Healthy and beautiful go hand in hand in new home design – Calgary Herald

Building healthy homes is "really about researching and selecting better products, ones that don't off-gas, that are formaldehyde-free and have low or no VOC content," says Kevin Mullen, president of Calgary-based Empire Homes. Supplied / Postmedia

The concept of living in a healthy and sustainable home is gaining ground, and the demand is upping the ante when it comes to design.

As a society we have become very focused on wellness and fitness, eating organically, wanting to know where our food comes from, but we have never asked any of those questions about our homes and I think that is to our detriment, says Kevin Mullen, president of Calgary-based Empire Homes.

Empire Homes is taking note, and making health a priority, putting the emphasis on homes that are healthy for both the environment and for the people living in them.

It is currently creating a collection of 19 luxurious, healthy homes in the inner-city master-planned community of Currie, developed by Canada Lands Co. All homes will be built to Built Green specifications and also Empires Reside specifications, a comprehensive grouping of initiatives designed to ensure healthy air quality.

The two-storey homes will ring Valour Park and feature contemporary lines with plenty of brick, stone, stucco and concrete, not to mention gorgeous kitchens, compliments of Empire Kitchen & Bath.

Healthy and beautiful go hand in hand, says Mullen, also noting that building a home with healthy materials costs the same.

Its really about researching and selecting better products, ones that dont off-gas, that are formaldehyde-free and have low or no VOC content, he says.

VOC is the acronym used for volatile organic compounds, compounds that can wreak havoc on our health, as we breathe in their fumes. Resins, glues, flooring, carpet, paint, particle board, dry wall, insulation it all off-gases.

We take for granted that the manufacturer and the builder are thinking about this. But often it is not true. What is the first thing that most builders do? Move the homeowner into their new home as quickly as possible, often the day after its been painted and glues and silicones and finishes have been applied. And people wonder why they are getting headaches or their kids cant breathe, he says.

Les Wold, sales and marketing manager at Effect Homes in Edmonton, agrees.

It is so important to be attentive to products, to have hard surfaces and natural floorings, he says.

Wold says that with the uptick in allergies, consumers are coming to them much more informed.

They are wanting a much more holistic approach to home building. They want a well-built, energy efficient home that will stand the test of time and provide a comfortable and healthy place for their families to live, he says.

Effect Homes has won numerous awards for its sustainable home designs, including the Canadian Home Builders Associations (CHBA) Green Home of the year the builder won at both the provincial and national level for a net-zero home in Edmontons Belgravia area. The use of passive design techniques, including window placement and materials chosen for their long-term durability and lack of off-gassing. The home features, for example, polished concrete floors throughout that kept costs comparable.

Effect Homes, a custom home builder and renovatorlike Empire Homes, is passionate about what it does and is walking the talk. It has recently renovated a duplex in need of some TLC in Edmontons up and coming Bonnie Doon community, moving the companys offices into the space.

Our offices really show case what can be done and it gets us so excited, says Wold. Healthy materials and hard surfaces combine with beautiful design and energy efficiency. The offices are off the grid, with solar generating enough power to run the lighting, and computer systems the power is stored on site in batteries.

Homes definitely can be beautiful, energy efficient and healthy, says Wold, highlighting another example, a home in Edmontons Windsor Park area. The home, which looks as if it belongs on the pages of Architectural Digest, is 68 per cent more energy efficient than a standard home, with 27 solar panels on its rooftop generating an 8.25 kilowatt solar electric system.

But it is all about supply and demand, notes Empires Mullen, relating it to consumer demand for organic foods.

As people begin to really demand this, more and more healthy products will be available in the market. When we first starting focusing on healthy homes in 2016, we couldnt source formaldehyde-free products in the local market anywhere, he says. Now they are trickling in. Empire will not build with a product unless it is stamped formaldehyde-free by a third-party inspector.

Wold notes that it is a natural progression for people to want sustainable, energy efficient and healthy homes, both for the environment and for the owner. This really is the way of the future, says Wold.

Read the rest here:
Healthy and beautiful go hand in hand in new home design - Calgary Herald