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An Eco-house (or Eco-home) is an environmentally low-impact home designed and built using materials and technology that reduces its carbon footprint and lowers its energy needs. Eco-homes are measured in multiple ways meeting sustainability needs such as water conversation, reducing wastes through reusing and recycling materials, controlling pollution to stop global warming, energy generation and conservations, and decreasing CO2 emissions.

An Eco-house could include some or all of the following:

Higher than normal levels of thermal insulation

Better than normal air-tightness

Good levels of daylight

Passive solar orientation - glazing oriented south for light and heat

Thermal mass to absorb that solar heat

Minimum north-facing glazing - to reduce heat loss

Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system

Heating from renewable resources (such as solar, heat pump or biomass)

Photovoltaic panels, small wind turbine or electricity from a 'green' supplier

Natural materials - avoidance of PVCu and other plastics

Rainwater harvesting

Grey-water collection

Composting toilet

Glass that has two or three layers with a vacuum in between to prevent heat loss; (double or triple-glazed windows)

Solar panels or wind turbines

Geothermal heating and growing plants on the roof to regulate temperature, quieten the house, and to produce oxygen

A vegetable patch outside the house for some food

Building concepts

Buildings use up enormous amounts of energy. Home energy as well contributes to global warming. According to The Energy Information Administration, home energy contributes to 21% of all greenhouse gases in the United States alone. In construction as well, 48% of greenhouse gases is emitted. Some calculations make it as much as 70% of all the energy used when all the factors are taken into account. This energy is mainly for heating and lighting and therefore the aim is to design houses that are well insulated and make the best use of natural light.

Increasing the amount of thermal insulation is the main component of preventing energy loss. According to the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air, and is in the top five human health risks. Such pollution could be caused by toxic chemicals and mold and could lead to asthma induced illnesses. Insulation in Eco-homes include draft exclusion, glazing, wall, roof insulation, and other nontoxic materials. By installing insulation not only are you paying less money for heating bills, but you are also reducing exposure to toxic materials such as the carcinogen formaldehyde found in manufactured wood.

In the northern hemisphere, a south-facing site will be a much better location than a north facing site because of access to sunlight and protection from the cold northerly wind. An eco-house starts life facing the Sun.

Ideally, the site for the house should have a south westerly aspect and be protected from the north and east. It is not always possible to do this but there will usually be an opportunity to take advantage of the passive solar gain by having more glazing on either the front or the back of the building. Planting trees and creating windbreaks on the north and east sides of the site can enhanced the solar gain effect by protecting the house from the cold north easterly winds.

Having faced the house towards the Sun, high performance windows are used to draw in as much light and warmth as possible. Sunlight then floods into the house and any heat generated is retained by a highly insulated building shell, draught proof windows and doors and thermal mass within the building.

Orientation towards the Sun also means that active solar systems can be fitted, both solar water heating panels and electricity generating solar panels on the roofs, further adding to the free heat and electricity gained from the sun.

Living in the house also generates heat. Active human beings can produce as much heat as a one bar electric fire. Add to this heat from cooking, washing, lights etc. and you can begin to see how an eco-house could get too hot. Conventionally opening the windows reduces heat, but an eco-house design could include heat recovery ventilation systems.

These systems extract the warm, moist air from bathrooms and kitchens and take the heat out of the stale, damp air before venting it outside. The heat recovery system transfers this collected heat to fresh air coming into the building and distributes it to the bedrooms and living rooms, which creates fresh air at room temperature. An added benefit is that filters can be fitted on the air intake to provide a barrier to pollen or other irritants.

With the passive and active solar gains, insulation, draft proofed building shell and heat recovery system, eco-houses could be zero heat; that is, in theory, you shouldn't need to keep pumping heat into them from a central heating system. In practice life isn't like that. Kids leave the door open, pets come in and out, people go out all day, cold snaps happen and some people like to sleep with the window open. An eco-house can incorporate design to have heating systems that can react quickly and efficiently to any changes in room temperature as well as providing a heat boost to the water temperature down-stream of the solar panels.

One of the wider issues of energy efficiency is the embodied energy within the construction materials. (Embodied energy is the energy taken up with producing and transporting the materials used).

Wood is a primary building material for eco-housing. This is because trees grow using energy from the Sun, they don't pollute, they produce oxygen, absorb CO2, they provide a wildlife habitat, they can be replanted, they can be sourced locally, the timber can easily be put to some other use after a building is demolished.

