4 Things That Will Ensure Your Dream Home Is a Healthy Home

You’re planning your dream, but is it also a healthy and safe home for you and your family? Several elements that go into building a home—from the materials used to build the house to the levels of light and noise within the structure—can impact the quality of life inside your haven.

Canadians spend most of their time indoors, so many homebuyers like you are looking into how they can improve the quality of the indoor air they inhale. If you’re building or renovating your home, make sure you work with an architect, designer and builder who will help you bring harmony and purity to your home.

Here are the key factors you should consider to make sure your home is free of toxic air.

Materials

Although our homes are now made of more durable materials, these materials are unfortunately often made of synthetic chemicals that increase the toxicity levels in our homes. Noxious ingredients are in many products used to build homes: paint, adhesives, insulation, and even flooring, wall coverings and furniture. These products often contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that can release into the air in our homes and cause headaches and a number of irritations. In fact, prolonged and intense exposure to these fumes can even result in cancer. Paint, for instance, contains a list of toxic ingredients, while medium density fibreboard used to build cabinets, shelving, flooring and furniture contains formaldehyde, a VOC.

What you can do:

Make sure your house is designed for good ventilation to get rid of any pollutants, and select materials and finishes that are natural and chemical-free. Many manufacturers are developing products that are compatible with healthy living as they reduce VOC levels and eliminate odours.

Insulation and mold

If your home isn’t properly insulated and ventilated, it will develop a high moisture level that can result in mold emerging on various surfaces and causing allergies and asthma attacks. Today’s tightly sealed energy-efficient buildings mean we use minimal energy to heat and cool our homes, but these structures often have limited ventilation so moisture can build up fast. Amenities such as hot-water showers, laundry and dish washing appliances have also added to the moisture levels in our homes. A mold-free home should have an excellent ventilation system to replace humid air with fresh air so that moisture can dry out quickly.

What you can do:

Good insulation and ventilation are key in preventing mold. Ask your contractor about exterior insulation and weather proofing for your home, and get a heat recovery ventilator that can be installed as a separate unit or near your furnace. Always check that your plumbing isn’t leaky and your exhaust fan filters are clean.

Light

Daylight impacts how our daily biological clock works and influences our entire mood and energy. The more natural light your home has, the healthier it will be and keep you more attuned with your surrounding outdoor environment and the seasons. The amount of daylight that enters your home is determined by its window to wall ratio. Your architect should consider your home’s elevation and where to have minimal and larger openings to make the most of solar heat, as well as the height of openings and the views they present. Artificial lighting is also important—the type of lighting you use can affect your sleep patterns.

What you can do:

If you’re building a new home, ask your architect how you can best position your rooms and make the most of south-facing elevations to get more light and heat into your home. A good designer will also help you choose the right LED lighting and colour glazing to help create an energy-boosting environment in your home.

Noise

Noise has a huge influence on our health, impacting anxiety and stress levels as well as our quality of sleep. Not only do you want your home to be insulated against outside noises, you also want a home that minimizes internal sounds, such as that of running water from taps and toilets, or the sound of movement from different rooms or floors.

What you can do:

A good architect will design your home so that bedrooms are in the quiet parts of your lot away from roads, or further from louder areas within your home where there is more activity, such as the family room. The thickness of your walls and the material used will also help to considerably reduce noise.

Ultimately, your goal is to have a home that supports the well-being of your family. When building or renovating your home, work with a designer and builder who will help you choose safer options that keep your home free of VOCs, mold and noise, and filled with light and warmth, creating a safe and healthy environment you and your loved ones can enjoy living in.

Categorized in: Helpful Resources, Lorne Rose Architect