Indoor Environmental Quality
As new homes become more insulated, indoor air quality has become an issue. In the end, our health is our most important asset, which is why this is so important in a new home.
Indoor Environmental Quality Features in Our Green Homes
Greenguard Flooring Components
Flooring components with the Greenguard label contain safer levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). Lowering VOC levels is particularly important for healthier air in a tight, energy efficient home. All or nearly all of our carpet, pad, pad adhesive and wood flooring carry the Greenguard label.
Underslab Vapor Barrier and Capillary Break
If left untreated, a surprising amount of water can enter a home through the slab. Again, this is particularly important in a tight, energy efficient home and many homes built in Oklahoma do not address this problem. Under every one of our slabs, we install a 10 mil polyethylene vapor barrier to block water vapor on top of 4” of clean aggregate to stop liquid water from wicking up through the slab through capillary action. This helps keep moisture levels down in the home to reduce the potential for mold. It will also keep the home more comfortable and reduce the load on your HVAC system, saving energy and increasing comfort.
Externally Vented Exhausts
Taking occupant-generated contaminants out is important in a tight home. All of our exhausts are vented externally including the kitchen cooktop, bathrooms and dryer. We use larger fans and vent ducts than industry standard to increase the likelihood of achieving recommended ventilation rates.
Low VOC Wall Paint
We use Sherwin Williams ProGreen 200 wall paint which has low to no VOCs.
Fresh Air System
As our homes become increasingly tight, we can no longer rely on external ventilation systems (dryer, bath & kitchen exhausts) and natural drafting to supply an adequate amount of fresh air to the home. We have specified a fresh air system that takes air directly from the outside, filters it and distributes it through the home’s existing air distribution system. A programmable controller operates a mechanical damper to regulate fresh air flow. This system creates a positive pressure in the home which helps air quality in several ways including reducing the likelihood of combustion appliances backdrafting contaminants into the home. It also helps the durability of the home because in a negative pressure situation, warm, humid air will be sucked in tiny holes throughout the home and condensate in the wall creating a multitude of problems.