Cement is a very useful building material and there are places where we have to be practical and use it. However, one alternative to cement is lime. Lime has been used as a building material for thousands of years and although energy and CO2 are used in its production it gently returns to limestone in time, taking in CO2 in the process.

Reclaimed materials

There is also the use of reclaimed materials, particularly bricks, slates and roof tiles, to make use of the embodied energy within these materials. This can also help new buildings to blend in with their surroundings.

Other benefits of an Eco-house, aside from the obvious one of having minimal heating costs, are a healthy living environment. The heat recovery system can eliminate dampness and the moulds that are so often a health hazard. The air intake filters prevent dust coming in with the incoming fresh air and the internal vacuum cleaner system extracts dust from the house and vents it (via the dust collection bag and filter) to the outside, thus no microscopic particles of dust remain in the house.

Load bearing internal walls are minimised to allow rearrangements of the interior spaces, and the build technology is such that local trades can carry out alterations and easy maintenance.

For the health of the householder, and the planet, an Eco-house should be built with materials that are free, wherever possible, from toxins or harmful products of the petro-chemical industry.

The better indoor environmental quality of Eco-houses has also improved health and satisfaction among occupants by reducing exposure to pollutants, allergens, and other contaminants. According to Dr. Joseph Allen and his research at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this leads to inhabitants of Eco-houses suffering less from sick building syndrome while maintaining positive mental and physical stability.

Generally, Eco-Houses are labelled as costly and expensive for the average citizen to afford. Perceptions of costs are one of the main issues for many builders and owners. This perception is induced by the medias coverage of Eco-houses built according to the standards of above average income homeowners. According to SmartMarket Report, around two-thirds of Eco-house owners, who built their own homes, had an annual budget of over $50,000. This above average income and the freedom in building their own design, furniture, and materials for their Eco-houses attributes to the addition of more expensive features, but this does not mean there are not affordable Eco-houses on the market. It all depends where you allocate your money. Builders of Eco-houses are also taking initiatives to reduce the costs associated with general homes. The main factors contributing to cost for any house includes land, planning, infrastructure, professional fees, accreditation, compliance fees, labour, materials, market, and occupation. With this being said, initiatives being done to reduce house costs for Eco-houses is directed towards materials and the market. In decreasing material costs, Eco-house builders use reclaimed materials. Eco-house builders can also gain community land trust for ownership of land. For example, in Colorado, USA, Eco-builders were able to eliminate costs by building on cheap land in an absent location while using reclaimed materials. With building in a remote location, the Colorado Eco-builders eliminated land costs.

References

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An Eco-house (or Eco-home) is an environmentally low-impact home designed and built using materials and technology that reduces its carbon footprint and lowers its energy needs. Eco-homes are measured in multiple ways meeting sustainability needs such as water conversation, reducing wastes through reusing and recycling materials, controlling pollution to stop global warming, energy generation and conservations, and decreasing CO2 emissions.

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The Pros and Cons of the Eastern Redcedar | Piedmont Master Gardeners

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Eastern Redcedar is usually a medium sized tree from 20 to 50 feet high with a short trunk one to two feet in diameter. Some trees have been found 120 feet high and four feet in diameter. The tree grows rather slowly. The bark is very thin, light-reddish-brown, and from one-eighth to one-quarter inch thick. It is shreddy and peels off in narrow shaggy strips. Because of its reddish bark and wood the Canadian French called the Eastern Redcedar "baton rouge," meaning red stick, from which the capitol of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, was named. Dark purple-blue berries one-quarter to three-eighths inch in diameter grow on the small, rather ﬂat leaf sprays. These berries possess some medicinal and ﬂavoring properties, and are relished by birds and small forest mammals. The tree is fairly symmetrical and uniformly conical in shape. It is in fact a juniper and not a true cedar species. Eastern Redcedar is one of twelve species of Juniper native to the United States. It is the unofficial State tree of Tennessee.

Eastern Red Cedar (trade)

Cedar (Conn., Pa., N.J., S.C., Ky., Ill., Iowa, Ohio)

Cedre (La)

Juniper (N.Y., Pa.)

Juniper Bush (Minn.)

Red Cedar (N. H., Vt., Mass., R.I., N.Y., N.J., Pa., Del., Va., W.Va., N. C., S.C., Ga., Fla., Ala., Miss., La., * Ky., Mo., Ill., Ind., Wis., Iowa, Mich., Minn., Ohio, Ontario and hort.)

