Building Green - The Finale

As Season One of Building Green comes to a close, Kevin takes stock of his journey and reflects on the numerous lessons learned along the way. From the feng shui design, to the blue jean insulation and solar panels, to the native landscaping, Kevin is really pleased with the end-product of his work and the efforts of the numerous people who helped him along the way.

While it wasn't all fun and games, Kevin reflects on how much easier and less expensive it is getting by the day to build green. His favorite parts of the home are how all of the pieces came together harmoniously, and the warmth and comfort afforded by the straw bales. His least favorite part? You guessed it, the size.

Kevin welcomes some special guests who help explore some ways to "live greener," and hosts a party where his team finally gets to rest and enjoy the comfort and beauty of the finished house.

Building Green - Water

You can learn how to do all of these things by watching Episode Ten of Building Green, which is all about building creative water systems that reduce, reuse and recycle your H2O, whether you collected it from your rooftop, or bought it from the city.

Building Green - Lighting

Join Kevin in this exceptionally... enlightening episode of Building Green, as he learns about Solatubes, solar panels, and even solar ovens. He shows us how to check your home for electromagnetic radiation, and how to wire your house to reduce it, and how to use efficient lighting to create a warm, atmospheric glow. Watch our video page for new clips from Episode Nine all week long.

Building Green - Floors and Closets

A floor can add warmth and texture to a room, but did you know that your flooring choice can also have an impact on the air quality inside your home? Join Kevin as he leans about concrete, recycled wood, natural carpet and other flooring options. Concrete may not be the greenest flooring material out there, but there are many new techhnologies that can make it greener than ever before. And by using the poured foundation itself as his home's floor at ground level, Kevin saved having to use an additional flooring material--after all, the greenest material you can use on any project is no material at all. For the upstairs, Kevin explores recycled sheep barn flooring, and at his daughters' request checks out some cozy earth- and human-friendly carpeting.

Building Green - Interior Finishes

We've been working hard for weeks, and now it's time to have some fun with beautiful finishes and elegant flourishes. Having built a beautiful structure out of steel and straw, it's now time to apply plasters, paints, stains and washes that will make the inside of the house glow with warmth and elegance.

Building Green - Exterior Finishes

As the old adage goes, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover; however, don't we all judge a house by its exterior? We do, and that's why, in episode six of Building Green, host Kevin Contreras spends some quality time investigating different types of green exteriors for his straw bale home. In this online guide to episode six, follow Kevin step-by-step as he learns more about earthen plasters, natural hydraulic lime plaster, nontoxic paints and pourable limestone.

Building Green - Doors and Windows

In this episode on Doors & Windows, learn why dumpster diving can be such fun. Repurposed wood is so cool. And traditional plywood can be so bad for you.

Building Green - Straw Bales

Straw bales will be Kevin's main building blocks as he begins the most significant phase of construction on his green dream home. A few things you might not know about straw that you'll learn in our freshly-posted, online guide to episode four of Building Green: It's highly fire resistant, breathable (i.e., mold resistant) and cost efficient.

Building Green - Framing and Roofing

In episode two of the first season of Building Green, host Kevin Contreras gets to the bottom of things, i.e., the Foundation. Follow Kevin step-by-step as he discovers green concrete and tours a straw bale mansion in Huntsville, Alabama. Also, find out why Kevin decides on a steel frame for his Santa Barbara green dream home and why even building code officials and insurance companies are starting to look favorably on straw bale houses. Want to know more about the green benefits of radiant floor heating, earthen floors and fly ash? Or perhaps about the experts and products featured on the show?

Building Green - Foundation

In episode two of the first season of Building Green, host Kevin Contreras gets to the bottom of things, i.e., the Foundation. Follow Kevin step-by-step as he discovers green concrete and tours a straw bale mansion in Huntsville, Alabama. Also, find out why Kevin decides on a steel frame for his Santa Barbara green dream home and why even building code officials and insurance companies are starting to look favorably on straw bale houses. Want to know more about the green benefits of radiant floor heating, earthen floors and fly ash? Or perhaps about the experts and products featured on the show?

Building Green - Breaking Ground

In this episode, learn why retail sales are 40% higher in daylit stores, and students in daylit schools progress 20-26% faster on test scores. The air inside your home can be five times more toxic than the air pollution found in most major cities. Costs are coming down for a lot of green materials, and some are now less expensive than the standard stuff we've been using for years. You don't have to give up style and comfort to live in an eco-friendly home.