Healthy Home Design

Where would I splurge and where would I save when it comes to insulation, windows, flooring, and roofing?

This is a great question!  I urge everyone to put exteiror insulation on their homes if they're building new (even in hot climates), so why didn't I do it for my own new home? Exterior insulation is rigid insulation that goes on the outside of your exterior walls, behind the siding.  You can also put exterior insulation on your roof, but this question is specific about the walls.

This Q&A question is asking whether it's better to do basements or slab on grade.  Of course, it depends on where you live, so make sure you get local structural and soils (geotechnical) advice before making any decisions on your home's foundation :)  

I'm bringing back the Healthy Home Design podcast with The Q&A Sessions.  These are questions that the audience is asking about anything design and build related.  It was orginally intended for Instagram, but my answers were getting a bit too long.  So I decided to do a shortened version of the answer on Instagram, then post the more thorough answer here on the podcast.   FREE 4 day challenge sign...

Today we're talking about who to have on your project team as you design and build your new home, renovation or addition. When you're ready to build a custom new home or renovate your existing home, you have options on who you want to help you complete the project.   If you've never gone through the renovation or new build process before, you might be feeling a bit clueless on who will be involved...

The living building challenge is a program created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).  It is about creating buildings that improve the planet and people by being built.  It's very aspirational and pretty hard to achieve.  That's why ILFA created a second certification program called the Core Green Building Certification that makes achieving a super healthy and sustainable home wi...

What makes building a house so expensive?   Rising construction costs have put a lot of projects on hold or have sent the design team back to the drawing board.   How can you renovate or build a new home in these expensive times without compromising your sustainable and wellness-focused design values? In this eposide, I talk about the main factors in controlling building costs so that you don't ge...

Link to Blog Post that has ALL the links I mention in the eposide!! Are you ready to start designing your dream home, but have no idea how to get all the thoughts and ideas you have floating in your head down on paper?   If you've been thinking about your house design for a while, and have been saving Pinterest images and making inspiration boards, you have any idea of what you want, but you may b...

In Part 2 of the How to design a durable house episode, we're covering all things interior.  There are some great ways to make sure the inside of your home is easy to maintain, will keep you safe and healthy, and will last a long time.  We'll get into materials, ventilation, lighting, and even storage! What you'll discover: Why ventilation is key for a durable home and what kind you need Low-maint...

Creating a durable home is a big part of creating a sustainable and healthy home.  A durable home means that the house will last a long time and be relatively low-maintenance.  This will help save you money in the long run, so it's well worth it.  It also helps maintain a healthy indoor environment and makes you more comfortable.   In this episode we'll break down some of the big picture design st...

Looking to create a kitchen that brings the beauty and tranquility of nature into your home? Tune into this week's episode all about biophilic kitchen design! We'll explore the benefits of incorporating natural elements into your kitchen, and learn how to design a space that's not only functional, but also calming and rejuvenating. This is  an insightful conversation about the intersection of natu...

Hempcrete is an amazing alternative building technique that fits into the category of natural building methods.   In this episode, I interview Mattie Mead, the founder and CEO of Hempitecture, a public benefit corporation that supplies hempcrete building materials and makes hempwool insulation. "Hempitecture was founded with the idea that healthy, sustainable materials can help build a better worl...

And we're back! This week we're exploring 10 sustainable design strategies that you can incorporate into your home renovation / addition or new build project.

And we're back! Today's podcast episode is an interview I had with Greg Yeutter from Restful, the company that created the Bedtime Bulb. We're diving into all things sleep, lighting, and circadian rhythms.   What you'll discover:   Why is sleep so important, and how can your living space influence your sleep? What are circadian rhythms? What is blue light? Do blue light blocking glasses really wor...

Andrew is founder and managing partner of  Havelock Wool . He has a passion for all things New Zealand, where the company procures its wool, that is mirrored by a desire to affect positive change in the built environment. He has lived and traveled around the world and seeks to leverage those experiences in bringing a biophilic, best practice to an industry known to contribute excessive waste to ou...

We have a special guest interview today, from a company I love to recommend, but first I have a quick, fun announcement. If you've tried visiting my Balanced Home Balanced Life website lately, you probably noticed that it's no longer there! I decided to combine my two websites into one, and now everything I do can be found at Balancedarchitecture.com And it's been totally revamped! You'll find all...

There is a lot to discover about the Living Building Challenge and how you can create a Living House.  This month's podcast episode is bringing you an overview of the concepts and how you can bring the ideas into your own home design. You'll Discover: What the Living Building Challenge is and who it's for The 7 'Petals' that make up the core concepts of the LBC How to use the LBC framework without...

Have you ever started searching for a healthy product and then found yourself three hours later even more confused than when you started? I have been there.  Searching for healthy and earth-friendly building materials for your home renovation or new home build is hard!  It's exhausting and confusing. This episode is meant to help you narrow down your choices and guide you to the best websites to f...

We spend a lot of time in our kitchens, but do you know what's in the air when you operate your stove or cook food? It sounds a bit silly, but cooking can actually be dangerous!  Cooking puts a lot of toxins into your air, so whenever you're cooking, those toxins are releasing into your air and you're breathing them in.  With proper ventilation, you're curbing a lot of those toxins from getting in...

Can you live in a small house? Now, we're not talking about tiny houses, which are wonderful for the planet, but a small house relative to the number of people and how those people live their lives. Being comfortable in a small house, or any house, is all about the design. You can walk into a 3,000 square foot house and it can actually feel smaller than a 1,800 square foot house. Creating a spacio...

Starting a renovation or a new home build can be daunting and there are often a lot of questions at the beginning.  Everyone always wants to know how much the project will cost, how long it will take, and if they should phase the construction. So what should you consider when asking these questions, and what information can you provide to your contractor to prepare them as much as possible? This w...

We're spending a lot more time in our homes and as work and family responsibilities merge, we're finding ourselves more distracted and less productive. With January being the time we set goals and figure out how to make our lives better, I wanted to share some ideas that can make your new home or renovation help you become more productive and healthy.  These 10 design ideas will help you work effi...

This might be bad timing, with it being 3 days before Christmas, but I've been meaning to talk about this subject for a while, and finally had the chance. So here we go... Who's really affected by all the things we buy (and then throw away) in this country? Who's primarily dealing with asthma and other serious illnesses because of where they live? Who takes the brunt of the extreme weather events...

How well do you know your site? If you're planning a renovation or building a new home, you need to know it REALLY well.   You need to spend time on your property conducting a site analysis.   A site analysis is probably one of my favorite things to do. I realize I say this for a lot of things when it comes to design, but this one I love because I get to be outside and just look around.   Imagine...

Notes coming soon...