Tennessee Red Cedar (trade)

Eastern Redcedar grows through the eastern half of North America from Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, southern Quebec and Ontario to southeastern North Dakota, southward to eastern Texas and eastward to northern Florida. Along the coastal plain from South Carolina to Florida, Eastern Redcedar and Southern Redcedar are difﬁcult to distinguish and are usually marketed as one species.

The sapwood of Eastern Redcedar is very narrow and is nearly white, or light-cream color. The heartwood, which generally has many small knots because of the many branches and short trunk, is dull to bright or pinkish-red, sometimes with a purple-red tinge and often streaked a deep reddish-brown. It is highly and pleasantly aromatic. The wood is moderately soft, medium heavy, brittle, ﬁne textured, even in grain, and usually straight except in extremely suppressed trees. It is a favorite wood of the craftsman, for it is very easily worked with all types of tools, has good carving and whittling qualities, stays in place, and takes a beautiful natural ﬁnish.

Eastern Redcedar is used chieﬂy for chests, cabinets, wardrobes and closet lining because of its beautiful coloring, sound knots, which are variable and attractive, and its aromatic fragrance which is reputedly a good preventive for moth destruction, The wood is also a favorite for lead pencils, cigar boxes and is especially in demand for souvenir novelties of all kinds. To a limited extent this wood is used for furniture, canoes and interior ﬁnish. The wood is especially durable, making it desirable for cooperage such as buckets, for small boat construction, posts and poles, shingles, and to some extent general building purposes. The available supply for these uses, however, is gradually becoming more limited except for posts. It is well suited to many types of projects of the hobbyist and the homework shop. Cedar leaf oil used in medicine is distilled from the leaves, and Cedar-wood oil is distilled from the twigs and wood.

Cross section specimens of Eastern Red Cedar. Eastern Red Cedar by Hough

Reference: Romeyn B. Hough's American Woods, Volume I. https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/forestry/hough/WoodsPart_I.html. Accessed 3 Feb. 2019.
Source: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/forestry/hough/vlgimage/plate_25.jpg

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02-02-2019

Shelley E. Schoonover (American Woods) 1951 (Watling & Co. ) Santa Monica, CA

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Eastern Redcedar is usually a medium sized tree from 20 to 50 feet high with a short trunk one to two feet in diameter. Some trees have been found 120 feet high and four feet in diameter. The tree grows rather slowly. The bark is very thin, light-reddish-brown, and from one-eighth to one-quarter inch thick.

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5 years treated

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When it comes to building something out of wood, the type of material will dramatically alter your result. However, there are so many types of materials that it's easy to get overwhelmed by choices. Oak is immortal, but there's cherry, spruce, and tons of other woods too. Pine, in particular, is a popular choice for everything from home construction to furniture, but is it a good building material?
Pine is a good building material for a wide variety of items, from home furniture to entire houses. Despite being considered a softwood, pine is stiff, durable, and shock-resistant. This means it can compete with hardwood like oak for a large niche in the wood market.
This article will go more in-depth about pine as a building material, as well as other alternatives for different types of building projects.

Visual Aesthetic of Pine

Pinewood is very popular due to its natural light color. Depending on the tree's exact species, pine can range from pure white to yellow or even light brown. Pine is well known for knots, so if one is buying pine furniture, it's best to make sure no knots are deforming the item. On the other hand, knots may be desirable to specific craftsmen or for particular styles.

Due to its mild color, pine can be stained virtually any color for a wide variety of styles in household furniture. Because pine isn't water-resistant, it's recommended to seal the wood before staining or painting. Many people opt for merely clear coating the pinewood. This results in a rustic, country-style look that is nearly synonymous with the word 'pine.'

On the negative side, pine's color tends to fade in direct sunlight, especially without chemical treatment.

Uses of Pine

Pine is one of the most popular woods in the world, and for good reason: the fast-growing softwood can be used for making paper products in addition to other uses. Its abundance makes pine ubiquitous when considering woods as fuel. Furniture made of pine is marketed as a cheaper alternative to heavier woods such as oak or spruce.

A few common examples are:

Pros and Cons of Using Pine

When considering pine as a project material, there are several advantages and disadvantages to consider.

