Fall/Winter/1999
Thus began an environmentally friendly building and remodeling project that has finally reached its closing stage after more than six months of building and nearly as many hours of research into the toxic-free world. The end result will be one of the first homes on the South Shore, a 1905 Gambrel, renovated and enlarged with materials that promise not to produce the potentially harmful chemicals that pollute most American homes. "We just wanted to live in as clean an
environment as we could without driving ourselves crazy," said one of the homeowners,
who asked not to be identified in this article to protect his family's privacy. "You
can build a beautiful house that's healthy as well." The principle builders of the home, Rob and Madeline McCarthy of Hanson, said they had to keep the project's environmentally friendly goal in mind every step of the way. "It's a multi-fold process," said Madeline McCarthy, part owner of McCarthy Building, Remodeling and Design. "It goes on and on. Everything you use you have to question its impact." Cameron Snyder, owner of a Norwell interior design company called Kitchen Concepts and Roomscapes, said working on the kitchen in Duxbury was his first foray into the world of eco-design. "It was definitely more labor," Snyder said, adding that he had to search for nontoxic finish and a special, solid-core plywood to complete the project. "You're using materials that are not really standard in the industry." On a late August afternoon, the house was barren and spotted with plaster. Notably absent, however, were the chemical smells that accompany a house in progress. Underfoot, concrete replaced the glue-laden plywood that normally fills the air with harsh odors. And on the walls and ceilings, plaster replaced the sheetrock/joint compound mixture that is also a commonly-used source of indoor air pollutants. The homeowners said finding those materials wasn't always easy. Some of the low-toxic paint used on the house came from as far away as Seattle, Wash., and plywood with a low-formaldehyde content had to be ordered from Pennsylvania. Although the materials were sometimes hard to find, the couple said using environmentally-friendly products only increased the price of the job by 10 percent. A bigger problem was finding builders who were willing to put in the extra time and effort. Several builders said chemicals were impossible to eliminate completely, so why bother trying? Every home, they said, harbors potentially dangerous odors and materials, usually of no dramatic consequence to the owners.
The couples' search ended with the McCarthys, who welcomed the challenge as a chance to learn more about environmentally friendly building. "It's helped us develop an in-depth understanding of how all the various parts work together," said Rob McCarthy, adding that he and his wife try to apply environmentally friendly concepts to their home. The McCarthys say three principles are involved in building a chemical-free home: . Elimination. Chemicals can be eliminated in the home simply by using different materials--water-based paints and stains instead of oil-based products and tile and wood flooring instead of carpet, which is a major source of formaldehyde. . Isolation. Regardless of how hard homeowners try, chemicals will always find a way into the house. They can be isolated, however, by removing window coverings or by sealing doors that are not painted on the top or bottom edges. . Ventilation. Chemicals that make it into a home can be flushed out by using proper ventilation. Windows should be kept open as much as possible and air ventilation systems also can be purchased. McCarthy said building an environmentally friendly home doesn't have to be all or nothing. "There are various levels and degrees," she said. "You can build a home that is moderately healthy to very healthy." The incentive to build such homes is spurred by studies from the Environmental Protection Agency that show potentially dangerous odors roam in every corner of the home. From the carpet to the curtains to the paint on the walls, chemicals are constantly poisoning the air with dozens of substances that may cause sinus and lung irritation or worse, says the agency. According to its studies, the concentration of air pollutants is often 100 times higher indoors than outdoors, and indoors is where Americans spend 80 to 90 percent of their time. Products that can reduce the level of air pollutants: . Water-based paints and polyurethanes instead of oil-based products. . Wood or tile flooring instead of carpet. . Hardwoods, such as poplar, instead of pine or fir.
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When a South Shore couple bought their dream house in Duxbury Village last
fall, they decided it should be beautiful. And part of that beauty, they decided, should
run from the heating coils beneath the floor to the rafters supporting the roof.
The homeowners
disagreed with the builders' assessments. "That's missing the point," said
one. "You can find people who are willing to dig a little deeper. This is something
anybody can do." 