Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth, and Soul

by Melissa Rappaport Schifman

Overview

Learn the logistics of choosing windows, insulation, appliances, and lighting. Find out about FSC certified wood and about using reclaimed materials. Here is everything you need to make your home sustainable.

Whether the reader is building a new home or doing a minor remodel, a homeowner needs a framework by which to guide their decisions. These decisions are based on values, and the author posits that there are really only three reasons to go green:

• For Our Health: By building more sustainably, we reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins.
• For Our Wealth: By building a more durable home and being more efficient with resources like water and electricity, we reduce our monthly utility bills and ongoing maintenance expenses.
• For Our Soul: Collectively doing the right thing for our planet does make a difference—and that is soul-nourishing.

The green building movement has produced hundreds of “how-to” books and websites that are filled with tips about green building and what homeowners should do to go green. While helpful and informative, when it comes to making actual purchasing and installation decisions, these books do not make it any easier for a homeowner to prioritize against a budget. Here, Melisssa Rappaport Schifman shares her knowledge and experience for others to use in their journey toward a greener way of living.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510733442
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	08/21/2018
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	880,889
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Melissa Schifman became the Twin Cities’ fifth LEED for Homes Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and completed the work necessary to get her own home LEED Gold Certified. She founded Green Intention LLC, where she writes and blogs about sustainable home living. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Prologue

Chapter 1 Introduction 3

Chapter 2 All About LEED 8

Part I For Our Health

Chapter 3 Clean Water 17

Chapter 4 Clean Air 26

Chapter 5 Clean House 47

Part II For Our Wealth

Chapter 6 Energy 63

Chapter 7 Water Efficiency 116

Chapter 8 Durability 130

Part III For Our Soul

Chapter 9 Materials 137

Chapter 10 Landscaping 168

Chapter 11 Location 186

Epilogue

Chapter 12 The Worst Green Decisions We Made 193

Chapter 13 The Bottom Line 200

Chapter 14 Beyond LEED Moonshot 203

The LEED Checklist 208

Acknowledgments 211

Index 213

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“If building a green and healthy home seems overwhelming, this book will put you at ease. Melissa outlines a common sense approach to the LEED Rating system that anyone can follow, proving you don’t need a degree in architecture and big budget to create a cost effective, healthy home.” —Sherri Brezinka, Regional Director, West North Central Region, U.S. Green Building Council

Interviews

"Melissa makes complex, technical and confusing information about building a sustainable and healthy home organized, understandable and truly enjoyable to read. A must read for anyone building or remodeling a home and cares about a healthy planet and a healthy home." — John Gabbert, Founder and CEO, Room & Board, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

Every architect should read this book.” —David Salmela, FAIA, winner of more than 70 architectural awards (including 8 National AIA Awards)

From the Publisher