Revamp Your Luxury Home in Smith Mountain Lake With Sustainable House Upgrades
Also called the Jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia is known for being one of the best lake towns in the US. It boasts 500 miles of shoreline, verdant peaks, a variety of water-based activities, and that quintessential rural charm that makes one feel right at home from the get-go.
It’s no wonder Smith Mountain Lake was hailed as one of the five best places to buy a lake house. Cited were its great vacation rental performance and moderate property taxes that could offset pricier upfront costs in the long term. Additionally, it’s believed to have great potential to outperform market conditions and prove to be an even better investment in the future.
If you’re interested in investing in one of the available Smith Mountain Lake luxury homes for sale, rewards await. And if you decide to revamp your property and turn it into a sustainable house, it may yield faster and higher returns when you decide to sell it in the future.
WHAT IS A SUSTAINABLE HOME?
First things first: what is a sustainable home?
In its simplest sense, a sustainable home is one that adheres to the concept of sustainable development, which is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Therefore, a sustainable home is one that has been designed to minimize its environmental impact, conserve resources, and promote energy efficiency. Also known as eco-friendly homes, sustainable homes aim to provide a healthier and more efficient living environment while reducing its overall carbon footprint.
It typically factors in the following:
- The use of building materials. Eco-friendly homes are made from materials that are locally sourced, low-impact, or recyclable.
- Adherence to eco-friendly practices and methodologies, from construction to maintenance to material removal/recycling.
- Passive design to harness the home’s natural surroundings in order to regulate temperature and lighting. Key components include access to natural sunlight, the area’s prevailing winds, and the orientation of the structure itself.
- Energy efficiency by incorporating features such as high-quality insulation, energy-saving windows, LED lighting, and green appliances. The goal is to reduce energy consumption and lower utility bills.
BENEFITS OF A SUSTAINABLE HOUSE
Opting for sustainable upgrades promises a slew of advantages, on a short-term and long-term basis These include:
Lower energy costs
A sustainable house with energy-efficient furnishings and features can help you save as much as $500 on annual utility bills. LEED-certified homes, for instance, consume 20 to 30% less energy than non-LEED homes, and can save up to 60% in energy use.
Insulation can also help you net up to 50% in savings from your energy bill, according to the Department of Energy. At the same time, ensuring proper sealing for your home’s ducts can yield a 20% increase in efficiency in your home’s cooling and heating systems. And HVAC equipment that is Energy-Star rated offers 10 to 30% in annual savings.
Lighting, which accounts for about 15% of your home’s electricity consumption, can be made better with LED lighting – and help you save $225 in energy bills every year. Or if you opt to install a fully functional solar panel system, you can look forward to reaping anywhere from $20,000 to $75,000 in savings over the lifespan of the solar panels.
Finally, energy-efficient windows can help you generate over 10% in savings off your utility costs, as heat gain and loss through windows are responsible for as much as 30% of your HVAC use.
An increase in property value
Adopting greener construction and design methods for your home can also have a direct effect on its value.
A 2022 survey of more than 45,000 Realtors revealed that 36% of respondents said that a home with eco-friendly features like solar panels increased the perceived value of a property.
Freddie Mac’s research team concurs. It said that homes rated for energy efficiency sell for about 3% more than unrated homes. And homes with better ratings than others can sell for 3% to 5% more than homes with lower ratings.
Common upgrades that are deemed desirable cover those that cater to the home’s heating and cooling, as well as siding, doors, and windows. Approximately one out of four buyers also want energy-efficient lighting.
The specific type of sustainable upgrade you choose to adopt can have varying effects on resale value. Solar panels, for instance, can net a $20 increase in property value for every dollar they help save in energy consumption A home with an already installed solar panel can also sell 4% more than a home without solar.
Smart appliances, for their part, can add as much as a 7% boost to your home’s value. Similarly, over 80% of smart home product users want a house that also has smart home technology.
Energy-efficient insulation is believed to help contribute to a 6% increase in home value, while the installation of new windows carries a whopping 70% recoup value. And an eco-friendly house with landscaping that uses local plants can incur a 20% hike in property value.
