When Unique is Oh So Normal

Part of the fun of this project is that the more I tell others about building a home with materials that don't emit toxins, the more I hear about people that have experienced similar instances. Get this, some of these people have been acquaintances for years!  Some have found partial solutions.  Some have found no solutions (yet).

I've had the privilege of learning about other people's lives and how when they updated part of their home or apartment affected their children, and/or themselves, and/or pets.  I hadn't even originally thought of pets until two other people mentioned it!

Suddenly my (and my son's) chemical allergies that, at first, seemed so incredibly unique, now seem so incredibly normal.  Which is good news and bad news. The good news that we're not alone in experiencing this, and the bad news is... that we're not alone in experiencing this.  It's a big problem that is often detected after significant health deterioration has happened.

More good news - I love good news  - there is opportunity in crisis.  If you feel like crap and don't know why, check out what's in your home.  You CAN do something about it.

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Plans!

We got to see our house plans for the first time today!  It’s becoming a reality.  Our house is on paper.  And not in my amateur sketch drawing way.  In a really happening, professional freaking drawings of our house way.  ha-HA! 

Case of the What Ifs

I’m getting nervous about material selection.  What if we don’t find materials that work for both my son and I.  What if the project is over budget?  What if I can’t tell if the materials give me problems now, but then when they’re installed I notice a reaction.  This is keeping me up at night.  Despite the excellent team that I feel comfortable with, I can’t turn off the what ifs.

Homework!

So, quick check.  I now have a builder and material supplier that understands how to build healthier homes, and rate each product used in the interior.  What about the exterior?  Well, it turns out that there is a process in place for that too.  They will determine which materials might work best, rate the products, and then my son and I get to test them to make sure they work for us.  How great that we get to test the products before installing them in our home!
 

Then and equally exciting thing happened.  I was assigned homework!  I don’t remember being this excited about homework in high school or college… my son thought I was a little weird.  We also had a detailed discussion about allllll of my allergies and my home building desires for a 900-1,200 square foot house.  I was so glad that all of my allergies were ‘on the table’ so that we could take the entire picture into account.  My son put it best, “It’s neat that they know how to build our house they way we want it.  They know a lot.” 

Cool Options

We got to start picking out materials this week!  My son and I met with Jon at the Green Design Center and had the pleasure of meeting, Andy, for the first time.  Andy showed me interior materials for counter tops, floors, paint, and had suggestions for furniture when we get to that point!  When I sold my house 3 years ago, I donated nearly our entire house of furniture and belongings to a local charity that gives items to those in need.  So once we have a house, we’ll need to re-purchase everything (couch, beds, kitchen table)… in time.

Getting back to house materials, my son and I had a great time and found a ton of cool options.  My son wants to tile the entire bathroom in bright turquoise 1x1 tiles.  Errr…. that was not how I pictured our bathroom in my mind.  We have compromised on a turquoise blue (but a bit more toned down) accented bathroom.  Some of the tile styles (say that 10 times fast) have unique designs and are made from recycled glass.  They just might make their way into one of the bathrooms or kitchen. 

So as we were googling over materials, Andy was explaining that he rates each product by “Degree of Green”, a rating that he developed years ago to classify and rate products by one of three categories (1) their impact on the environment – “green”, (2) their impact on human health, how healthy it is for humans, and (3)…. well, to be honest, I stopped listening after #2.  How exciting!  

Decision

I’m not an emotional decision maker.  I take in information, sleep on it, weigh the pros and cons, and then make a decision.  Especially big decisions like this.  So I told Jon that I had a lot of thinking to do (remember that I was only expecting to have a meeting about house drawings) and I’d get back to him in a day or two.

Driving home from our “interview”, I cried.  I actually sobbed.  And I’m not a crier.  As my son put it, I let the tears of joy flow.  I was so relieved that someone finally understood.  I didn’t have to solely rely on my research and experiences, and create a new process.  They had a team that understood, that was ready if I said yes.  They had a process in place and ready to go, if I said yes.  I definitely had to sleep on this.  And call family and friends, and play through the worst case scenarios.  This was a scary and exciting time.  My son and I can’t afford the financial and emotional implications of building a house that isn’t healthy enough for us to live in. We have one shot to get this right. 

The day after I interviewed Jon, I told him he was hired.  This IS our shot.

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EPA & HUD Advice

My son and I have allergies to chemicals.  Which means that we have struggled - for 2 1/2 years - to find a home that is healthy for us to live in.  The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), HUD (Housing and Urban Development), and the UW-Extension have all publicly posted documents saying that houses should be built with materials that don't emit toxins (see links below).  We still, today, use many of those same materials.  It's important to note here that "green building" isn't synonymous with "healthy for us (humans)".  Green is about how the materials, energy use, etc. impact our environment - tree growth, reduced energy use, etc.  Our health - and materials that do not emit toxins - is an entirely different thing.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes the materials are both good for humans AND the environment, but it's more the exception than the rule. 

Although important to note, I digress a bit...  after looking for a home for 2 1/2 years with no success, I decided that we should build a home. One that is made from materials that do not emit toxins.  So I searched.  And searched and searched to find a builder that built homes this way.  There were many builders that built "green" (and you know my thoughts on that), and many that were well intended, but only one that actually understood....  

Links to EPA, HUD and UW-Extension websites on achieving indoor air quality

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html (See Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), first paragraph;  See Health Effects, first paragraph)

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/healthy_homes/healthyhomes (See Seven Healthy Homes Principles, items 5 and 6)

http://www.uwex.edu/healthyhome/pdf/Air.pdf (See page 7, Sometimes Indoor Air Pollution Comes From What People Have in their Homes, second bullet point; See page 8, Living in a Healthy Home, ninth bullet point;  See page 9, Living in a Healthy Home, fifth bullet point)

http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/training/web/energy/challenges/airsol.cfm (See Odors and Allergies, first and second bullet points)