Making your home more eco-friendly can be easier than you think. If you though that in order to have an eco-friendly home you’d need to re-build from the ground up, you’ll be happy to know that there are several simple changes that you can make in your home that will save you money, make your home more “green” and increase the resell value of your home. These days having an eco-friendly home can be a great selling point.

One of the first improvements you can make is with eco-friendly paint. Painting is one of the easiest home improvements you can do. Today, there is a wide choice of eco-friendly paints that have low VOC levels. These paints don’t have the harsh chemicals that can harm the environment. The three basic types of eco-friendly paints are milk based, clay based and recycled latex. These paints can be used on a variety of different surfaces.

Milk based paints are completely natural, but they need to be mixed with water in order to be used. It’s the most expensive option and it remains porous after drying. Clay based paints are very durable and are great for faux finishes. Of all three eco-friendly paints, recycled latex is the most prominent since it can be purchased at most major home improvement stores. It has the most colors available and doesn’t require natural wax to prevent stains like the other options do.

You can also go eco-friendly with your flooring. Natural flooring materials have a beautiful finish and they have low environmental impact. The most common types of eco-friendly flooring are cork and bamboo. Cork is durable and very comfortable to walk on. It is used with non-toxic adhesives and comes in many different colors. Bamboo flooring is also another eco-friendly option. It is very similar to traditional wood flooring in its look. What makes it eco-friendly is that bamboo grows much more quickly than traditional hardwood floors.

If you have the budget for a large eco-friendly home improvement project, you can replace your regular roofing with a more eco-friendly roof. Solar roof systems are the most well known of the eco-friendly options. These roof systems take the light from the sun and convert it into energy that can be used inside of the home. Although these roofs are not made from recyclable materials, the energy savings make them eco-friendly. A solar roofing system will last for approximately 30 years.

Another option is reflective roofing. This option involves covering your roof with a white colored fluid that is applied with a paint roller. This roofing reflects the suns rays and helps reduce energy bills inside the home, especially during the summer. It reduces ultraviolet deterioration of the roof. Roofs made from recycled metal are also a very energy efficient and eco-friendly option. Metal roofs can reflect up to 35% of the suns’ rays. As an added bonus, metal roofs are resistant to both fire and pests.

Any of these eco-friendly options will make a great addition to your home, whether you are planning on living there for decades or will be moving in a few years.

Just in case you have somehow skipped the 20th century inside a cave, Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States with 2,193 stores across the country and in foreign shores. In fact, you can build your own manmade cave with their construction supplies. Also, this home improvement giant also accepts commercial credit cards like MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover. However, if you are after the best deals with this retailer, you might want to secure a store-issued Home Depot credit card.

Types

There are two main types of the Home Depot cards. First, the Consumer Card and the Consumer Rewards MasterCard are mainly for homeowners who spend smaller amounts on construction materials for basic home repair, renovation and maintenance. Second, the Depot Commercial Cards and Depot Business Rewards MasterCard are targeted towards the small to large size businesses that spend larger amounts on construction supplies. As such, they are often engaged in interior design, office and residential building construction and other related industries.Of course, each card has its advantages depending on your home improvement needs.

Advantages

There are many benefits to getting either of the abovementioned Home Depot cards, of which the following are the most important for card holders:

o You need not pay for an annual fee, which is in contrast with commercial credit cards charging as much as $100 annually.

o Upon your initial purchase of at least a thousand dollars, you do not have to make payment and pay interest for 6 months after the purchase. Basically, you are borrowing money for six months at no interest. After 6 months, you should start repaying your debt at fixed interest rates starting at 8 percent, depending on your card type.

o You can view, manage and pay your credit card account online at their website, which is definitely very fast, easy and convenient for busy individuals. You may also make in-store payments at any of the Home Depot stores.

o Your Home Depot credit card is valid in all Home Depot stores. You can basically shop in over 2,000 stores!

o You will be provided with easy-to-read itemized billing statements, which can be used for settlements and reconciliations, when and where necessary.

o You can track your purchases by either purchase order number, job name or job order, which is a very good feature especially when you are ordering in bulk.

o You do not assume financial responsibility and liability for unauthorized charges to your credit card.

o You can choose to pay in full or make low monthly payments. Take note, however, that the Commercial Credit Card requires full payment of all charges due and demandable every month.

You can also avail of special promotions and rewards programs with your Home Depot credit card. For example, you earn 2 points for charges made at gas stations, restaurants, drugstores and grocery stores. You can then redeem your accumulated points in gift cards, merchandise and air travel.