Green Building Techniques Sprout Out of Classic Home Design

Green. These five letters represent one of the most popular buzz words of today's world. Industries search high and low for new ways to help save resources and conserve energy, and millions of dollars are spent towards these efforts. In the home building industry, building green can be much less complicated and exert much less effort on designers, builders and prospective home owners than one might think. If you're looking to build green, take a quick step back. Some of the best and most efficient green techniques aren't born out of new technology but out of homes of the past - homes built before the advent of air conditioning, big rig trucks and recycled materials. To help illustrate these techniques we'd like to focus on our newest designer who's inspiration comes from classic and rustic home designs of the early U.S. We'll center on his specialty and techniques for the simplistically beautiful and eco-friendly Florida Cracker home design.

The floor plans of this designer's home are the main factors in classifying the Florida Cracker style as green. Cracker-style designs are typically structured with rooms coming off one main hallway. This layout, coupled with very open entry ways, increases the air flow from room to room helping to cool down the home. The design is also ideal for increasing efficiency using passive solar orientation - or the placement of the home in relation to where the sun shines the strongest. For passive solar orientation in this style, the windows and main focus of the house face away from the brightest sun rays. Deep overhangs are placed over windows, especially those facing the hot sun rays, to help further shade the home. Even window placement is important for home cooling -windows are placed around the shell of the home to promote cross ventilation indoors. Outside of the home prevailing breezes can be enjoyed on wide porches and outdoor areas - seaside Cracker homes should face in a direction to take advantage of these breezes.

Building one of these homes today puts you one giant step in the right direction in reducing your energy costs - as the homes were designed to cool themselves in the hot Florida sun before air conditioning even existed. To further the eco-friendliness of a Florida Cracker home, take interest in where your materials originate. Try to obtain materials that travel the shortest distances which helps cut down on the shipping costs, energy usage and pollutions of shipping vehicles. Opting for recycled materials is always an earth friendly choice, but if the materials come from thousands of miles away you might negate the good you thought you were doing. This designer also suggests planting trees and flowers in your yard that are native to your area. This will help cut down watering needs and the negative effects the intrusion of foreign plants can have on your land.

When building green, always keep in mind that it comes down to the basics and the beginnings - the floor plan, orientation of your home and structural elements have just as big or a bigger say in energy efficiency than many of the newly developed techniques and materials on the market today. Be a smart home builder and keep these techniques in mind when beginning your green home.


Check out this designer's portfolio of Florida Cracker homes at Coastal Home Plans here