And to the drive the point home, millennials, which constitute the largest home-buying demographic in the US, weighed in on another Freddie Mac study:
- 67% said they would like a sustainable home
- 13% said they would pay more for one without a guaranteed return on the investment
Reducing your carbon footprint
Household activities worldwide are responsible for one-third of the planet’s carbon dioxide emissions, according to a 2019 study. Similarly, in the United States, buildings – which include residential spaces – account for 39% of total energy use, as well as 68% of electricity consumption.
The larger the home, the more energy it expends; and the more appliances you use, the bigger your resulting carbon footprint. For instance, residential electricity contributed to almost 10% of CO2 emissions in the entire country in 2020, while refrigerators generated more than 600 pounds of CO2 emissions in the same year.
With eco homes, you get the chance to see a significant reduction in your household’s carbon footprint. According to a study conducted by Finnish researchers, home automation, which is among the most popular sustainable upgrades you can commission, can bring about almost 13% of energy savings, compared to original emissions.
Additionally, securing LEED certification can help you lower CO2 emissions by 34%, as well as reduce energy and water usage by 25% and 11% respectively.
Better quality of life
Purchasing a Smith Mountain Lake luxury home and turning it into a sustainable house can also make life healthier, better, and just more comfortable for you and your family.
According to a study, people who work in energy-efficient buildings can experience fewer incidences of headaches, fatigue, and skin irritation – and the same principles can be adapted to residential dwellings.
In fact, something as simple as improving ventilation can reduce drafts and dampness, which can directly reduce mold. As a result, indoor air can be healthier, which can do wonders for those with respiratory conditions. It can also positively impact mental health.
An eco-friendly house is quieter as well, owing to its improved insulation. Plus, it’s more comfortable because energy efficienct upgrades ensure that winters are warm and summers are cool.
Now, achieving all or most of these benefits is easier when you’re taking on a new build, but what about renovating an existing house?
Fortunately, a renovation with sustainable upgrades will yield the same set of benefits. There’s the added benefit of optimizing a house that already exists without the ecological impact of new builds.
Here are some of the best projects you can commission for your luxury house in Smith Mountain Lake.
5 SUSTAINABLE HOUSE UPGRADE IDEAS FOR LUXURY HOMES IN SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
A luxury house is already one of the best investments one can make, but with sustainable upgrades, it can be even more comfortable, functional, and aesthetically appealing. Consider these projects for your home.
- Switch to LED lighting
LED lighting is one of the best upgrades for luxury homes. Where it used to exist mostly as indicator and traffic lights, now it’s available in general illumination applications, which can be customized to spotlight the beauty of your home.
In fact, there will be fewer and fewer of the incandescent lights we’ve been using for the longest time because common household bulbs have effectively been banned in the US.
But LED lights have more than stepped up to the plate. Here’s why:
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Varied types achieve layered lighting.
You can choose lights with recessed fixtures, task lights, outdoor area lights, under-cabinet lights, and more to create multi-level lighting schemes. -
Wide range of color temperatures allow you to adjust the mood of your interiors.
Warmer LED lights are ideal for evoking a sense of coziness, while cooler temperatures can brighten up any space. Often, most LED lighting systems offer both of these color temperatures to create a balanced, harmonious atmosphere inside your home. -
LED lights have smart controls.
Finally, you can opt for LED lights that come with smart features, such as voice commands. Similarly, these lights can also be integrated into your smart home system.
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- Make your home a smart home
Luxury homes should not go without smart home systems that provide end-to-end functionality and comfort. This means your system should have an integrated ecosystem that includes these essential components:
- Climate control
Smart thermostats and other related equipment for climate control have come a long way from just being able to adjust indoor temperatures to achieve ideal comfort levels. Today, you can install systems that can monitor weather conditions in Smith Mountain Lake or adjust air quality according to humidity levels.
Some systems can even be designed with geo-sensing features so they know when you’re on your way home from a day of adventure and accordingly prepare the house to welcome you with comforts you can program ahead of time.
- Security and surveillance
It’s common for luxury homes to sit on sprawling grounds that may require a lot of effort to monitor. With smart security and surveillance tools, you can opt for gadgets like self-flight drone cams to oversee certain areas of your property.