Pros

Strong enough for residential home construction

Pine is a softwood, making it easier to work with vs. other wood

Durable and shock-resistant for residential construction

Easily colored

Lightweight

Resists shrinking and swelling

Pine is a more renewable and eco-friendly option than many alternatives

Cons

Can be scratched or dented easier than hardwood

Light weight makes damage more likely

Doesn't typically last as long as hardwood

Pine Is Eco-Friendly

In recent years, environmentally friendly options for nearly every industry have become prevalent as consumer demand grows. Deforestation, in particular, is a growing problem for many areas of the world. How can one meet the ever-shifting push for sustainable products? Try pine.

Because pine is a softwood tree, it grows much faster than hardwood alternatives and can keep up with demand while not endangering sensitive wildlife ecosystems. There are many sustainable pine plantations throughout the northern hemisphere, including North America and Europe. Asia also uses pine widely as a building material. Australia, too, has even begun growing pine plantations for commercial use.

When you choose pine as a material, you're lessening the strain on old-growth forests composed mainly of hardwood like oak. While pine may not be as durable as oak, it's a significant tradeoff if you're conscious about the environment.

Pine Is Cheap

Due to a myriad of factors, pine is a much cheaper wood than many others.

Pine is locally produced in many countries worldwide, which means that transport is usually only over short distances. This, in combination with its lightweight, makes shipping costs relatively low.

A far more crucial factor than those is that pine grows very fast. If trees didn't grow fast enough to keep up with demand, it wouldn't matter if pine grows everywhere and is light.

Is Pine for Inside or Outside Use?

Pine is often used in furniture making, and that's because pine has no decay-resisting or insect-resisting properties once it's processed as lumber. Therefore, untreated pine rots quickly and attracts insects when it gets wet.

Pine is perfectly capable of being used outdoors if properly treated with the right chemical treatments. It isn't widespread, but pine can even be used to build homes, mainly cabins.

Other Uses of Pine

Many people traditionally use pine cones and boughs as holiday ornaments, and pine trees are often grown and marketed as Christmas trees for indoor use. Pine needles have been used in some Asian countries to make a tea high in vitamins A and C, and the inner bark of pine trees is edible. Pine resin, too, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Alternatives to Pine Wood

Depending on your specific needs, there are many other materials you can use in place of pine. Pine may be easier to find than other types of wood but does not fit the criteria for your project. Always be sure to thoroughly research specific types of timber choices before embarking on a project.

Spruce is a popular choice, being roughly the same weight and price as pine. Just like pine, spruce looks great if clear coated. However, spruce may not be universally available like pine is.

Cedar is another softwood that is easy to work, just like pine. Cedar is better to use than pine for outdoor projects because it is naturally water-resistant and resists decay.

Cherry is a great hardwood option and a very popular choice for furniture. Cherry stains and finishes well with only oil necessary. Cherry forests are prevalent and very sustainable options for the environmentally-conscious buyer. Cherry may be harder to find than other woods, so keep in mind it may have a higher price point.

Mahogany is another great alternative for furniture that also only needs a coat of oil to stay beautiful. The drawback is that mahogany isn't grown in sustainable forests, so it may be hard to find.

Oak is considered to be a gold standard when it comes to furniture and home construction alike. Oak generally isn't a sustainable tree, so that may impact your decision to use it or not. Oak is a very strong type of wood that can last decades - indeed, many pieces of oak furniture become family heirlooms. If longevity is what you're after, consider oak for your project.

A Note About Hardwood

Hardwood trees grow more slowly than their softwood counterparts, which means that it is easy to cut down more trees than can be regrown. This endangers some hardwood tree species.

Why Use Pine Over Other Wood?

By now, you have a basic idea of the virtues and drawbacks of pine as well as other types of wood, but what makes pine such a great option?

If these work for your project, pine is the wood for you:

You want something easy to work with

You want cheap wood

You plan on moving the furniture frequently and need something lightweight

You're planning on painting or clear coating your project

You don't need something that will last decades like oak

Final Thoughts

Pine is an excellent wood that can last a long time if your piece is constructed properly. It does need to be treated if used outdoors, but it is as weather-resistant as any other wood. Pine is a beautiful wood to work with whether you're painting it or just clear-coating it. Unless you have very specific needs, pine will most likely serve you well.

Sources

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Is Pine a Good Building Material? - Your Own Architect

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When it comes to building something out of wood, the type of material will dramatically alter your result. However, there are so many types of materials that it's easy to get overwhelmed by choices. Oak is immortal, but there's cherry, spruce, and tons of other woods too.

