Minimizing building material use

The attitudes of our disposable society have found their way into our homes. Nowadays, many people redecorate and refurnish and re-equip their houses much more frequently than their parents' or grandparents' generations and often for no more compelling reason than a stylistic change of heart. While our surroundings are only truly comfortable if they express our tastes and pleases us on both aesthetic and practical levels,  there are still ways in which you can cut wastage in this respect

Strategies include

• Repairing and restoring existing surfaces and finishes wherever possible. Rather than covering existing timber floors with a new floor covering, i.e. think about sanding and refreshing them
• Restrict the use of new materials to what you can see. The carcases of fitted kitchen units, bathroom vanities and fitted storage can be given a fresh face with new doors, drawer fronts and worktops.
• Give your home a facelift with paint, fabric, accessories and other relatively minimal applications of materials. It pays not to rip out everything and start again