Why is Indoor Air Quality Important

I have asthma. We will have 2 small children when we move in. I'm concerned with air quality. I learned that carpet doubles its weight in one year from all the crap that is collected in it. A dyson won't change that. dust is not my friend. I can smell everything. I think I can smell the formaldehyde leaching from particle board furniture from Target. I just can. So that is our focus. Indoor Air Quality. that is our number one focus and it happens to be Green.

Siding

We are doing a full cedar shake siding application. No hardiplank. Hardiplank is considered somewhat green for its long lifecycle and little maintenance. It holds paint really well. There is no current way to recycle it though and it may just end up in the landfills.

Cedar is a natural material. Granted some would say not very renewable, but it is local. I'm all for things that are natural. But we will have to stain/coat it every so often and that isn't really "green", but we like it and so we are doing it.

Instructions to the team

This is posted inside the house:

Thank you for working on our Green Home


Please remember all sealants, caulk, mortar, and adhesives used inside the house, need to be Low Toxic or “Green”.

One thing my Green consultants taught me was to be onsite and look at the products being used and ask questions. I'm learning a lot and the workers know that I'm serious about this. Our contractor is happy to explain anything I ask about what is going on. We also started the project with a statement to everyone that this was a Green home with a specific Goal. I think that helped let everyone know our vision.

Insulation

Our insulation will be fiberglass. I didn't want to use fiberglass but we are restricted by budget. Luckily fiberglass has come a long way. They now make a formaldehyde free product that is the mainstream choice among subcontractors. It is called Greenguard. They carry it at Lowe's! Fiberglass is also encapsulated now, so less is flying around in the air when it is installed.

We are going to vacuum the interior walls prior to installation so there is very little dust left behind the drywall. The subcontractors are being instructed to make sure they fill every nook and cranny and to NOT compress the insulation.

We are also asking them to use a Green certified, low VOC, Formaldehyde free caulk and foam. I'm waiting to hear if they found it - OSI Green Seal is the name.

Lights

We will have some energy star rated fixtures to be listed here and many CFLs or Energy efficient bulbs. We are working on choosing them now...

I found a really cool website for a light fixture company in Oregon to share: www.schoolhouseelectric.com I love their unique bungalow lighting. Not sure if it fits in with our design.

I'm starting to like lights from a company called www.dolandesigns.com
here is the one I like for the island http://www.lampsusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=955 We'd do 2 of them.
I'm using magazines to find the look we want and then sourcing where they got their products. Magazines are sooo helpful and practically free!

Today, 2/26, I had to decide where to place our ceiling mount fixture above the future dining room table. Because we have this open floor plan, it was really hard to nail something down. Originally I was going to just do all canned lighting, but I don't think that will really give us enough light while eating or entertaining. My builder helped us make this decision by showing me a home he built around the corner. For some reason, this decision stressed me out. I'll have to report back if it looks good when we move in.

Exterior Door

Using local materials is another green concept. We live in the wood capital of the US. Both door companies we are looking at are located here. Buffelen and Simpson. We are looking at a solid wood door because it fits our taste. Wood is a natural material and looks nice.

The Roof

Our Roof is a 30 year Composition Roof made with recycled materials. Using a 30 year product is considered Green Because it won't come off and go into the landfill sooner. Longer lasting products is a Green concept.

I need to find the brand and add a link to the exact one we selected.