Everyone feels like a change of scenery after some time. Even the best homes will need to be renovated and updated after a while. Otherwise, they will start to feel dull, dreary, and uninspiring to be inside. The ideal situation would then be to move into a new home, perhaps one that is more environmentally friendly and efficient to keep running. But if you just don’t have the kind of money it takes to upgrade your entire home, or you are worried about the state of the economy, there are still earth-friendly home renovations that you can carry out on a range of budgets.

Deconstruction Beats Demolition

Are you planning to knock down whole walls, or perhaps even entire rooms and sections of your home? Maybe you’re planning to demolish the whole building and start from scratch. Even when going through such a drastic change, you can find ways to reduce waste. Look at the materials and sections of your existing home that could be kept and reused in your new home renovations. This is a great way to cut back on the cost of renovating, but it’s also the best way to look after the environment and make your new renovations green.

Don’t Buy New

It’s too easy to get caught up with needing to buy the newest and latest of everything. Instead, why not think about all the material and equipment that is already made and not being used? Look to things like reclaimed woods, which are great for the planet, but can also give you some highly desirable results that just aren’t possible when buying new. Not only that, but upcycling and reclaiming is very trendy these days, if that’s something you are concerned about.

Instead of installing counters made from artificially coated composite board and the like, why not use some reclaimed hard wood instead? This can also be used for walls and floors, if you are going to do a more thorough home renovation. Not only can you save time and money by going this way, but you will be putting far less stress on the environment.

Give Away Unwanted Materials

Okay, maybe you really don’t have any use for those wooden floor boards that you’ll be lifting out of your dining room. Or perhaps there are other materials that you don’t need. Instead of demolishing these, you can give them away. Sure, it might be too big of a time investment to find someone to buy them. But you can always give them away to a Goodwill store. Maybe you know someone who enjoys building and recycling items who you can give your materials to. You might find that people are more than willing to come and collect your unwanted goods if they’re free. This can reduce your costs with having to dispose of these things, while also limiting what ends up in landfill.

Shop Second-Hand
The idea of buying used material might not appeal to everyone, but even the pickiest style-guru will have to admit that antiques are very appealing. You can shop at antique stores for things like cupboard and drawer handles, doorknobs, fixtures for lights, and many other things. These might not be necessarily cheaper, especially if they are rare and genuinely antiques. However, they are already sitting around and require no more resources for you to use. See, you can recycle goods while still having a sophisticated home.