A Greener Home - BALTIMORE

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Garage

By strict green standards (or LEED for Homes), garages are frowned upon. But we find it's better to make practical recommendations concerning your garage, because garages are part of the "American dream".

While it may seem counter to the green standard, our first recommendation is to size your garage based upon your storage and other needs. If the area is not properly sized, you will either not use it at all, or be forever frustrated by the size constraints. Many homes today are built with "two car garages" that are less than 22 feet in width. We have found that a two car garage should be at least 26, if not 28 feet in width to meet the parking and storage needs of most homeowners.

Since you will most probably be storing potentially dangerous chemicals in your garage, you should equip the garage with an exhaust fan that is capabale of exchanging four times the volume of air in the space per hour. The fan should be placed on a timer to run at least four times per day. You should also place a carbom monoxide detector inside you home no more than six feet inside the home from the garage area. This may be required by building code in your county, but is sometimes overlooked.

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