thermostats automatically adjust your home's temperature so your home can maintain more consistent temperatures without wildly fluctuating all the time.

Shop 'till you drop

Buy new, top-of-the-line appliances to minimize energy usage. The most eco-friendly appliances are marked as "Energy Star-Qualified" since they "use ten to fifty percent less energy than standard models."

These appliances are easy to find since they're sold at stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot and Sears.

A dry place to lay your head

Leaking roof? No problem. Want to find eco-friendly roofing materials? Still not a problem.

We've got you covered with these green tips.

• Use sustainable roofing made with recycled or reused mediums.
• Install solar shingles to minimize your electricity needs.
• Durable roofing eliminates your constant need to install new roofs.
• Did you know that asphalt shingles, metal roofing, clay tiles, reflective roofing and green roofs are "Energy Star approved?"

Want to make the switch to eco-friendly roofing materials? Talk to a local contractor to get your project started.

Stay in style

Your kitchen is important because it's where family and friends gather in your home. Preparing food and hosting parties, however, can be messy so we know you need "stain-, scratch- and heat-resistant" kitchen countertops.

Instead of choosing run-of-the-mill countertops made from materials such as granite, use these more eco-friendly options: paper-based countertops, bamboo countertops or recycled glass countertops.

A new kind of oasis

Bright green yards are beautiful, but they aren't always eco-friendly.

If you're constantly watering your yard, maybe you should consider ways to limit water usage. Instead of having plants that are always water hungry, consider buying "native, drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants" to "conserve water, fertilizer and pesticides" in your backyard oasis.

Be sure to talk to the gardening specialist at a local greenhouse to discuss your options.

See your renovation loan options

If you're serious about making your renovation result in a more environmentally-friendly home, ask your real estate agent and local mortgage loan officer for more information on renovation financing and how to make it work for your go-green needs. See what your renovation loan options are today.