Building a new home, gives the homebuyer an opportunity to build in all the things they want. The floor plan, bedroom arrangement, windows are all important.

Also right up there is a house that is healthy. Everywhere you look, someone is pitching, this is healthy for you.  We have lots of buzz words for healthy.  Organic, whole grain, anti-oxidant, reduced fat, low sugar, wellness, all-natural are but a few. How do you make a house into a healthy home?  It starts with design and a few simple objectives.   Ideally, a healthy home is:

• Dry
• Clean
• Well Ventilated
• Combustion by-product free
• Pest Free
• Chemical Care
• Comfortable
• Safe

It seems fairly simple.  We want a roof over our head to keep the elements out.  Hot or cold, rain or snow, we don’t want them in our home.  The dry home starts with a well constructed roof.  That keeps the weather related water like rain or snow out. Then the walls, and the foundation.

Clean may be obvious, or not. Well Ventilated and Combustion by-product free, along with pest free, no toxic chemicals, comfortable and safe seem also to be obvious.  There is a saying about the Devil being in the details.  It is certainly that way in building a home. So a few details on these topics that make up a Healthy Home are important.

I will be posting a series based on the Healthy Home. We will take a look at each of the points listed above and what they mean to the home owner.

Part Ia   How Dry is Dry       Bulk Water from Precipitation

Part 1b  How Dry is Dry       Bulk Water From other Sources

Part 1c  How Dry is Dry       Water Vapor

Part II    The Home Starts Out Clean

Part 3    Well Ventilated

Part 4     Free of Combustion Byproducts

Part 5     Pest Free

Part 6     Chemical Care