“Greening” your home, isn’t just good for you, it’s also a good remodeling idea if you are thinking of selling. Networx writer Steve Graham interviewed Lara Collins, a real estate broker in the Denver area. You don’t have to go to extremes either. Collins suggests some simple ways to ecologically renovate in and around your home such as cleaning up your yard and adding some native plants that require less water and maintenance. If you need to do some interior painting, use low/no VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints.

If you want to save a little extra money and energy, you may want to consider installing a “kill” switch” if you are remodeling or rebuilding. In a Networx article by Carl Seville he suggests the kill switch, “which is a regular switch that controls a set of receptacles that you plug in all the things that you can turn off”. Seville, who works with electricians in Atlanta, also shares several other tips such as using occupancy sensors which “turn on lights when someone enters a room, turning them off automatically a pre-set amount of time after they exit".

When you think of bamboo flooring, most folks think of it as a “green” product. Sometimes this is true and sometimes not, according to green building consultant Carl Seville. Seville, a green rater and builder who works with Atlanta flooring installers, said that while bamboo, which is fast growing grass, may be a better because it preserves old growth forest, “retaining old forests is better for the environment than creating new bamboo plantations.” Also, it’s a good idea to be aware if you are looking to make your home more green to avoid bamboo products that have been processed with toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, Seville said.

Sometimes remodeling is less about changing the appearance of your home and more about saving money through energy efficiency. If you are lucky enough to live in one of the five-county areas of Philadelphia, you can also take advantage of significant savings on energy upgrades with the help of Energyworks, a program of the Energy Coordinating Agency and the city of Philadelphia. In a networx article by Steve Graham you can learn some of the finer details of the program which is slated to run through June of 2013.

Installing solar shingles is a great way to produce free energy and increase the value of your home. David Fox, corporate officer for Nature’s EnergySolutions LLC in Raleigh, North Carolina, recommended working with a professional roofer, though his company’s goal is “ease of installation. If you have a lot of building knowledge, you might be able to do it,” said Fox, though in general he doesn’t recommend the DIY approach yet. Although Nature’s EnergySolutions LLC works with Raleigh roofers , his company works with roofers nationwide.

Perhaps the children are gone and you are downsizing, or maybe you just looking to have a simpler lifestyle. One option is a “small home.” In a Networx article interviewing Jay Schafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, you can learn about the ultimate in remodeling – building your own very small, eco-efficient home. Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, offers pre-fabricated houses starting at $40,000, or you can buy plans from the company and build your own. If you're lucky enough to live in Portland, Oregon, you live in a city with a dedicated tiny home builder, Portland Alternative Dwellings.

As spring heats up, so does our urge to freshen up our homes and make improvements – especially if the improvements can save us money. Green building consultant Carl Seville, who works with Atlanta roofing contractors and Atlanta HVAC contractors, passed along a tip about replacing appliances with Energy Star rated products in a recent Networx article. Carl recommends recycling or donating old appliances when you purchase new. If you simply put that old refrigerator or freezer, for example, out in the garage for extra food storage, you still are running the same inefficient appliance.

Oregon-based Etsy seller AtomicAttic has dreamt up an imaginative and simple way to reuse old computers without having to call in a Portland electrician to wire it up into some new gadget. Late model computers and computer monitors seem to make up a large portion of the world's e-waste and creating a second life for them is a godsend for the environment. Using ancient iMacs as a frame, AtomicAttic has built a line of pet beds that are eco-friendly and stylish (they also have some nice upcycled suitcase beds as well).