Designing a home is no easy feat let alone a financially-friendly process. Home Advisor places the national average of designing a home around $5,047. For those freebie hunters out there the savings will need to come after the build.
Enter: Eco homes.
Eco homes use green technology and unique designs to keep running and maintenance costs low. A trend which more than 50% of builders say will be their primary focus by 2020.
Want a few neat home ideas to save big in the long-run (and taxes)? Read on.
Fascinating Eco Homes: The 6 Designs Catching Our Attention
From incorporating home solar power setups to save on energy costs to planting living walls for sustained temperatures, these are the coolest eco-friendly home designs we’ve found:
The Green-side Wall
Designers at Capella Garcia Arquitectura have outdone themselves with the marriage of modern design and green features. The terrace’s striking feature is the magnificent greenery oozing from its sides.
The building uses a drip irrigation system to sustain plants — an ingenious way to reduce water usage as it trickles down to the next. The design helps keep the building cool and contributes to reducing C02!
The S House
The “S House” is the result of Vo Trong Nghia Architects quest to create a sustainable, inexpensive living space.
The purpose of the design is to provide affordable housing with little hands-on work with the setup. It uses a combination of bamboo, prefabricated, and locally sourced materials to create a 322 square foot dwelling.
The Tighthouse
The limited space and high prices of NYC compelled Julie Torres Moskovitz to build a 3-story, energy efficient home. One smack dab between the narrow alleyway of two homes.
The home is estimated to use 75% less energy than a standard home.
The savings is the result of solar paneling and an air-tight design. Systems are used to monitor energy usage to further improve efficiency.
The Pasona HQ
Another living wall feature in the land of the rising sun: Japan. At the Pasona HQ incorporates you’ll find a rooftop garden and facilities for urban farming. It’s an eye-catcher in a city (Tokyo) dominated by cold, hard concrete, glass, and steel.
The Odette Estate Winery
The Odette Estate Winery takes full advantage of geothermal heating by hosting its building into the terrain. The building looks familiar to those loving The Hobbit and LOTR movies.
Step through the rounded entrance and into a building that stays a comfortable temperature year-round. All without running central air.
The Irekua Anatani House
One would never know of its existence if passing over via plane. The house is completely covered with greenery. The green rooftop blends in with nature while providing year-round comfortable temperatures.
The open concept and use of materials like woods and glass have given its designers, Broissin Architects, recognition within the industry and those appreciative of design a stunning new concept to explore.
Bonus: Three Freebie Home Design Tools
The whole “having to wait ’til after” thing was a bit of a lie. There’s a way to save coins if you’re the creative type by using freebie home planner tools.
Each tool has technical nuances but the creative process is similar. Use a template to play with the design and add features as you go.
Three free home planner tools:
- Planner 5D
- AutoDesk Homestyler
- HomeByMe
Give ’em a try and share designs with the community. (treehugger.com) You may get professional feedback which removes the need of hiring an architect all together! If anything, you’ll have example blueprints for eco homes during project discussions.
Share Your Thoughts
What do you think of the eco-friendly, green home movement? Is it something you could get behind? Share your thoughts with a comment below!
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