environment and housing?

Question

with enviromental issues becoming such a big part of our lives, what is done to new houses that are built to make sure they are enviromentaly freindly, and also what can be done to exsisting houses to make them more eviromentally freindly.

Answer 1

"affordable" houses ie those funded in part by the Housing Corporation have to meet eco-homes v. good-excelent rating.

Private developer homes have to meet the profit margin (greed) of the developer and acceptability to the morgage companies, most want "traditional" cheap brick & concrete. ecology & triados building socs might view things differently. And costs do not include environmental and social costs of concrete & brick CO2 emmisions, run-off from hard landscaping etc

Answer 2

New houses should have to be constructed in way that causes the least damage to the environment, but at a cost people can afford.

They should include a method of producing their own electricity - either through solar panels or a small wind urbine. They shouls also be well insulated either by using modern methods or (as another poster suggested) part covering them by building underground.

We could also have septic tanks set up so the waste is brroken down and can be released back into the environment as clean water.

There are loads of things that can be done and some countries such as Greece use things like septic tank filtration already.

Unfortunately we are too keen on throwing houses up at minimum cost to the construction companies and maximum cost to us.

Answer 3

I think that planning departments need to be more open minded about design and construction materials. Also I have long been of the mind that we should be building houses along the lines of the tellytubbies house. Mostly underground with the garden in effect on the roof. This would save a lot of space on our crowded island, be well insulated and would be less subject to weather damage.
If I came into money I would buy some land and build such a house.

Answer 4

They're biodegradable. A few years time, you'll never know there were houses there.