Should you consider environmentally sustainable or green building techniques?

You may not know that environmentally sustainable also known as building green can have some benefits you would not be able to get otherwise. For example:

Your home could be healthier to live in!

Non-sustainable materials are often made of chemicals and could expose you to unwanted toxins including formaldehyde, fungicides and volatile organic compounds. Using green building materials that are non-toxic can significantly reduce any exposure you or your family might otherwise have if not building green.

You have less of impact on the planet during the building process.

Green building practices that minimize waste actually do produce fewer waste products during construction and leads to less scraps ending up in the landfill. Additionally, to the amount of waste that is produced, green materials are more biodegradable and able to be assimilated into the environment.

You can save money

Obviously, using less energy will save you money as well as helping the environment. This is accomplished by using energy-efficient materials and systems throughout the build.

 

What Healthy Home are all about

Healthy homes keep you healthier while you're living in them, tend to be more comfortable and often require less maintenance. As an additional benefit, healthy home are normally more energy efficient, which will save you some money on an ongoing basis.

Here is what we do to create healthy homes:

Why is a home Unhealthy?

There have been many studies over the last 20 years that indicate air quality inside the home is actually worse than outdoor air, even in our most polluted cities. This is mostly due to the man-made materials used in the construction of them such as, certain carpets, paints, insulation and other materials that emit volatile organic compounds (VOC's) which pollute our indoor air.

What is a Healthy Home?

A healthy home keeps you healthier while you're living in them and as mentioned before, tend to be more comfortable and often require less maintenance. The key considerations are while deciding on what materials to use throughout the house can impact aspects of the house that can make it safer; especially important for the most vulnerable in your family including young children and seniors.

What are the benefits of a Healthy Home?

If exposure to VOC is harmful to your health, it becomes easy to see how avoiding these potentially dangerous substances would be healthier for you over the long run. This is even more relevant the longer you live in your home.

What are the health considerations when planning a Healthy Home?

Air ventilation- Modern homes now come with tight envelopes that do not transfer air in and out of your home easily. This is done for energy efficiency but also creates air stagnation challenges. We meet that challenge with an effective air ventilation system which provides air circulation without compromising energy efficiency. This provides fresh indoor air, which is far superior to your health than non-circulated air especially for people challenged by allergies or other respiratory issues.

Water treatment - water quality in most water systems within the sunshine coast is quite good in general but does very depending on your area. Depending on your goals, you might want a water purification system for your drinking water and/or for bathing. You may not know that one of the largest sources of indoor air pollution is steam from your shower that has chlorine in it. If the water supply to your house is treated with chlorine, and it's turned into steam during your shower, you breathe it in and it is quite dangerous. In this case, It's easy to remove the chlorine with a filtration system.

Non-toxic materials – When selecting materials for the interior, minimize the use of products with high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Wall finishes, flooring, cabinets and furnishings are all areas of consideration when looking to reduce or eliminate off-gassing.

Is it more expensive to build a Healthy Home?

Often, healthy home building practices do not add up front expenses, although some do. However, the good news is if there is additional costs, they are often offset by reduced future energy and maintenance costs which over time will eventually pay for themselves.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.