Square One: Good Home Design Starts Here

How To Build a Healthy House

comments (1) May 10th, 2012

Rob Wotzak, Web Producer

Video Length: 3:35
Produced by: Colin Russell and Debra Silber

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Lisa Kauffman Tharp has been plagued by an unusually high sensitivity to substances in the environment. So she was determined that her new home in Concord, Mass., would be built to eliminate the biological irritants and synthetic toxins that wreaked havoc on her life. Here's how that house was built.

Here are some of the key goals focused on in the design and construction of Lisa's house:

Elimiminate ground contact to minimize moisture infiltration and mold growth
Use fast, efficient panelized construction with formaldehyde-free sheathing
Insulate well (with 2-in. XPS foam on the exterior and open-cell spray foam inside the wall cavities)
Install fiber-cement siding over furring strips for a durable rainscreen siding assembly
Use the best materials for a durable and weatherproof roof
Use passive solar and hydroinic heating; forced-air heating systems can circulate dust and other contaminants
Use mechanical ventilation to provide fresh, clean air to the home
Install a whole-house water filter

To learn more about how this healthy house was built, watch the video above, or read the Fine Homebuilding article Building a Healthy House (online subscription required to read the article).

posted in: green building, architecture, water and moisture control, health, durability

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Comments (1)

DavidOTN writes: Looks good. Approximate cost per square foot? If you look at our chemical illness blog, thechemicaledge.com, you'll see why we're interested.

Thanks.

DavidOTN
Posted: 10:12 pm on May 15th

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