Why Green Remodeling?

Cost Saving-Energy efficient and water saving designs and products reduce monthly utility bills. The most efficient new

appliances typically use 50% less energy than the most wasteful models. Choosing a high-efficiency washing machine can save up to $90 on energy bills and 6,000 gallons of water, every year.

Health -Health-focused designs maximize fresh air and natural light, while reducing the risk of injury and asthma. Using green and low-toxic materials and good ventilation techniques can help to prevent problems like molds, allergens and poor air quality that causes many health problems.

Beauty & Comfort -Natural materials, high quality lighting, and good design details make for pleasing spaces.

Added Value- Universal designed homes that welcome various ages and abilities are marketable to a larger population. Green elements also represent value: 96% home buyer said they are willing to pay more for a home with green features.

Ecological Benefit-By making your home remodeling green, you can be more resource efficient, minimize waste, and recycle what’s left over to reduce the amount of materials ending up in landfills. choosing environmentally responsible products, you can protect forests, wildlife, and air and water quality.

Universal Design & Green Building in Los Angeles:

At Green House Home Improvements we find great interest in making our home sustainable for the future. University of Iowa developed a survey study combining universal design and green building. According to them this is the perfect combination for home improvement future. Their goal is to promote independent living, safety, comfort, convenience and conservation of energy and natural resources. These are the main points of their study survey.

Think Family: Try to anticipate the children and adults who might live, own, rent or visit the residence. People come in all shapes, sizes and abilities. So do our pets and service animals.

Think Ahead: Consider your current and future needs, resources, budget and health.

Think Green: Be energy conscious when you design, build and occupy the home. Conserve

heat, water, electricity and energy to reduce your utility bills and protect the environment. Recycle and reuse materials and buy local whenever possible.

Do Not Think Disability, Wheelchairs Or Ramps. But keep in mind that our lives -- and your family’s lives -- could change in an instant without warning because of accident, injury or aging.

ADA, Fair Housing Act Or Other Accessibility Guidelines. Most of these standards do not apply to private homes and address mobility and vision impairments primarily. They provide only minimum standards that too often do not reflect the real world needs of most people with and without disabilities.

Keep In Mind the Magic Numbers. Your home should at least meet the minimum dimensions in these accessibility codes:

36 inches: width of an accessible route, path, sidewalk or hallway

32 inches: width of the interior opening for all doors (clear passage)

30 x 48: space needed for a standard wheelchair expressed in inches

60 x 60: maneuvering room needed for a standard wheelchair expressed in inches or 5 feet x 5 feet

28 to 34: finished tabletop or countertop heights for accessibility expressed in inches

27 to 29: knee clearance measured from finished floor to bottom of desk, table, etc. expressed in inches

15 to 48: minimum and maximum height for controls, outlets, shelves, items expressed in inches

1: 12: maximum slope of ramps expressed in a ratio (1 inch of rise per 12 inches in length)

1: 48: maximum slope of parking spaces, access aisles, etc. expressed in a ratio or a percentage (2%) One Size Does Not Fit All: No two people are alike. We cook, bathe, socialize, study, play, learn and live differently. This checklist is not intended to address how to modify or customize a home, room or feature for a particular person’s disability, special need or functional limitation.

We do complementary consultations on making your home efficient, safer and greener. Please give us a call or email and we will be gladly answer any questions you may have about your future project.

Green House Home Improvements is located in Southern California and is based in Los Angeles.

We welcome all inquiries and offer free consultations and assessments:

Tel: (800) 804-8810

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mention our Blog Coupon: NEWSBLOG and get an additional $100 Off your project above $2,500!

Please head over to our new blog for more great green articles >>

Our Recent Los Angeles Kitchen Remodel

McCrary's- Kitchen Renovation from Green House Home Improvements on Vimeo.

Most homeowners think that kitchen is the heart of the home. Come to think of it, the kitchen is the most busiest place in everybody’s home. Many activities happen in this space such as food preparation, eating, entertaining, recycling station, homework supervision, message centre, budgeting and bill payments, and family meetings.

On the right is one of our completed projects here in Los Angeles, CA.

That is why we often get calls for kitchen remodeling job. Three out of five kitchen remodeling projects that we always do is GREEN KITCHENS.

We make it simple, functional but stylish, environment friendly & energy and water efficient kitchen.

One example is this Los Angeles kitchen project we did last year. Here are some of green practices we integrate in this project.

Recycle functional materials.
Replace old single-pane windows to an energy efficient double-pane windows
Install LED recessed ambient lighting and task lights.
Install water efficient faucets.
Distribute domestic hot water efficiently.
Install wall insulation that exceeds current Title 24 requirements.
Weatherize.
Use No-VOC Interior Paint
Use low-No VOC construction seals and adhesives.
Use environmentally preferable flooring.
Install water and dishwasher.
Install Energy Star Refrigerator.
Install Energy Star washing machine and dryer.
Install lighting control.
Range hood vented outside.
FSC-certified mouldings and trims

Green Homes Are Selling For More In Southern California

Greenly labeled Southern California homes are averaging an increase in value of $34,800 says researchers from UC Berkeley and UCLA.

Now that is money you can take to the bank.

The study shows that when homes are listed for sale with the labels LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Green Point Rated and Energy Star they had an increase in value and had a direct correlation to its final sale price.

Green Point Rated is an independent organization that rates homes with green certification stamps of approval that you should definitely check out.

These improvements included being well-insulated and having energy effcient lighting. Other improvements people looked for were high-effciency toilets with dual flush, high recycled content insulation, energy effcient heating, cooling and ventilation systems also known as HVAC and also solar panels.

Now even if you don't plan on selling or buying any time soon, plans for your exisiting home should be ring bells on what to upgrade when you have some extra cash and would like to bring down the monthly energy bills and have the self satisfaction in being "green".

Updates on exising homes that homeowners can upgrade normally cost on average around the $10,000 range and it depends how green of a project you are wanting to invest in. Give us a call if you have any questions or would like a free quote or consultation on a project you are thinking of.

Read the Cited Article and Research [ Huffington Post ]

Home Improvement Deals!

Here are just few examples of our great home improvement deals:

Deck Remodeling & Repairs - $250 OFF
Patio Remodeling – 10% OFF
Energy Efficient Window Replacement - $400 OFF
Termite & Dryot Damage Repairs - 10% OFF
Roof Repairs - $200 OFF

Change HVAC filter - $75
Gutter Cleanout - $99
Grout Cleaning - $150
Deck Pressure Wash - $99
Driveway Crack Repair $150

With every home improvement project GH will give school supplies to a child in need, that strive hard for education, for their future...

As many as 1.7 million Filipino children in the 7-12 age group are out of school, mostly coming from the poorest provinces, school supplies, snacks, lunch, and other materials are beyond the financial capabilities of the poor, " says UNESCO Philippines. ""Although public elementary education is free, school-related expenses like school supplies and transportation remains to be a burden.