Hello everyone!
The whole process of planning and building is really difficult and slow. At every new step, I feel like no one can tell you the right way to proceed, and a lot of it is learning by doing...
Well, we managed to complete a design draft with our architect that we like. I will share it in another thread soon. Now I am focusing on how the house could be built. Ideally, I would like to build turnkey with a local general contractor (GC), alternatively by contracting individual trades – but looking at the price expectations from the architect and the structural engineer, that might be too expensive for me...
I would like to build a “healthy” home for my family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessive about it. But when I read brochures from companies like Baufritz and others, it makes you think. Wall construction is one thing – I prefer solid construction and no polystyrene, that already makes me feel quite comfortable. But what about all the sources of volatile substances, adhesives, PU foam, and so on...
What can I do, and what have you done, to ensure the healthiest possible living environment? Do windows have to be installed without foam? Should parquet flooring not be glued? What should the homeowner keep in mind?
Thanks,
Gerddieter
The whole process of planning and building is really difficult and slow. At every new step, I feel like no one can tell you the right way to proceed, and a lot of it is learning by doing...
Well, we managed to complete a design draft with our architect that we like. I will share it in another thread soon. Now I am focusing on how the house could be built. Ideally, I would like to build turnkey with a local general contractor (GC), alternatively by contracting individual trades – but looking at the price expectations from the architect and the structural engineer, that might be too expensive for me...
I would like to build a “healthy” home for my family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessive about it. But when I read brochures from companies like Baufritz and others, it makes you think. Wall construction is one thing – I prefer solid construction and no polystyrene, that already makes me feel quite comfortable. But what about all the sources of volatile substances, adhesives, PU foam, and so on...
What can I do, and what have you done, to ensure the healthiest possible living environment? Do windows have to be installed without foam? Should parquet flooring not be glued? What should the homeowner keep in mind?
Thanks,
Gerddieter
M
Myrna_Loy6 Sep 2021 19:49haydee schrieb:
For example, no or hardly any formaldehyde is released into the indoor air.
When we measured, there was barely any detectable in the air.
As for other substances, I’m not sure. I just never really looked into it.
I think it’s like sugar. Enjoying a piece of cake occasionally isn’t a problem. But the sugar cube in your coffee, the sugar in your cereal, the hidden sugar in salad dressing, and so on.
The amount of pollutant released from glue into the air is minimal. But then you add the paint, the carpet, and suddenly the amount is too high.
Can you notice it? Probably not, unless you measure it. Will it give me cancer? Maybe. But it could also have been the packaging on the food.
Just use common sense and that’s it. Cancer is probably less common than neurological issues, for example. Most of the organic compounds found in solvents are aromatic – even those in eco-friendly materials – and they can trigger a range of problems from headaches and asthma to neurological damage. Small children and pets are more vulnerable than adults.
Solid wood can also contribute to indoor air pollution due to the naturally occurring volatile substances it contains. Then there are adhesives, flame retardants, insulation materials, sealants… Ventilating well helps reduce exposure. And yes, there are limit values for indoor air quality.
Gerddieter schrieb:
Well, we managed to complete a planning draft with our architect that we like. [...] Now I am looking into how the house could be built. If you really have a finalized draft, that question is already settled and no longer flexible. It remains flexible only up to the preliminary design stage, and moving from there to the draft design, you absolutely need to involve your architect in the discussions, because it is only during this part of the planning process that fundamental decisions—such as whether the house will be masonry or timber frame—are made. At the draft design stage, these key decisions have already been made, and changing them afterward will inevitably cause complications. The “process rules” of the HOAI service phases do not allow you to play princess behind such fundamental decisions without consequences, @Shiny86!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
G
Gerddieter6 Sep 2021 20:2611ant schrieb:
If you really have a design, this question is already settled and no longer flexible. It is only variable up to the preliminary design stage, and from there to the detailed design, you absolutely need to involve your architect in discussions, because only during this part of the planning process are key decisions made regarding essentials like whether the house will be built with masonry or timber framing. At the detailed design stage, these decisions have already been made, and changing them later will cause complications. The “process rules” of the HOAI service phases do not allow you to risk playing princess @Shiny86 behind such fundamental decisions without consequences! Oh, that’s a pity... why?
Isn’t it true that at the detailed design stage, the choice of adhesive, plaster, or paint is still not fixed?
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Cancer is probably less common than, for example, neurological problems. Most organic compounds from the solvent category contain aromatics – including those found in eco-friendly materials – and these can trigger various issues, ranging from headaches and asthma to neurological damage. This affects small children and pets more than adults. Solid wood can also contribute to indoor air pollution simply due to the volatile substances naturally present in the wood. In addition, adhesives, flame retardants, insulation materials, and sealants play a role. Frequent ventilation helps reduce the exposure. And yes, there are indoor air quality limits.Which basically means, it’s better not to build at all. Better not to eat anything at all.
Or build and not worry about it, and just have a burger without falling into an identity crisis.
H
hampshire6 Sep 2021 20:41I think @nordanney and @haydee express this perfectly.
All the materials used in houses today meet our limit values and are harmless on their own.
An additive assessment within a room is usually not carried out. Additionally, there is a lot of furniture added. What is ultimately present in a room can be experienced by allergy sufferers and specialists using measuring devices. Most people will not be able to perceive any pollutant exposure themselves.
Here is my “healthy building” input for @Gerddieter:
For us, the consequence was a careful selection of materials for the house and furnishings based on the following aspects:
In addition, choose the building site carefully and actively foster a good neighborhood. Disputes harm your health even in the “healthiest” built house. Nobody really needs that.
All the materials used in houses today meet our limit values and are harmless on their own.
An additive assessment within a room is usually not carried out. Additionally, there is a lot of furniture added. What is ultimately present in a room can be experienced by allergy sufferers and specialists using measuring devices. Most people will not be able to perceive any pollutant exposure themselves.
Here is my “healthy building” input for @Gerddieter:
For us, the consequence was a careful selection of materials for the house and furnishings based on the following aspects:
- natural materials are preferred (wood, clay, cellulose)
- anything that smells bad stays out (for example, I don’t like the smell of vinyl floors – no matter how well they are tested)
- workmanship by craftsmen who share similar values and clearly enjoy their job
- keeping distance from those who blindly follow limit values without any consideration
- keeping distance from overzealous eco-activists who see only negatives in the world
- very important: a good gut feeling – and anytime a partner’s veto right (if applicable).
- a physically noticeable radiant heat source
- maximum brightness during the dark season
- maximum connection of the interior to nature to have an “outdoor feeling” indoors and, of course, enjoy naturally fresh scents (flowers, forest, meadow, rain, thunderstorm…)
- a very large air volume in the living space with lots of natural materials (in our case wood and clay)
- very good acoustics without standing waves, echoes, or harsh reflections
- consistent preference for the more aesthetically pleasing solution (sometimes very simple), because the eye lives with you.
In addition, choose the building site carefully and actively foster a good neighborhood. Disputes harm your health even in the “healthiest” built house. Nobody really needs that.
N
nordanney6 Sep 2021 20:41Tarnari schrieb:
Which basically means, it’s better not to build at all.If you take it even further and consider what we eat, what we wear, what we use to wash and spray ourselves with, sit in plastic-contaminated cars, breathe polluted air, and so on, you might as well take one step further and end your life. Before being poisoned slowly or more quickly over decades and wasting away...
Could all these toxins be the reason why my kids are so unmotivated and spend so much time in front of their phones, mindlessly watching Twitch or sending snaps? At least then I’d have a real reason and wouldn’t always have to blame it on puberty 😀
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