How to Build a Healthy Building for Non-Toxic Living

The non-toxic lifestyle requires a commitment to the total elimination of toxic influences from the home. Homeowners, apartment renters and office workers rarely think about the toxic effect that buildings have upon their health. However, there are a number of healthy building tips that help avoid seasonal allergies and asthmatic reactions. Follow these steps to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet capability
• Budget for construction of new building

Find the Perfect Healthy Living Builder

1. Speak with neighbors and family about green building. These personal connections can often yield a recommendation for a friendly, relatively inexpensive contractor willing to work on a healthy building.

2. Consult with your local university, college or technical school. Speaking with architectural, construction and design professionals leads to a quick education and some vital contacts in the green building community.

3. Ask local contractors and construction companies about their flexibility in terms of materials used. Smaller companies that specialize in home building are often willing to use sustainable materials to gain better publicity and land another client.

Construct a Non-Toxic Building

4. Install small windows throughout the home or building, instead of a few banks of large windows. Circulation of fresh air sweeps away dust and allergens that build up quickly.

5. Build a central vacuum system into your new home. Clean living requires quality air, filtered throughout the house. Central vacuums are able to gather dust in one location in the house while exerting the same amount of suction in each room.

6. Prohibit the use of particle board or pressure-treated wood during the construction of your home. Particle board releases noxious formaldehyde fumes. Pressure-treated wood often has arsenic in it and can be lethal during removal or renovation down the road.

7. Learn more at the "U.S. Green Building Council" Web site (see Resources below). They offer a "Sustainable Building Technical Manual" that will be invaluable to those who haven't tried to build a green building or maintain a green construction site before.

Tips & Warnings

• Consult with a variety of contractors, architectural firms and building professionals about healthy building options. One contractor's idea of healthy building may differ from others in the area. Don't be afraid to shop around on the GreenBuilder site to find the right contractor for you (see Resources below).
• Set aside a sizable fund for constructing your new, non-toxic home. There are plenty of green and healthy building options out there. However, these options are often quite a bit more expensive than traditional construction methods. This is due to the low volume of healthy building materials on the market today.
• Prepare your family for illnesses and allergic reactions that may come about due to natural building materials. These reactions can include labored breathing, rashes and stomach cramps. Consult your family physician to deal with short term symptoms and ways to make green living completely healthy.

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