When you’re thinking about building a new house sooner or later you’ll come across ideas and practices related to building green. But, what does green building really mean?

For some it means building a dwelling with natural materials, like strawbales, clay, or cordwood. For others it’s more about creating a structure that requires very little energy in the creation of its materials, as well as the energy required to operate it.

No matter what perspective you take on building your home in a green manner, it will require more planning than the average stick-built house. Information on concrete foundations, stud frame construction, asphalt shingles, etc. etc. are abundant. But, researching alternative options like whole-tree architecture or clay floors will take some time.

To facilitate your search in green building techniques and materials we’ve put together yet another page on Green Home Building. Even if you’re heart is set on building something in cordwood (as an example), you might just change your direction after pouring through this information.

(BTW, cordwood makes an absolutely great material for saunas.)