Date Published: 09/16/2006 [Source]
The Midwest's only American Lung Association Health House Neighborhood is open to the public during the Parade of Homes Fall Showcase.
"Health Houses have gone over in a big way in California and Nevada and upstate New York, but a whole neighborhood has never been done before in Minnesota or the Midwest," says Bob Moffitt, spokesman for the ALA.
Now through Oct. 8, Parade visitors can tour a model home in the new development, in Dayton, a small community in northwestern Hennepin County.
Right about now, some readers might be wondering: What is a Health House?
It's a home built to the ALA's stringent specifications that maximize clean air and energy efficiency.
"Most people don't know what a Health House is," says Roger Hokanson of Ivy Ridge Home Builders.
Until recently, Hokanson didn't know what a Health House was either, though he has worked as a local builder for years.
"I had a daughter-in-law and a grandson and a granddaughter who all have asthma problems, so I took it upon myself to start building what I thought would be a healthy house for them," he says. "And when I was talking to Shelter Supply (a green building source), they said, 'It sounds like you're building a Health House.' I said, 'What's that?' and we got to talking. And so I ended up going through the American Lung Association's training, which is intensive. The more you get into it, the more you realize how bad the stuff is in traditional building materials. And I never knew until then that radon gas is the second-largest cause of lung cancer, next to tobacco."
Christian Builders Inc., the developer and builder of Minnesota's first Health House neighborhood, always has focused on building energy-efficient homes, so the ALA's standards weren't unfamiliar.
"When we did our first Health House, we found it wasn't that much different than the way we normally built homes," says president Brad Richardson. "We had great interest in the home from the public, so we thought we'd take it to the next level and commit to an entire ALA project."
A note to visitors: Health Houses don't look much different from traditional homes.
"People are often surprised when they walk into a Health House, because they are expecting a very futuristic, sterile-looking, unusual home," Moffitt said. "Then they see it. They say, 'Well, geez, this looks like an ordinary home.' So many features can't be noticed, things that are built into walls and under the foundation."
Standard features of a Health House include foundation waterproofing and moisture control to prevent mold, radon-mitigation systems, high-efficiency air filtration, advanced insulation techniques, energy-efficient and sealed combustion appliances and carefully selected and reviewed interior finishes (with limitations on the amount of carpet, which can harbor allergens). Independent inspectors make sure the home meets ALA standards.
"When even the biggest home builder is turning to greener practices the Sacramento division of D.R. Horton has decided to build to Health House standards in California and Nevada you know something has changed," Moffitt said. "Builders need to show that there is something different about them and their homes, and consumers are interested in a healthy environment."
"College City Builders designs radon-resistant features into their homes; they're not Health Houses, but anything that makes the industry a little better, homes a little healthier, with better air, that's why we are here," Moffitt said.
But it's unclear if Health Houses will catch on in a big way in a state where residents assume they have clean air and clean water and where features like air-exchange systems already are required in new construction.
"