Additionally, some monitoring systems issue alerts and notifications not only for suspicious activities, but also for discrepancies in functionality. For instance, if you have a busted pipe in the house, your smart home system can not only inform you of the incident, it can also contact the necessary help to fix the issue.
- Appliances and electrical items
Most of the appliances that we have today now come with smart features so you can add them to your home’s network and make sure they work exactly like how you would want them to. These include ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, and electrical items for virtually any area of your house.
- Entertainment
Finally, don’t forget your gadgets for fun and play! You can choose among whole-house audio systems, VR headsets, high-resolution displays, and more.
- Climate control
- Install solar panels
Solar panels are a great way to add to your home’s ecological contributions, while also granting significant savings off your utility bills. In Smith Mountain Lake, solar panels have become among the most popular ways to renovate eco houses because they:
- Make the most of the available sunshine in the area
- Yield considerable savings from selling back unused generated power to providers
For Smith Mountain Lake luxury homes, solar panels come in various types, so you can make sure that they don’t detract from the overall look of your one-of-a-kind abode.
- Use sustainable materials
Opting for ethically sourced and sustainable materials is another solid way to turn your house green. Some of these materials include:
- ENERGY STAR-certified windows
- Slate tiles
- Glass-cement composites
- Stucco
- Bamboo
- Reclaimed wood
- Cork
- Consider green additions
Finally, consider adding green structures that will improve the look of your home and make it cooler, more energy-efficient, and even provide a source of food. Some of the most useful ideas for these additions are:
- Green roofs
Green roofs use vegetation on top of traditional roofing materials to provide a slew of benefits: lengthen the lifespan of typical roofing membranes, help curb air pollution, absorb stormwater runoff, reduce the frequency of use of HVAC systems, add aesthetic appeal to your home, etc.
- Vegetable gardens
Many estates now feature vegetable gardens or orchards, which are scaled-down versions of the farm-to-table concept that appeal to those who want to make sure they eat healthy. Plus they come with the added perk of improving your home’s sustainability score.
- Green roofs
Choosing from among all these ideas can stump any homeowner. Thankfully, with some professional guidance, you can take charge of the process and ensure that it ends with successful results.
TIPS ON CHOOSING SUSTAINABLE UPGRADES
Before upgrading your luxury home, make sure to do the following:
- Define your goals
Sustainable houses can meet various needs and some upgrades are specifically created to achieve certain goals. This is why you must be sure of your aims. With the range of projects and ideas you can choose from, it would be all too easy to get lost and end up commissioning something you don’t actually want, much less need.
Not only will that be an unnecessary drain on your expenses, it can also severely compromise your sustainability goals. For instance, if you have a haphazard ecosystem of smart technologies that do not complement each other or cannot be integrated into your existing setup, you might encounter issues with your home’s efficiency, functionality, comfort, and aesthetics.
- Study your home’s existing design
To make an eco-friendly house, make sure renovations or upgrades take your home’s existing design into account as well as the area’s weather patterns or climate considerations.
If you want more natural light in your home, for example, invest in energy-efficient windows and install them in the correct places. Make sure the specific type matches the location of the new window, while factoring in the amount of light, wind, and moisture that you can expect from that area.
- Rely on the experts
Finally, work with reputable professionals like s architects and designers that specialize in sustainability. This ensures that you will get expert guidance and advice when it comes to choosing materials or going into specifics. These professionals will ensure that the results conform to your sustainability goals, as well as the design and functionality of the house, to make the money you invest in upgrades is worth it.
Therefore, before you start, understand and clarify what you want and need.
WORK WITH JANE SULLIVAN HORNE TO BUY HOMES IN SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
Since 1986, Jane Sullivan Horne has been helping clients buy and sell the best Smith Mountain Lake luxury homes.
If you intend to undertake sustainable upgrades for your property, you can find expert help among Jane’s network of architects and designers with a proven track record of delivering exceptional results. At the same time, Jane makes sure that your goals, both current and long-term, are prioritized so that you end up with a smart home that’s energy efficient, comfortable, and with better aesthetic appeal and increased market value.
If you’re thinking of buying a home in Smith Mountain Lake or if you’re considering eco-friendly upgrades before you sell your home in Smith Mountain Lake, get in touch with Jane. Call her at 540.493.1690 or contact her here.
