Not sure what the market will be doing once your ready to sell your Pacific Beach home?

Here are some practical ways to raise the dollar value of your home while keeping it environmentally sound.

According to Realtors® across the nation, both kitchen and bath remodeling is the best choice to bringing value to home.  And done correctly, can also bring a "greener" look to your home.

Going green while thinking about remodeling your bath or kitchen will lower your utilities bills, reduce the amount of maintenance and just help the environment.

Kitchen Remodel - First take note of the most important things you do in the kitchen. Make a list of the common tasks. Is the area set up to allow you to go easily from one task to another? Are all the appliances Eco-friendly?  Besides just replacing old or outdated energy insufficient appliances, you can also change flooring, cabinets, counter tops and faucets to reflect going green. Flooring Counter tops Countertops - Cabinets - The key is buying local! Although it is important Eco consider eco friendly counter tops, countertops, and cabinetry, one must also consider from where it is coming A lot. Alot of the manufacturers are outside of the US. Consider how far away the product you order is coming from.
Flooring has a huge impact on potential buyers. Here are some examples of "green" flooring you may not have thought of. Bamboo flooring is becoming extremely popular for a number of reasons; Environmentally it is taking the place of wood from trees. Bamboo is a grass and grows much faster then conventional trees. The strand woven bamboo for your kitchen floor not only looks great it does not have the toxic glues and formaldehydes needed to produce non-woven bamboo.

Linoleum is another great way to replace old flooring. Linoleum is completely made of recycled natural material so it is 100% bio-degradable. Do not get it confused with vinyl flooring as they are two different things. Also be sure to try and buy locally. 

Ever heard of leather flooring? Since leather is a natural by-product of one of our major food sources, if the hides were not tanned they would be laying on a land fill.

Cork is another fine flooring. It comes from the bark from a cork tree so trees do not have to be felled in order to obtain it. Be sure that it is properly sealed. Try to find your flooring locally as much as possible as the embodied energy to make these products needs to be considered. Some are special ordered from across the globe!

Rubber is an excellent source to use in well ventilated areas such as the garage floor. These floors can have an odor unless you are using virgin rubber direct from rubber trees. In which case you want to know how far away it has to come to be delivered to your home.

Always be sure to check for the energy star seal on all your big appliances!

Bath Remodel -  Energy-efficient and water-wise designs are products you want to reduce your monthly bills and make your home more Eco-Friendly. Home components chosen for their durability and timeless appeal will last longer and cost less to maintain in the long run.  When you make living spaces welcoming to a variety of ages and abilities, your home will be marketable to a larger population (a key benefit for resale) and less likely to require costly modifications.

Toilets can be extremely energy efficient. Older toilets use up to 5 gallons of water with each flush. Consider replacing with the newer .8 to 1.6 gallon use. It should say High Efficiency Toilet (HET) and then check with the local water company for rebates!

Painting the bathroom a neutral color will bring on the final touches of a remodeled bath. When looking for the just the right color be sure to use paint that says NO-VOC paint. VOC means Volatile Organic Compound. There are low VOC and zero VOC paints available from just about every brand out there. Be sure to use paint designed specifically for bath or kitchen as these have anti-mold agents in them to protect you.

Consider using ceramic for walls and shower walls.  Try and buy locally as where the product is made has as much to do with the environment as does the making of the product.

Low Flow Shower head - Although older versions reduced water pressure, the new models have fixed that and only use about 2 gallons of water per minute.

Wheat board according to Natural Built Home is a distinctive composite material that is created from a rapidly renewable resource, wheat-straw. It is made from a non-toxic binder as opposed to particle board which uses powerful toxins in the glue. the natural color is a golden yellow however it is possible to stain it. Use wheat board for upgrading your kitchen or bathroom cabinets.
 
Good ventilation may include installing a ceiling fan which will help keep mildew away.

Again we can look to bamboo for floors and counter tops. It is antimicrobial in nature and water resistant. Although you may want to also take a another look at linoleum. It has similar qualities of bamboo and it is also 100% biodegradable, nontoxic and easy to maintain.

Read About What Color has to do with it..

Island Thatch - San Diego California -  has tons of Bamboo and other natural products for your home and yard.

Eco G Painters - San Diego California -  Eco Conscious and uses only Eco friendly paint. See website for free estimate.

Victor Insulation - Serving San Diego, CA -  Uses Ultra Touch all natural Cotton fiber insulation products.

Window Solutions - - Free in home estimates.

WinDor - Exterior Coatings, Windows and Doors they have a showroom on Miramar Road in San Diego, CA

US Green Building Council - is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation.