You have finally acquired the perfect land to build the house of your dreams or wish to carry out an extension of your current home.
But as you plan to enter the construction phase, your green fiber gives you some qualms about the choice of building materials.
The building sector has indeed a poor ecological record, generating 46 million tonnes of waste per year in France, according to the French Building Federation, some of which are harmful to the environment.
However, thanks to wise choices, it is possible to opt for raw materials that are more respectful of the planet.
Favor the natural
In recent years, natural fibers have been on the rise in decoration.
Rattan, wicker, raffia and linen are essential on decorative objects, furniture and interior textiles.
If it is obviously excluded to use them in construction because of their fragility, there are more solid and equally durable alternatives.
We think in particular of wood, but also of dressed stone, terracotta, brick, lime or even hemp, mostly traditional materials brought up to date.
Pay attention to the origin
In order to limit the impact of transport but also of the extraction of raw materials used in construction, it is essential to find out about their origin upstream.
Also make sure that the resource is renewable, and that its production does not take place to the detriment of the environment.
In particular, exotic species, which are often the cause of massive deforestation, should be avoided in favor of local woods (oak, pine, beech, etc.), from eco-managed and FSC-labeled forests.
In general, we favor materials accessible near the location of our construction project, which have the added advantage of often integrating well into the regional architectural style (brick houses in the North, wooden chalets in the Alps. , stone farmhouse in Provence…).
To recycle
Vintage is more trendy than ever, and if it allows you to save money while conserving resources, there is no reason to deprive yourself of it.
So, do not hesitate to recover old beams for your frames (after having treated them and making sure of their solidity), old terracotta tiles for your floor covering or tiles from old abandoned buildings whose charm will dress your roof.
The standards and labels to promote
If there is not yet a label to assess the durability of construction materials, some elements can be put on the track to gauge their ecological impact.
Thus, for reasons of health but also of air and soil pollution, materials with the lowest possible volatile organic compound (VOC) content will preferably be chosen, in order to limit toxic discharges.
You can also consult the LCA (life cycle analysis) of products in order to know their real effects on the environment.
Finally, the presence of the NF environment mark and the European Ecolabel are all positive points.
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