SunTerra House Plans gives you the information you need to design your home with sustainability in mind. They have housing plan styles for the following types of homes: bungalow, contemporary, country, lodge, mediterranean, modern, prairie, ranch style and rustic home.

If you’re not keen on one of the pre-designed housing plans, you can have this company custom a design that better meets your needs. Now does building a green home sound so challenging after all?

Culhane Construction built a kitchen that you can make disappear and reappear in an instant. Instead of the kitchen being a main part of the home, it’s more like a section that can be hidden from the rest of the house, which is convenient when you don’t have time to clean up.

This particular kitchen was built into a corner with high-end custom cabinetry. In order to disguise the kitchen, a sliding room divider system is used. As shown in the picture, the doors fold up but you can pull them shut and close out the kitchen area from view.

The Metro collection from Ann Sacks gives you tiles with sleek, straight edges, which are perfect for a contemporary feel. Numerous color options are available, so you can create subtle or bold patterns, and the tiles come in both glossy and etched finishes. Sizes range from small 1″ x 8″ and 2″ x 2″ tiles to larger 8″ x 10″ and 12″ x 12″ options.

Field sizes for the Metro tiles start at $33 per square foot. While that’s pricier than many ceramic options, you needn’t do the whole wall in glass. These tiles are perfect for a backsplash or an accent wall in the bathroom.

Ann Sacks

Ideal for a kitchen backsplash, feature wall, or decorative border in the bathroom, the metal tiles are made up of a porcelain body wrapped in stainless steel. They come in flexible, mesh-mounted squares with a backing that you apply like any solid tile. While it may look to guests as if you (or your contractor) laid those hundreds of little circles individually, you’ll know better.

If rounds aren’t your cup of tea, the company offers other tiles with the stainless steel look: basketweave, squares, bricks, parquet, and octagons and dots to name a few.

Bamboo has a natural color and texture that can be elegant yet simple enough to compliment any type of landscaping. Similar to wood and chain fencing, bamboo can bring privacy to your yard. However, this material is more environmentally friendly, and it can set a peaceful ambiance in your yard.

Bamboo fencing comes in either rolls or panels, and it can be constructed in the following ways:

• Misu is a screening fence with horizontal slats and vertical posts support the slats.
• Kenninji is a more classic style, which uses half-round rails and dark twine to close up gaps.
• Twig fence is a more casual look that looks like bundles of bamboo twigs.
• Yotsume is made up of horizontal rails, which are held up by pickets.
• Royanji is a short fence designed for gardens, and it’s made from narrow bamboo shoots.

What you need to be shopping for is 3 1/2 inch thick fiberglass or rock wool batts specifically made for sound proofing. These two materials are the best when it comes to absorbing sounds. Acoustic batts are made to fit in between studs, and they can be 14 1/2 or 22 1/2 inches thick and 3 1/2 inches wide. It’s important that these are installed tightly between the frames and around pipes.

For the highest quality sound proof room, it’s beneficial to thoroughly insulate the walls and ceiling, because a small portion that is left uninsulated will make a big difference that you will notice later. Some insulation manufacturers include CertainTeed, Johns Manville, Knauf Fiber Glass and Owens-Corning.

One way to make a relaxing space is to incorporate a zen garden. All this involves is a sectioned area or wooden foundation that you can fill up with sand and rocks. The zen garden below has different sections, which make it more interesting. For more ambiance, add some candles in the garden’s design too. The soft glow can get you in the mood to settle and center.

With a simple wooden rake, you can put interesting designs into the sand to mimic movement or symbolize water. Raking your garden might be a peaceful activity in itself. A zen garden like this would be a perfect addition to a small room that has windows as its focus.

These two dishwashers are right next to each other, but there are other options. If you’re rebuilding your kitchen, consider putting a dishwasher on the right side of the sink and the other on the left side. This way you’re close to the cabinets and sink when you need put things away or rinse off the food from the plates.

If you have an extra sink in your island, maybe you will want the second dishwasher built in here. Double dishwashers are a great addition to your kitchen, and they can make your life easier.

Thick paving stones require minimal preparation. All you need to do is dig away the grass, weeds and other plant material from the pathway. Then sprinkle sand or granite dust over the area. The last step is placing the stones in the desired areas and tapping them into the ground with a hammer.

If you want to use different types of rocks, create a path with slate stones, fieldstone and gravel. The fieldstone can create a substantial border. Then you can place the slate intermittently throughout the pathway and fill in the empty spaces with a pebble rich in Earth tones. This type of path is more permeable and will allow water to flow through better.

Brick can also compliment slate. If you have any extra brick from building your home, you can use it as a border for your path.

When you think of magnolia trees, white, pink and brown come to mind, which you can tell was the main inspiration for the living room. A dark wood coffee table grounds the room and two white love seats frame it. Although the fireplace and frames on the door and windows are white, there is enough contrast with dark and light to make it work.

For instance, the pink and white flowered pillows, dark wood side table, sea foam green walls and other knickknacks bring color into the room without being too overwhelming. Large starfish and shells decorate the fireplaces and vases of white tulips and roses give the room an earthy yet elegant feel. This room is definitely setup to be a relaxing retreat fit for reading, napping or conversation.