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low 38/20

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subtropical humid climate

The eastern portion of Texas, which comprises about a third of the state, has a subtropical humid climate, experiencing warm summers. The central portion of Texas, comprising another third of the state, is a subtropical sub-humid climate with hot summers and arid winters.

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Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. subtropical humid climate The eastern portion of Texas, which comprises about a third of the state, has a subtropical humid climate, experiencing warm summers. The central portion of Texas, comprising another third of the state, is a subtropical sub-humid climate with hot summers and arid winters.

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Shrubs:
American beautyberry
Buttonbush
Lantana
Wax myrtle
Vines
Cross-vine, Pipevine
Trumpet creeper
Carolina Jessamine
Coral honeysuckle
Virginia creeper
May-pop

Grasses:
Big blue stem
Bushy bluestem
Broomsedge
Inland sea-oats
Canada wildrye
Wildflowers
Winecup
Coralbean
Halbert-leaf rose-mallow

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nature@tpwd.texas.gov
East Texas Pineywoods

From the northern edge of very urban Houston to rural Bowie County north of Texarkana runs one of the most beautiful pine forests still standing in North America. Mostly deep, dark and evergreen, it is an extension of the rich pine/hardwood forests of the southeastern United States. Patchworked with evergreen shrub bogs and cypress-tupelo swamps, this area is characterized by rolling hills of pine and oak and rich hardwood bottomlands renewed frequently by long-term flooding.

The Pineywoods is graced by 35 to 60 inches of rain per year supporting not only the pines - loblolly, shortleaf and longleaf mainly - but also a myriad of woodland specialties like sphagnum mosses, ferns, pitcher plants, sundews, pipeworts, and orchids. Streamside stands of beech, oaks, elm, and magnolia also benefit from the heavy rainfall.

East Texas boasts a rich diversity of wildlife. Fifteen species of Texas breeding birds, including the Pine Warbler, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Red-cockaded Woodpecker nest in this region. Bachman's Sparrow nests in the longleaf pine uplands, while wintering Bald Eagles roost in undisturbed uplands near rivers and lakes. Mammals in the region include River Otter, Gray Squirrel, Flying Squirrel and even the Louisiana Black Bear.

Plants of the East Texas Pineywoods

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texas wildscapes plant guidance by ecoregions

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nature@tpwd.texas.gov From the northern edge of very urban Houston to rural Bowie County north of Texarkana runs one of the most beautiful pine forests still standing in North America. Mostly deep, dark and evergreen, it is an extension of the rich pine/hardwood forests of the southeastern United States.

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Drummond red maple
River birch
American beech
Southern red oak
Willow oak
Shumard red oak
American elm
Southern sugar maple
Eastern redbud
Flowering dogwood
Southern magnolia
Eastern red cedar
Short-leaf pine
Long-leaf pine
Loblolly pine

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nature@tpwd.texas.gov
East Texas Pineywoods

From the northern edge of very urban Houston to rural Bowie County north of Texarkana runs one of the most beautiful pine forests still standing in North America. Mostly deep, dark and evergreen, it is an extension of the rich pine/hardwood forests of the southeastern United States. Patchworked with evergreen shrub bogs and cypress-tupelo swamps, this area is characterized by rolling hills of pine and oak and rich hardwood bottomlands renewed frequently by long-term flooding.

The Pineywoods is graced by 35 to 60 inches of rain per year supporting not only the pines - loblolly, shortleaf and longleaf mainly - but also a myriad of woodland specialties like sphagnum mosses, ferns, pitcher plants, sundews, pipeworts, and orchids. Streamside stands of beech, oaks, elm, and magnolia also benefit from the heavy rainfall.

East Texas boasts a rich diversity of wildlife. Fifteen species of Texas breeding birds, including the Pine Warbler, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Red-cockaded Woodpecker nest in this region. Bachman's Sparrow nests in the longleaf pine uplands, while wintering Bald Eagles roost in undisturbed uplands near rivers and lakes. Mammals in the region include River Otter, Gray Squirrel, Flying Squirrel and even the Louisiana Black Bear.

Plants of the East Texas Pineywoods

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texas wildscapes plant guidance by ecoregions

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nature@tpwd.texas.gov From the northern edge of very urban Houston to rural Bowie County north of Texarkana runs one of the most beautiful pine forests still standing in North America. Mostly deep, dark and evergreen, it is an extension of the rich pine/hardwood forests of the southeastern United States.

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incorporate with the environment

Interaction between humans and animals

old.
Invade the into environment

Colonization

Wood in architect

High