Living sustainably in a new build home
From insulation to upcycling, there are many ways you can up your eco credentials living in a new build home. Lyndsey Olsson (@journey_to_our_clayton_corner) shares the sustainable benefits of buying new, and how she incorporates sustainable practices into everyday life.
All images below credited to @journey_to_our_clayton_corner
Old versus new
Before buying our first new build home back in 2012, we lived in an older property where solid fuel was used for both heating and hot water, in addition to an electric meter. This was extremely expensive and often an inconvenience, especially with a young child. We needed to pay for coal, wood, a chimney sweep and find stores that offered a top-up service for our electricity.
All these factors came with their difficulties and also contributed negatively to our holistic health, specifically our little boy who has asthma and an allergy to dust.
The idea of buying a new build had never crossed our minds until we spoke with a sales rep at Persimmon/Charles Church. We were given information about the measures taken to make each property sustainable, including:
- Installation of water-saving toilets to reduce water use
- Increased depth of insulation to keep rooms warm in winter and cooler in the summer
- Green spaces on developments, many of which provide a home to wildlife (we’ve since seen deer in the greenery around our development, highlighting the importance of these spaces).
After learning of these benefits, we were instantly sold!
Lyndsey is now living in her second new build home
Kind to the planet and your purse
It didn’t take us long to see these benefits in action. When we moved into our new home in December 2012, we walked in and even without heating or carpets the house was naturally warm. As a consequence of the insulation used, we also instantly saw a reduction in bills by at least 50% compared to our previous property. This meant that upon buying our second new build, we were already well aware of the sustainable and economic benefits.
These shelves were upcycled from old scaffolding boards
Rules to live by
As well as enjoying the sustainable benefits of living in a new home, we take whatever simple steps we can to reduce our carbon footprint.
As part of our daily lives, we recycle as much as possible and reuse items around the house. For example, when we go to the supermarket I take reusable bags, and also buy items which are in recyclable containers or refill packages rather than single-use plastic containers. I then decant household products and certain foods into containers throughout our home.
To avoid the overuse of water and electricity, I wait until I have a full sinkload before washing up, and don’t have a dishwasher. Where possible I also avoid the use of a dryer by hanging my washing on a clothes horse or on a clothes line outdoors.
When it comes to décor, we love to upcycle. We’ve recently upcycled our extremely old dining table, and used old scaffolding boards to make shelving. The plan is to continue upcycling throughout our home, making changes by reusing items we already own.
Products are decanted from refill packages into containers to reduce waste
You can see more of Lyndsey's beautiful home on her Instagram account, @journey_to_our_clayton_corner
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