Introducing Morph Experts: A weekly blog feature where a "Morph Expert" answers some tough questions about their field. Everything home related - real estate, leasing, construction, and design!
Q: "My daughter has allergies. What features should we be looking for in our first home?"
by Morph Expert: Samantha J. Strong
A: First off, glad to hear you're house hunting! I cannot think of a better time in recent history to be buying than right now. Low interest rates and lots of inventory means that you are in the driver's seat. But regardless of the home you buy, there will be some basic things you should consider when trying to find the one with the best indoor air quality.
First off, carpeting is a no-no. All sorts of nasty allergens, from pet dander to dust, gather in the fiber and padding. But don't discount a home just because there's carpet. Check to see if there are wood floors hiding underneath. If you get them refinished before you move in, it'll be like the carpet never existed.
Next up, your heating system: forced air heat versus radiant heat. A boiler system, most commonly identified by radiators, is a closed hot water or steam circuit. It is the cleanest type of heat available, ideal for people with allergies. Forced air incorporates a furnace and ductwork. Depending on how old the furnace is, if pets ever lived in the house, and the last time the ductwork was cleaned, that furnace could be blowing all sorts of dust and other allergens all over the house. In this case, I'd recommend getting the ductwork cleaned asap, and changing the filter on the furnace every 30 days. And here's a tip, unless the furnace was made to accommodate a micro-filter, use the least expensive fiberglass filter you can buy. If you put a micro-filter into a standard furnace, the repeated stress of forcing air through the filter will actually cause your furnace motor to fail sooner. And that's a headache you don't want to deal with.
And then there's the third possible source. Some people freak out when I say it, but it's true, there is mold in every home. No, I'm not talking about shower surround mold. This is mold hiding in the dank corners of your home: basements, attics, porches. There are a lot of causes of mold growth, but to simplify, it's potentially in any area that's gotten damp, either through water intrusion or interior humidity, and hasn't dried out properly. When I'm looking for mold, my primary culprit is the basement. If it's finished, with sheetrock or panelled walls, I look for water stains. Even more obvious are the big, black, blotchy spots. You're looking at it: mold. When a wood framed wall has mold, the only solution is to tear it all out. Otherwise you're subjecting your daughter to continuous exposure to a nasty allergen. Heck, even for people without allergies, mold can wreak havoc on your sinuses and lungs. And to be safe, always use gloves and a mask when removing tainted materials.
So the ideal house for your situation would have all hard surface flooring (no carpet), radiant heat, and an unfinished basement. In the Twin Cities, this should be fairly easy to find. Good luck with your search!
By Morph Expert: Samantha J. Strong, EcoBroker® & General Contractor.
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