What you can’t see WILL hurt you!

If you’re familiar with the building industry, you may have heard the phrase - "Once the plaster is on, no one will see it". For years this phrase has been thrown around on building sites and for too long we have sat back and allowed the ‘minimum standard’ to become acceptable. Since when has it ever been ok to do something just to get by? Do you think cars are built to a minimum standard where they might run the risk of something being ‘just ok’? The answer is no. Every component of a car is thought through and optimised for safety. But why are we not doing this with our homes? Why do we allow our greatest asset and the place we live become such an unsafe place to be? 

We spend 90% of our time indoors and at the moment we are inside more than ever, so it only makes sense to make sure it’s a healthy place to live. It shouldn't be a privilege to live inside a home that doesn't make you sick, it should just be the norm.

 I recently read a journal article about mould growth in homes and the health implications surrounding it. It made me think and evaluate everything I do as a builder, but more importantly what stamp I want to leave on the building industry. It challenged my beliefs and has only cemented my stance on why we should be building healthier homes.

There were a few key takeaways from this article that I think everyone should keep in mind when designing a home.  

1.    50% of Australian Buildings have mould issues

2.    More than 10% of the population are already sensitised to mould and house mite allergens

3.    The impacts of mould on your health are consistent with ones caused by other pollutants such as tobacco

4.    The presence of mould is associated with a number of different health symptoms. Mould in a home can directly have a negative affect on the general psychological wellbeing of the building occupants. This can lead to fatigue, a decreased capacity to concentrate and more seriously, cognitive impairment  

5.    21% of confirmed cases of asthma are linked to poor indoor air quality and mould

6.    Mould is responsible for 7-17% of rhinitis and eczema cases

7.    Mould and poor ventilation in your home could cause sick building syndrome - this is the reason you might have irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, general fatigue and respiratory difficulties

8.    In the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom there is a building code or standard related directly to avoiding mould in a home. This shows that it is considered a big problem and guidelines have been set to prevent this overseas. In Australia, we see it as ‘good practice’ to ‘try’ and avoid mould with nothing done to enforce this

9.    The risk of indoor mould growth may increase in the future due to increasing temperatures

10. All these items can be avoided and accounted for during the design stage

Mould is invisible, which is what makes it so dangerous as you may be unable to detect it. It can be hidden behind your walls, in your frame and behind your plasterboard. When you see mould coming through your walls, the germination stage has already taken place and you are now in the mould growth phase. Chemical surface cleaning is useless when it comes to removing mould and the toxins it produces. It's just a band-aid fix and the only way to effectively remove it is to replace the infected material, which in most cases would require a full new build. If Australia is anything like New Zealand and Canada, we are going to see a high rate of newly completed homes being ripped down and rebuilt to deal with this issue. That means homes that are currently being built or are about to be built have a high chance of being one of those statistics.

Let’s now team mould growth with a recent article published by The Age, writing about the pollution crisis in Melbourne's Inner West driving up hospitalisations. 70% of air quality samples breached the state's standards over the past ten years. It also found that Yarraville and Brooklyn are in the top 8 suburbs for air pollution concentrations in Australia. This has resulted in increased rates of heart failure, asthma, heart disease and lung cancer. At the moment, that air is likely making its way into your home and not being filtered out using the correct ventilation systems. Has there ever been a greater reason for us to build our homes healthy and comfortable? I will let you answer that one!     

Using the evidence that is out there, I cannot stress enough to anyone about the importance of good design and putting in place the correct procedures to prevent mould. All of this can be combated and prevented by teaming up with designers and builders that know how to prevent this. There are little to no costs that are associated with this as a lot of the time it is simply about selecting the correct building materials and substituting certain items for others.  

This isn't a green building thing, a sustainability push or trying to point out the faults that other builders make. But more importantly it’s about protecting future clients and those looking to build, arming them with the correct knowledge to keep themselves and their family safe. Don't wait for change to come – when it eventually does, it could be too late! 

If you are interested in the health of your home and ways it can be improved, we are happy to have a meeting to discuss how we can help make your home as healthy and safe as possible.