Research
The really cool thing about all of this is that you can learn what you need to know to engage the right team to design, build, and maintain a healthy home. It’s science and physics and a good dose of common sense. The following are some of my all time favorite resources.
If you have time, dive into all of them. It will be confusing at first, but after a while the terminology will become familiar and things will start clicking. If you don’t have time or energy to dive into it all, just digest what you can.
Remember that I am available as a resource for you to shorten that timeline if you need it.
📕“A Healthy House: a practical guide for architects, builders, & homeowners” by P. Baker-Laporte, E. Elliott, & J. Banta. Prescriptions for a Healthy House is the definitive resource you need to live in a healthy home. This book ties together proper home design practices, construction techniques, the resources and the healthiest products you should consider for your home. It provides the big picture that homeowners crave, and the intricate details that architects, designers, and contractors require.
💻Dr. Allison Bailes is the “Chief Troublemaker“ at Energy Vanguard and a building science expert. Energy Vanguard is full of free and fun BS resources over in the blog. I suggest you subscribe to his newsletter.
💻Building Biology Institute BBI is an amazing resource if you're curious about building biology and creating a healthier environment.
💻Building Science.com Corporation is an excellent FREE resource for all of your BS questions Find many writings from the father of building science, himself, Joe Lstiburek for FREE right here:
💻Christine Williamson is the founder of Building Science Fight Club. She is an advocate of learning and teaching building science and has created tons of free nano-courses (all of which are super digestible if you’re not an expert) over at Ace Lab.
💻Build Science™ 101 is a FREE resource and on-demand course that every homeowner should consider to gain an understanding of the basics of how your building assemblies are meant to perform.
💻Green Builder® Media, LLC (GBM) is the leading media company in the North American building industry focused exclusively on green building and responsible growth. The focus of GBM content is on net-zero building, green products, energy efficiency, healthy homes, resiliency, connected living, and building science.
Search for healthier material or building products. You can even specify healthier, sustainable, low-carbon choices.
💻 Do you want a home that is safe, durable, comfortable, resilient, and maybe even energy efficient? Then you might consider designing and building a Passive Building or working with Passive Building professionals. Phius sets the standard for passive house in North America and has certified 3,000+ professionals. On the Phius site, you can find resources, passive buildings professionals, and certified passive house projects in your area.
💻Six Classes is Green Science Policy Institute’s site and is a good resources to help find less-toxic replacement products. Look for water-based and low-emission products (avoiding harsh solvents and VOC emitting paints and sealers wherever possible. Also consider asking the manufacturer or distributor for the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), for any product you’re considering. Some, but not all, manufacturers are publishing these standardized forms that detail the health and environmental impacts of a product.
The world's first healthy home algorithm to simplify the complexity. It is totally free. Use this to assess your home's health score and find ways to improve it.
📙 “Mold Illness. Surviving and Thriving“ by P. Vetter, L. Rossi, & C. Edwards – This was the first book I bought (at my doctor’s recommendation) when we learned we had the CIRS diagnosis and first became hyper aware of the dangers of living in an unhealthy home. This book goes into details about testing for mold illness (following the Shoemaker protocol, which is admittedly not for everyone). What I love about this book is that it marries building science with medical considerations angled toward people who are battling mold illness and their environmental requirements. It even has checklists and guides for what to ask for in a mold remediation. People with mold illness may need a more prescriptive protocol than the industry standard.
E-Learnings at Fine Homebuilding - E-courses lead by building science and technology experts. Learn at your own pace.
*Note - some of the linked products are affiliate links for which I may receive a small commission if you purchase. Always feel empowered to use non-affiliate links to purchase and know that I only recommend services and products that I actually use/love myself.