Green Home Guides

We are pleased to make available the City of Seattle’s Green Home Remodeling Guides which cover a number of common remodeling topics. These are all PDF files, which require free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view.

	Green Home Remodel What is a green home remodel, and why consider one? This is an overview of issues and strategies involved in environmentally friendly home remodeling projects.
	Hiring A Pro This guide outlines tips on hiring and working with design professionals and contractors when working on green remodel projects.
	Bath & Laundry Bathrooms use large amounts of water and energy (used to heat that water and warm, light, and ventilate the space). Use this guide to help make important decisions on fixtures, flooring, and more.
	Kitchen The kitchen is the heart of the home. As a room subjected to daily heavy use, careful consideration during your remodeling project can ensure it’s durable, efficient and safe as well as welcoming and comfortable.
	Landscape Materials Your landscape is an essential part of the way your home presents itself to the world. Selecting materials that are low-maintenance, nontoxic, and kind on people and the planet is one way to tell your neighborhood how you feel about it.
	Painting A new coat of paint can enliven tired walls and protect surfaces. But the wrong paint can compromise air quality indoors or cause smog outside, and paint projects can release health hazards.
	Roofing A roof provides essential protection to the rest of your housing investment. But beyond shielding your home from the elements, choices made when replacing your roof can help protect the environment and your pocketbook.
	Salvage & Reuse Remodeling projects often yield materials that can be valuable in the project or to someone else. Additionally, used building materials and architectural salvage from other projects can be readily incorporated into yours.
	Managing Rainwater Provides information on rain garden, green roofs, trees, soil management and other strategies that can prevent water quality problems.
	Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audit A diligent tour of your home with this guide will help you determine how well your home currently operates and what upgrades are needed to improve it’s energy performance.
	Green Home Buyer’s Guide Buying a home is a significant investment and a choice that will have an ongoing impact on your quality of life our environment. It’s a big decision – be informed; do it right.

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