What I do
I can support you in building your healthy home.
The services I offer include:
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Helping you find a healthy build site
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Collaborating with your architect and contractor to make sure your home is designed and built in a healthy, resilient way.
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Helping you create a specification for your home that balances your family's specific sensitivities to environmental toxins, mold and other biologicals, VOC, and EMF
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Helping you make decisions about how to best use your construction budget
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Going over architectural plans with you
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Double checking that your plans minimize thermal bridging, diffusion, and other sneaky ways water can find its way into your home
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Helping you identify specific products that may be appropriate for your assembly
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Helping mitigate mold and other biologicals, EMF radiation and VOCs in new construction
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Being on-hand for questions that may come up during your build
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Providing you with a customized inspection checklist that you can include in your contract with your contractor so you are on the same page and can make sure that the all-important details are done correctly
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Helping you manage fire, water, and soil on your land in a healthy and sustainable way, based on permaculture concepts
Projects I love
I can be most helpful if you are building light frame / stick built / 2x4 construction. My sweet spot is helping folks figure out how to practically apply Joe Lstiburek’s “Perfect Wall” assembly and make it even healthier with Building Biology principles. I can help in a limited way with other assemblies, but there may be questions I can’t answer.
Your role
YOU are the most important person in the team of people who are working together to build your healthy home.
Your project will go best if you
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have a can-do attitude and are willing to educate yourself
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show up at the build site often
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do your part towards maintaining a respectful relationship with your contractor
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are proactive about sorting out moldy lumber or paying your contractor to do it before it becomes part of the build
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are willing to shift your budget more towards building a robust, healthy wall assembly and less towards expensive appliances and finishes, and
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have tools for maintaining your mental and emotional well-being during the build process.
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have taken my Building a Healthy and Resilient Home class, and understand the basic concepts of building a healthy home. Since I only charge for the time you need me, you can save yourself money by educating yourself upfront.
I am here to support you, but ultimately, this is your home and your responsibility, and the outcome is up to you. This is a process-based partnership. I do not guarantee any sort of outcome.
What I don't do
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Remediations and rebuilds. It's often easier and less expensive to build correctly from the ground up. If your need or preference is to remodel, remediate, or add onto your existing home, I am probably not the right consultant for you.
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Home design. I am not an architect, although I am happy to collaborate with one. I recommend you work with an architect who is well-versed in build science. Often, this means working with someone who is Passive House certified.
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HVAC design and consulting. There are very few companies who appropriately design HVAC for high performance homes. I can refer you to some companies who may be able to help.
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Mold testing and remediation advice. I am not an IEP.
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Travel to your build site. I have my own health concerns and my own family. Travel is difficult. Our interaction will be online.
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Construction. I have built my own homes but am not a contractor, although I am happy to collaborate with one.
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Although I can provide leads for other professionals that you might consider working with, you are responsible for vetting anyone you decide to contact. I cannot be responsible for anyone else’s work. I do not receive referral fees from anyone I recommend, so you can rest assured that any referrals are intended exclusively for your benefit.
