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My new blog, Tracy DeCarlo's Home Building Lessons is live! For more practical ideas for building your home, click the above link.
Building or Remodeling? Do yourself a favor and increase your knowledge of the construction process and your options. Being informed can have a direct positive effect on the bottom line, the conveniences inside your home, and the future cost of running the home.
The Difference is in the Details: The Homeowner's Planning Guide to Building a Functional Home not only provides hundreds of tips like these, it also provides live links to suppliers and organizations. This photograph-filled e-Guide shows you how to adjust the building sequence to your financial advantage while helping you create a healthy, energy-efficient home that works for your family - inside and out, from the foundation to the rooftop. “With dozens of “how to build
your new home” books available, what could be left out? Plenty, as author DeCarlo shows in her
practical approach to topics often left out, forgotten, or given scant attention. Readers will thank her
for raising subjects to consider in the earliest stages of planning a new home.”
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Creating a Non-Toxic Nursery – Part 1 One of the best places to start “greening” your home is in the nursery, where babies can sleep 16 or 17 hours a day. And if you like these non-toxic methods and products, you can use them in all parts of your home. Here are some ideas to get you started. First, select a low- or zero-VOC covering for the walls and ceiling.
Regardless of the type of paint you use, it’s still a good idea to paint the room at least a month in advance so it has time to cure. And if you’re pregnant, this is a good time to enlist the help of a concerned spouse, family, or friends. Just don’t paint the room yourself
-- -- Beautiful wallpaper designs from MDC Wallcovering can be found at www.MDCWall.com. Inspired by Maine’s natural beauty, this wallpaper by Angela Adams is breathable, 100-percent post-consumer recyclable, and uses water-based inks. It is also Greenguard-certified for low-VOC emissions. To find the retail location nearest you, contact Customer Service at the number shown on the MDC site. -- Decals offer another option, and because they are used sparingly, they have much less potential for toxicity. For this reason I’ve included a link to the very large decal selection from Blik Surface Graphics, www.WhatIsBlik.com. Even though they don’t mention low-VOC content, these oversized, self-adhesive, removable decals and stickers offer a no-hassle decorating option. If you are considering a vinyl paper, think twice before installing it on the inside of exterior walls. The exterior walls of your home breathe. In warm weather moisture is drawn through them toward the colder, air-conditioned air inside, diffused through the drywall, and removed by the air conditioner. This can’t happen with vinyl wallpaper. The vinyl creates a vapor barrier, stopping moisture from escaping and causing potential mold growth, which can cause or aggravate a number of health problems. Next month I’ll discuss flooring options—good choices, what product to avoid, how and when to prepare the slab for certain types of flooring, and what products should be used for installation. IS THERE A SUBJECT YOU'D LIKE ME TO COVER? Let me know by sending an email to tracy@tracystips.net. WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? All past issues of this ezine are in the Ezine Archives on our web site. Click here for Ezine Archives ! WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Tracy DeCarlo, author of "The Difference is in the Details" publishes the idea-packed, monthly e-zine "Tracy's Home Building Tips." If you're ready to learn how to plan a more durable, energy-efficient, and easy-to-live-in home, get your FR*EE tips now at www.DetailedSolutions.net.
By working with homeowners to focus on their daily habits and preferences, she helps them create living spaces that support and compliment their lifestyles, while at the same time teaching techniques to manage the bottom line.
I’d love to hear from you:
Tracy DeCarlo, Detailed Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 161644 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, United States Phone 407-814-2328 |
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Copyright ©2010 Tracy DeCarlo Detailed Solutions, Inc. |
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Paint:
Traditional paint contains a high percentage of chemicals designed to maintain
its liquid state. In fact, about 50 percent of most paint is made up of chemicals. Once the paint is applied, these chemicals are released into the air
as volatile organic compounds, toxic gasses known as VOCs. And that’s what you’re breathing—and smelling. Scary, huh? Low-VOC paint has very little odor.
Zero-VOC paint has no odor, but it is typically less durable than the low-VOC product and thus best used for low-traffic areas and ceilings. Low- and zero-VOC
paints are offered by major manufacturers.
Marimekko,
pictured here, makes a non-toxic peel-and-stick product called WallCandy, 
Tracy
DeCarlo owner of Detailed Solutions, Inc. and One Stop Green Home Certification, has more than fourteen years'
experience in the residential construction industry. As a Home Building Function Analyst,
Certified Green Professional, Green Certifying Agent,
and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, Tracy addresses the functional aspects of home
construction, design, and usage, including items such as energy efficiency, disaster mitigation, air quality,
aging in place, green building, plumbing, electrical, lighting, and storage. 
