Accessible Design, Safe Rooms, Radon, Mold, Lead, Indoor Air Quality & Healthy Home Building

The Center for Universal Design - "a national research, information, and technical assistance center that evaluates, develops, and promotes universal design in housing, public and commercial facilities, and related products." They offer quite a few publications including books, booklets, slide shows, videos, fact sheets and consumer product guides.

Universal Design House Plans (in the B4UBUILD.COM Plan Center) - More and more architects, builders, designers, and home owners are incorporating universal design or accessible design features into their new home plans. Things as simple as making sure that doorways and hallways are wide enough to allow the use of walkers or wheelchairs, that light switches are placed lower on the wall, that thresholds and floor transitions between rooms do not pose a tripping hazard, and showers and bathtubs are equipped with grab bars - or at least solid blocking in the wall behind the tile so that they can be securely installed at a later date - are just a few potential improvements that will help the building occupants more easily and more safely age in place in their own homes.

National Aging in Place Council - NAIPC is a "membership organization founded on the belief that an overwhelming majority of older Americans want to remain in their homes for as long as possible, but lack awareness of home and community-based services that make independent living possible." Their mission is to promote independent living by offering programs, resources, and support services that help seniors age in place for as long as reasonably possible.

Universal Design Living Laboratory - Dr. Rosemarie Rossetti and her husband Mark were riding their bicycles on a local bike path when a large tree suddenly fell on Rosemarie, causing a spinal cord injury that paralyzed her from the waist down. When she returned home after six weeks of inpatient rehabilitation, Rosemarie quickly realized how difficult it was going to be to remain safe, comfortable and independent in their two-story home. After many years of research and planning, Rosemarie and Mark have assembled a team of design professionals who are building this national demonstration home in Columbus, Ohio.

Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA is "the federal agency charged with building and supporting the nation's emergency management system." Before you build your new home, be sure to read the Mitigation section of their site. It contains information about protecting your property from wind, fire, flooding and earthquakes.

Tornado Safe Rooms - If your home will be subject to high winds, hurricanes or tornadoes, you may want to review the information about Safe Rooms and Community Shelters and then download complete construction plans, drawings, and specifications for building a Tornado Safe Room inside your house.

FloodSmart.gov - information about flood zones, flood plain management, flood hazard assessment, risk levels, types of flood insurance, and flood related statistics -- published by FEMA as part of the National Flood Insurance Program.

Americans with Disabilities Act - information from the U.S. Department of Justice about the ADA and its impact on new construction, alterations and renovations.

ADA Information Center - provides "information, materials, and technical assistance to individuals and entities that are covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act", including detailed drawings of ADA specifications, a checklist for existing facilities, guidelines for making historic properties accessible, and other informational documents. While most of the regulations are intended primarily for use in public spaces, reading through some of the information will help us aging baby boomers plan for the future when designing a new house or making alterations to an existing home.

ADA Compliance Manuals - a list of books available from Amazon.com that deal with the Americans with Disabilities Act and code compliance on a state by state basis.

Institute for Business & Home Safety - founded by members of the insurance industry, this non-profit organization has a stated mission to "reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices." The site contains information to help you protect your home from flood damage, freezing weather, high winds & hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, hail, water damage, and tornadoes.

AARP Webplace - The American Association of Retired Persons is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan association dedicated to shaping and enriching the experience of aging", which is open to anyone age 50 or older. Among other information, their Web site includes a section on Universal Design and Home Modification. Whether you are building a new house or making repairs or improvements to an older home, you should consider incorporating some of the ideas and suggestions that are listed in this section. With a few simple alterations, you might be able to make your home a safer, more comfortable, and more convenient place to live.

U.S. Consumer Information Center - while you can still order brochures by mail from this government information source in Pueblo, Colorado, most of them are now available online. There are several health and safety related publications, including environmentally friendly lawn care, should you have your air ducts cleaned, safe drinking water, protecting your family from lead, an electrical safety check list and more.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - the CPSC is an Independant Federal Regulatory Agency, which "works to save lives and keep families safe by reducing the risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products." The site contains information about consumer product recalls, as well as, hundreds of free publications addressing fire safety, electrical safety, household products, home heating equipment, indoor air quality, playground safety, pool and spa safety, and many other product categories.

Environmental Building News - a newsletter about environmentally sustainable design and construction, energy efficiency, water conservation, recycled-content materials, indoor air quality issues, and waste reduction. Their Green Building Checklist contains about 3 dozen ideas for building green.

US Department of Housing and Urban Development - the HUD site provides information on many topics, including health and safety related issues such as Healthy Homes for Healthy Children and Accessibility Analysis of Model Building Codes.

Rehabbing Flooded Houses: A Guide for Builders and Contractors - a HUD User guidebook published primarily for professional builders and contractors who are considering rehabbing flooded single-family houses - focuses on "safe practices and the most important activities in the rehab process."

