When your home’s exterior is in need of renovation to improve its appearance and function, you may be faced with some difficult choices – especially if you’re concerned with making your renovations sustainable and eco-friendly. Home building and renovation can have a negative impact on the environment if done irresponsibly. However, you might be surprised by how many sustainable materials you can find for your home if you know where to look for them. Take a look at the things that you need to know about making green choices during your home renovation.

Sustainable Siding

When it comes to your home’s siding, you have several excellent options when you’re looking for eco-friendly materials. One good option is fiber cement siding. It’s sometimes referred to as concrete siding, but it’s not technically concrete. Fiber cement siding is made from cement, sand, and wood fibers. This is a durable material that has insulating properties that can render your whole home more energy efficient.

Another good option is aluminum or steel siding, which is often made from recycled material and can easily be recycled again when you’re finished with it. Because metal siding can usually be completely recycled, it’s a fairly waste-free option for your home. The only drawback is that metal siding doesn’t provide much in the way of insulation. If insulation is what you’re looking for, consider vinyl siding made from recycled plastics and backed with built-in insulation.

Recycled Roofing

It’s understandable to be concerned about sustainable roofing materials, especially since a roof requires so much of whatever material you choose. However, just as with siding, there are several options for replacing a roof with sustainable materials. One of the best sustainable roofing options is recycled shingles made from waste materials. These may be made from plastic, rubber, or wood fiber. Recycled shingles are attractive – you wouldn’t know that they were previously consumer or factory waste. They’re also surprisingly durable.

As with siding, metal is a great choice for sustainable roofing, as a metal roof can be made with recycled materials and recycled again when it reaches the end of its usefulness. A metal roof also has several other advantages – it will reduce your risk of fire and it will last longer than many other roofing materials of comparable price. Metal roofs are also ideal for homeowners who want to harvest rainwater.

Green Gutters

Speaking of rain, you’ll need not only a metal roof but also a good gutter system if you want to conserve water by harvesting your rainwater to use in your garden or home. Luckily, it’s not difficult to find gutter systems made from recycled materials.

Keep in mind that in order to harvest clean, high-quality rainwater, your gutters will need a gutter guard system like Gutter Helmet. The gutter guard system keeps debris out of the gutters and acts as a filter for the rainwater, ensuring that the water you harvest is free of debris. Gutter Helmet is also made primarily of recycled materials, so you can feel secure knowing that you’ve made an eco-friendly material choice and you can conserve water at the same time.

If you need ideas when it comes to choosing green gutter products for your home renovation, Harry Helmet can help. For more information, contact us today.

Written by Del Thebaud