From the ArcaMax Publishing, Home and Consumer Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/home/s-570090-677802
The remodeling industry took as big of a hit as the home building
market, since homeowners were reluctant to dump any more money into
their depreciating homes. Less people can afford homes, so fewer homes
are being renovated and turned into “flips”. (A “flip” is a
house that is bought, renovated and then sold). This difficulty in our
economy will bring fewer buyers, but also more conscientious
consumers. People are going to be smart about their choices and many
of these people are looking for new trends – like green building
material and environmentally safe products. From this, you can use
bamboo to fill both of these needs.
Bamboo is very trendy right now because of its green qualities. With a
growth rate of nearly 3 times that of traditional hardwood, bamboo is
one of the fastest renewing materials we can use. Some bamboo in ideal
climates can grow up to a foot in a day! So you can see why bamboo is
being recognized as a plant that can help save the earth. Because of
this clear cutting of massive amounts of forest can be eliminated and
with this we could save many trees that produce oxygen. Bamboo,
coincidentally releases 30 to 40 percent more oxygen in to the air
than a similar sized groove of trees, so this also adds to the overall
appeal of the plant. Besides being trendy because of its green appeal,
bamboo is also one of the strongest woods on the planet. It is so
durable that it is often used in light industrial type settings for
flooring and some paneling.
In Asia, bamboo has a long history of cultural and economic use;
it’s been used for the past thousand years as building materials,
food, fuel, and medicine. There are roughly 900 to 1,000 different
species of the plant and its growing strength makes its adaptable to
almost any climate. (Look around and you will notice bamboo growing in
the winter). This plant needs little water or attention and spreads
very easily –making it an ideal harvestable plant.
So now that you know about bamboo, you also want to know why it is
right for your renovation. In a recent survey: 96 out of 100 people
were aware that bamboo is a alternative to flooring and other building
material. As opposed to 10 years ago when that same survey produced
less than half of the people being aware of this product; from this
you can see that it is a popular product. Not only is bamboo at the
height of its popularity, but when re-selling a house, you can use the
green label if you have been using bamboo products. The eco-friendly
aspect of bamboo, has a lot of companies looking for ways to
incorporate it into their products.
Finally you should consider bamboo for you house because of the cost.
It is just as durable as hardwood but usually costs about half as
much. Make sure you shop around for pricing because prices vary
greatly. Ultimately the price is better with bamboo products and the
quality is the same or better than the standard materials that we were
once all using – so because of this, bamboo becomes an easy choice
for your next project.
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