EPA's Indoor Air Quality - studies by the Environmental Protection Agency "indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels." Be sure to check out the section on Improving Indoor Air Quality, which contains information about asbestos, biological contaminants, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, lead, mold, mildew, nitrogen dioxide, pesticides, radon, tobacco smoke, and other volatile organic compounds. How much time do you spend indoors?

EPA Booklets and Brochures about Mold, Mildew, Mold Cleanup Guidelines, and Moisture Control

• A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home
• Mold Resource List
• Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?

EPA Booklets and Brochures about Lead in Paint, Dust, Soil & Drinking Water

• Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home (PDF format - 252 KB)
• Reducing Lead Hazards When Remodeling Your Home (PDF format - 932 KB)
• EPA and HUD Real Estate Notification and Disclosure Rule Questions and Answers (PDF format - 22 KB)

EPA Information about Asbestos, Asbestos Pipe Wrap, Encapsulation & Removal

• Basic Information about Asbestos - General information about asbestos, asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma
• Asbestos in Your Home - What it is, where it can be found in your house or rental property, what should be done about it, hiring professional inspectors and contractors...

The Healthy House Institute - this site is designed to help you improve your home's interior environment, especially its indoor air quality. Their links page contains dozens of sites dealing with human health, the indoor environment, energy efficiency, and sustainable construction.

Books published by the Healthy House Institute:

• Creating a Healthy Household: The Ultimate Guide for Healthier, Safer, Less-Toxic Living
• Healthy House Building for the New Millennium
• The Healthy House Answer Book: Answers to the 133 Most Commonly Asked Questions
• Understanding Ventilation: How to Design, Select, and Install Residential Ventilation Systems
• The Healthy House: How to Buy One How to Build One How to Cure a Sick One

HeartStart Home Defibrillator - Designed specifically for use by just about anyone, this portable defibrillator uses voice instructions to tell the user exactly what to do. Once the pads are placed on the patient's chest, sensors analyze the patient's heart rhythm and determine whether a shock is needed. Only if instructed to do so, press the shock button and/or follow the CPR coaching instructions. The lithium battery lasts about 4 years in standby mode and an infant/child pad cartridge is available as a separate option.

Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon - " Why Should I Test for Radon?" " How Can I Get Reliable Radon Test Results?" " What Should I Do If the Radon Level is High?" These are just a few of the many questions that are answered in this guide. There is also a list of state radon offices and regional EPA offices. Download the full guide in PDF format by clicking here (1.8 MB).

USGS Radon Information - contains information from the Energy Resource Surveys Program of the U.S. Geological Survey and links to other information about radon.

Radon Concentration Map - a color coded United States map, which provides "predicted median annual-average living-area concentration, by county" so you will have a general idea if radon is typically an issue in your area.

Radon - Radon Test Kit Coupons, Fact Sheets, State Radon Contacts, and links to other Educational Materials. Presented by the Environmental Health Center, a division of the National Safety Council.

Infiltec - specializes in air infiltration measurement and control technologies and radon mitigation products, including blower doors, duct leakage testers, radon fans, pipe couplings, gauges, test kits and other related products. Their site contains some excellent information, pictures, drawings, and product catalogs.

RADON.COM - This site is a production of Air Chek, Inc., who makes "the most widely used charcoal test kit in the world." They have slide shows, Radon facts, FAQ's, and links to plenty of other sites with information about Radon. Many building codes require that some type of Radon mitigation be integrated into new homes. Even if it is not required, a vent pipe running from under your basement slab, up through your house and out the roof, might be very good insurance.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration - For years OSHA inspectors have been feared on construction sites. They have the power to impose heavy fines and stop the job should they find safety violations. Now, kinder and gentler, the OSHA Web site offers technical information, safety guidelines, laws & regulations, statistics, job site posters, publications, and other life safety information.

United States Fire Administration - part of the Federal Emergency Managment Agency (FEMA), the fire safety section of this site provides information about smoke alarms, residential sprinkler systems, product recalls and facts about fire.

Cleaning Up a Broken CFL - EPA guidelines for the safe clean-up and disposal of fluorescent light bulbs — you know, those "energy efficient" curly tube light bulbs that cost 3 or 4 times as much as incandescent bulbs, and have to be turned on 20 seconds before they produce the rated amount of light, and which supposedly last for 11 years (wink, wink). According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, "Fluorescent light bulbs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. When a fluorescent bulb breaks in your home, some of this mercury is released as mercury vapor. The broken bulb can continue to release mercury vapor until it is cleaned up and removed from the residence. To minimize exposure to mercury vapor, EPA recommends that residents follow the cleanup and disposal steps described below:" (download the 3 page detailed recommendations here)