Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

Here is a new blog post from a guest author contributing to
Lang’s Kitchen & Bath’s website.  We hope you find this topic helpful!

Nowadays, being eco-friendly is not just an added bonus, it is a must on many homebuyers’ lists. It is also more budget-friendly in a lot of cases. In the world of kitchen remodeling and home remodels in general, it is important to use eco-friendly building materials. The kitchen is the heart of the home and is the easiest place to start when building a more eco-friendly home space. Here are five eco-friendly kitchen remodeling ideas for your home. 

1. Eco-friendly Materials

One of the best ways to complete an eco-friendly kitchen remodel is to choose eco-friendly materials. Some great examples of these are cork, bamboo, glass, and concrete. Each of these materials is either easily renewable—like bamboo, which grows quickly—or has a plentiful supply like glass, which is largely made from sand, a virtually limitless resource. Implement these materials in backsplashes, countertops, flooring, cabinetry, and more. For instance, glass tiles make a beautiful backsplash, and bamboo flooring is durable. 

2. Recycling and Upcycling

Almost anything in a kitchen can be remodeled using recycled, upcycled, or reclaimed materials. Recycling is when the material is broken down and built back up into something new. Upcycling is when you use something in a different way. Reclaiming is making good use of something that would otherwise end up in a landfill. There are many options for countertops made with recycled material. As far as upcycling goes, there are a variety of ways to implement it in kitchens. For instance, you can upcycle old sheet metal into open shelving for dishes. 

Reclaimed materials are pretty easy to come by when remodeling a kitchen—cabinetry, countertops, almost anything from the kitchen is fair game. For example, when home remodelers are finished with their cabinets, they will often remove them in one piece and sell them at a discount. Of course, you don’t have to use these materials as is. You can paint them, refinish them, put adhesive finishes on them, and more. 

One of the added benefits? Using recycled, upcycled, or reclaimed materials is far less expensive than buying everything new.

3. Energy Efficiency

A lot of our energy consumption comes from the kitchen. After all, we use water from the sink, the refrigerator to keep our food cold, the stove, oven, and microwave to warm it up, and an electric dishwasher for clean-up. Plus, there’s the lighting, which uses more energy that we might realize, given as much time as we spend in the kitchen. Here are some great ways to create more energy efficiency when remodeling your kitchen.

Lighting

Consider switching to LED bulbs, which last a long time and consume very little energy. They come in various shades, depending on how bright you like it, and are even dimmable for setting just the right mood. Another way to save on lighting energy is to bring more natural light into the space during your kitchen remodel. This could mean adding new windows, replacing your current window dressing to allow more light, or removing light obstructions, like walls or overhangs.

Appliances

Appliances use a lot of energy. When remodeling your kitchen, consider swapping out your older appliances for more energy-efficient models. For example, consider a smaller convection oven for little baking jobs. Every time you heat the full-size oven, it not only draws more energy to heat itself, but also uses more air conditioning to cool the space back down. A convection oven is more compact and cooks food faster without heating such a large space (or the entire room).

Seals

One thing that isn’t often thought about are the seals. For instance, if you can’t replace your entire fridge, at least check the seals. If a dollar bill or a thin piece of paper falls right out of the fridge door when you shut it, then it is time to replace the seals. Replacing the seals is an easy, low-cost way to make your kitchen more eco-friendly without extending your budget. Additionally, check the window seals to boost heating/cooling efficiency.

4. Make Eco-friendly Practices Easier

An eco-friendly kitchen remodel is an opportunity to not only improve energy efficiency and make use of responsible materials, but to make eco-friendly habits easier. After all, how likely are you to take up composting unless it’s super easy to do? Here are some ways that your kitchen redo can promote green practices in your daily life. 

Composting

Composting is good for the environment and makes great fertilizer for the garden, whether that be a few herbs in the windowsill or a full crop in the backyard. Talk to your remodeler about incorporating a composting bin in a hidden yet convenient spot of your new kitchen.

Grey Water

Do you know when you are just washing your hands or rinsing a carrot, all of that water goes to waste? Consider installing a greywater system so that the not-so-dirty water can be used for other things like watering your plants. Just make sure that any soaps you use are environmentally friendly.

Recycling Stations

Who wants to recycle when you have to walk all the way out to the side of the house or the garage to place it in the right bin? During your kitchen remodel, add a larger hidden trash area where you can have one can for recyclables and another for the normal trash.

5. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs for short) are commonly found in home construction materials such as paint, flooring, and more. These compounds are not good for human health or for the environment. Talk to your contractor about making sure your kitchen remodel is done with materials that either contain no VOCs or low VOCs. 

Get Help with Lang’s Kitchens

Kitchen remodeling is a big job, so it’s best to have an experienced pro in your corner. Lang’s Kitchen & Bath listens to their customers providing them the support they truly need. They understand the importance and desire behind an eco-friendly kitchen remodel, so they can help you achieve your goal. Contact them today to make your eco-friendly visions come to life. 

Guest blog post submitted by: Houston Home Remodeling Pros