Healthy Home Build

Custom Build

Are you thinking about building a non-conventional home, i.e. a healthy home?

Here are three things we wish we had had known from the beginning:

  1. Don’t do it! Building a home which has less toxins, even in a heavily regulated state like California, is not the norm. Every change to the status quote of how things are normally built means the increased likelihood of on-the-job training and things getting installed upside down and backwards. So unless you have ample financial resources, experience building or renovating homes, or you have no other choice, consider finding an existing home and move there.
  2. Hire an environmental architect with experience or training in healthy home building from the beginning so detailed specifications are well documented like a recipe book during the design process for the GC to follow during the construction period. There are critical decisions that have be made almost on a daily basis and if they are not written out, the likelihood of getting the conventional install will likely prevail. For example, what rooms are the sewer clean outs located if there’s a concrete slab? Where will the ducting, vents, and exterior penetrations be located? How to avoid using black asphalt “rain screens” that can mold and what are the long-run implications for making a 1/4″ change in width. Reading a few books and website or taking an on-line course are great, but that won’t necessarily net the same outcome. Invest in this upfront.
  3. If you ignored tip #1, then make sure you hire a General Contractor who is experienced at building, open-minded, honest, and organized. Even better, one who has experience building at least one healthy home or more. We’re not talking “green” or “passive” although all three would be like finding a unicorn.

If you’d like to follow our journey, sign up for the Healthy Home Build newsletter and receive a free checklist with 10 Important Action Steps to Building A Healthy Home. We’re excited to share the incredible resources we have found as well as our lessons learned with you.