Dont Forget Your Garage In The Green Building Planning

In our quest for building green, the humble garage is almost always forgotten. A US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study has revealed that garages sharing adjacent wall to the house are responsible for indoor pollution which affects the health of those living in it. Indoor air quality is almost certainly affected because the interface between the garage and the house is poorly designed. Thus, you may have all the green features incorporated in the house, but if you neglect the garage, those green features come to naught.

The single largest contributor is the noxious exhaust generated by the car which enters the house through doors and cracks in the garage walls. Low formaldehyde sealing agents are the answer to seal the cracks in the garage wall and the door leading to the house to tackle air pollution. Garages have other materials that give off toxic fumes. The list includes turpentine oil, benzene used by lawn mowers, cleaning agents, and pesticides used for gardening. Investing in a garage exhaust fan that can suck out noxious air is a good option.

An innovative green design which will help in improving the overall green quality of your house is installation of a green garage roof. Grass, plants or other vegetation can help cover green roofs. Several US companies offer the services of building a green garage roof. In a green roof building process, an environmentally friendly water proofing material called Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) forms the first layer. On top of the TPO layer, water retention and filter layers are put. Next comes the top most layer, the growing medium, which is a light weight mixture of rock and soil. Plants with shallow roots, which are drought resistant, are then planted in this medium. Green roofs offer many environmental advantages. Green roofs help reduce noise pollution, filter rainwater and reduce the cost of cooling your house. Plant respiration helps reduce heat in the surrounding areas. The plants absorb sunlight and reduce the heat from reaching the roof surface thereby increasing the life of the roof. It is estimated that that one green-roofed garage can eliminate the equivalent of eight kg of pollutants and even generate enough oxygen to keep 25 people alive for a year. Having that extra patch of elevated green adds to the aesthetics of the house which would attract not only humans but also your feathered friends, thus adding to the biodiversity of your area.

1. Prev:Buying High Pressure Air Compressor
2. Next:Panel Saw Buyers Guide