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.”