It's smart and smart-looking to think green in the bathroom.

In an uncertain market, custom and mass-market builders, as well as homebuyers, are OK with eliminating living rooms and downsizing massive kitchens but remain satisfied with the number and size of baths in the typical home, a recent National Association of Home Builders survey shows.

GGO Architects

Among sustainable features in Heather Ferrier's bathroom are recyclable countertops made of formica and recycled glass tiles; zero-VOC concrete floors; ash cabinetry with zero-VOC stain and sealer; low-flow shower heads and faucets, dual-flush toilet; and a solar tankless hot water heater.

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So the next step is to make the bathroom more eco-friendly without sacrificing style.

For the floor, a durable sheet linoleum made of products such as tree resin, cork, linseed oil, jute and limestone has been making the rounds. Marmoleum is nontoxic, sustainable and easy to maintain. Unlike old-fashioned linoleum, it comes in a wide selection of modern colors.

Other green flooring choices include recycled glass tiles and stone tiles. Bamboo and cork travel well to the bathroom, too.

With the wide choices, eco-conscious homebuyers should insist on products' and materials' sustainability, says LEED-certified architect Gary Gene Olp, president of GGO Architects of Dallas. There's more to a green bathroom than the latest product. "If you like the way glass tiles look, fine, but porcelain and ceramic are as eco-beneficial," he says.

"Durability is the most important thing. You don't want to ruin the subfloor. The questions to ask a builder are 'What are you putting behind or underneath this tile?' and 'Can I count on this floor to last 25 years?' "

For vanities, IceStone countertops, made of concrete, resin and recycled glass, get a green star. IceStone is "extremely durable –and outrageously pricey. But it's beautiful," Mr. Olp says.

His firm also has used solid concrete for countertops. IceStone is a choice for the floor, shower surround and bathroom wall, too. For bathroom counters, granite has the same eco-advantages, Mr. Olp says.

If painted walls are preferred, no- and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints come in an endless color palette. With their nontoxicity and solid quality, these paints inch closer to becoming the standard.

For the essentials – toilet, shower and faucets – it's about keeping the volume low.

Thanks to '90s water conservation laws, low-flush and ultra-low-flush are standard, and designs are more varied than ever.

Faucets and showerheads come in low-flow versions, too.

Don't skimp on these fixtures, says Mr. Olp. "That faucet that costs $250 will be in your home for 25 years because it has a brushed-nickel finish that won't corrode, and porcelain seats on the valve and Teflon washers for durability."

Here are the main areas of focus when aiming for "green" building:

•Energy-efficiency and renewable energy

•Water efficiency

•Environmentally preferable building materials and specifications

•Waste reduction

•Reduction of toxics

•Indoor air quality

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency