The DIY home renovation concept is a very popular trend, especially with the high cost of home renovation and the need to live more sustainably. Providing that you have the expertise or have the proper instruction, it can also be very cost effective as it is good for the environment. The financial costs associated with purchasing a new home has also forced people to go back to basics. Home owners are looking at the comfort and personalization of the home as opposed to buying something that is simply “bigger and better”. Instead of spending a fortune on brand new materials, people are opting to use materials from old buildings or “deconstruction” as well as other materials often headed for landfills. By embracing building concepts such as straw bale building on a community level, people can learn to work together within their own communities to create more affordable housing as they develop a more tight-knit community. How does one begin such an endeavor? What exactly are the building basics that you need to know? How can people collect reclaimed materials? Why are insulation and thermal mass so important? What options are there for utilizing space as well as creating space? How can you incorporate the natural color of materials to enhance the beauty of your home? How can you create a landscape that also lends itself to sustainability?

In this special series called The Clean Energy View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer talks to author, Jessica Kellner about her book, Housing Reclaimed: Sustainable Homes For Next To Nothing. Jessica will share tips and answer many of the questions home owners have about DIY renovation. Jessica Kellner is editor of Natural Home & Garden magazine and a passionate advocate of using architectural salvage to create aesthetically beautiful, low-cost housing. ©2013 TheOrganicView.com. All Rights Reserved.