If you’re thinking of adding value or much-needed space to your home, then you might be considering adding a garage extension. Home extensions can more value to a property, which is why so many homeowners plan to have one installed. If you’ve been thinking of getting an extension, it might be a good idea to contact some Structural Engineers to bring your vision to reality. By installing a garage extension, you can have a space for your vehicles and extra storage space. However, it’s important to contact professionals to complete this extension for you. Whilst getting an extension is great for home value and storage, have you considered what impact your extension will have on the environment? Going green when building your extension and making eco-friendly construction choices is important not only for the environment, but also for the energy efficiency rating of your home, so why not choose a material that provides a green alternative?

Concrete Extensions

You might be surprised to find that one of the greenest choices for building a garage extension is that rather grey material, concrete! Concrete has a whole host of eco-friendly attributes that make it a great choice for any building project looking to protect the environment. But what is it that makes concrete such a great choice?

• It’s recyclable
• Its light color reduces ‘heat-island effect’
• You’ll notice less runoff of storm water
• It reduces air pollution

Let’s look at a few of these benefits in more detail, to make sure you know exactly why concrete is such a green alternative to other building materials.

Recycling

If you’re passionate about recycling, concrete is the ideal material to use for your garage extension. Did you know that concrete can be made with by-products from power and manufacturing plants? This means less waste is going to landfill, even before you’ve started using your concrete! In the future, your concrete can be recycled and used for many different things. Because concrete is also manufactured locally, you’re supporting local business and reducing your carbon footprint.

The Other Benefits

Because concrete is made from recycled and reclaimed materials, it helps to reduce CO2 emissions, and it also helps to conserve energy by reducing swings in temperature inside your building, so you’ll find it lowers your energy bills. Using concrete to build the walls of your extension can reduce cooling and heating costs, saving you even more money! The light color of concrete is not only attractive to the eye, it also has practical benefits that you might not have realized – it reflects more light during the evening and at night, which reduces energy costs.

The ‘Heat-Island Effect’

It also reduces the ‘heat-island effect’ which lowers energy use. This is the effect which explains why built-up urban areas are often hotter than expanses of land without buildings – radiation is absorbed by reflected building surfaces and heat is released from heating and air conditioning systems, enhanced by pollution from motor vehicles and industrial processes, all heating up the surrounding urban area more than is necessary! By installing a concrete garage extension, you can do your bit to reduce the urban ‘heat-island effect’, so you’re making small but significant changes to your neighbourhood and your city!

In short, using concrete for your garage extension is a wise move which will not only lower your energy usage and help to improve your home’s energy efficiency rating, but also add value to your home whilst ensuring that you’re protecting the future of our planet. Companies such as LM Concrete Garages have already recognized concrete as an important factor when building a new garage, so you should too! It’s important that anyone considering making improvements to their home considers using sustainable materials and takes the time to think about the impact their project will have on the environment. If we all take the time to make small changes, together we can have a significant impact on the environment, and help to reduce global warming. Concrete is a great choice for meeting your current building needs, without compromising on the future of our planet!