Eco-friendly building materials have been a hot topic for the last fifty years, yet many people don’t know what it could mean for their homes. Is it too pricey? Do these products do what they say? Although there’s a learning curve with these materials: they’re fantastic when implemented correctly.

These are the top benefits of choosing eco-friendly construction materials for your home!

What Are Eco-Friendly Construction Materials?

The definition for what’s eco-friendly isn’t a simple one and seems to evolve. From the materials being sourced in green ways, to materials like bamboo, which are completely sustainable, to even items that can be recycled or repurposed when they’re no longer in use: many things can fall under this label.

Fortunately, that means you have a large selection. If you’re curious about these green materials, talk to your home contractor about what your options are! Wanting to live eco-friendly is a great goal.

These Materials Increase Your Home’s Value

Although this isn’t the main goal for many: it’s a wonderful perk. Through a poll, the National Association of Realtors has found that 68% of home buyers are seeking out green or energy-efficient homes. This means that there’s a major market out there for green properties.

A separate poll by NAR also found that almost 40%  of home buyers agreed that they’d pay over $10,000 more for a home that’s built with eco-friendly materials like ashcrete. This gives these properties a large head start in the market and the opportunity to sell faster and for more money.

You Can Count On Them For Cleaner Air

Air is a problem that many have in mind. The EPA has found that most American households have more than two to three times the air pollutants inside than they do outside. These air pollutants can cause things like asthma, COPD, allergies, and dozens of other issues.  Although you can buy an air purifier, it’s smarter to plan.

Most green products like insulated concrete forms don’t give off the pollutants you can find in most homes. This ensures that you’ll have cleaner air and a better chance at good lung health from the start.

Save Money On Water and Energy Costs

If there’s anything the average person hates: it’s the cost of their energy bills. NPR found that nearly a third of Americans struggle to cover their energy bills because they’re unpredictable except for the fact that they keep rising. This expense is mostly capable of being worked around if you’re getting to start the home from scratch.

Intelligent, eco-friendly construction can ensure that your home will be better insulated- from the paint that’s on your exterior to the insulation in your walls- and that the outside temperatures will be less likely to leech in. It’s not too late to add eco-friendly materials, even if your home isn’t brand new. A roof replacement can also help cut down energy costs and control the internal temperature.

Conserve and Restore Natural Resources

When it comes to kitchen renovation, many have the aesthetics in their mind first.  There’s no problem with that; how your home looks matters and can inspire a lot of love for your property, but consider being eco-friendly as well. Well-sourced cabinetry can ensure that you’re not buying wood that would feed into deforestation instead of renewable wood. You can still have it in any look or finish you like, but sourcing it intelligently can make a huge difference.

Conserving natural resources ensures that your home puts less strain on the local ecology and protects the environment you’re building in.

Better Physical and Mental Health

Our physical and mental health are large deciding factors of our everyday life. Investing in an eco-friendly home can increase your happiness and reduce your likelihood of depression or anxiety symptoms. In addition, studies found that proximity to eco-friendly planning and construction boosts moods.  Even having sustainable public transit available is enough to increase these numbers.

There are multiple theories for why this may be happening, but a large part comes down to enjoying your environment without feeling helpless to pollution and waste. Many people fear that no change they make will be enough, so it feels good to know that changing your home and being conscious about how it’s built can make lasting changes.

Eco-Friendly Construction Materials Are Life-Changing

Whether this is your first home and you want to start it off right, or this is a rental property, you want to offer your tenants the best things you can: choosing eco-friendly construction materials can make a large change in your life and comfort. So take a look at how your items are sourced, how they’re implemented, and the positive changes they can offer you in your daily life.