What Does It Take To Have a Healthy Home?

(This blog post has been republished from Sheri Sperry's activerain® blog at http://activerain.com/blogs/wwwesedonabiz)

Building new homes has once again become popular.  Let's face it, everyone wants a home that fits their needs without compromise. What better way to accomplish that goal than to design it to your specifications.  

So what are the must haves?  Do you give much thought to having a healthy home? I can tell you that was not on the top of my list years ago. You might ask yourself, what is a

healthy home?  Some of the criteria for me would include a home that is free from mold or bacteria that keeps out harmful pollutants and dust. I would also include a system that provided microbe free fresh clean air to circulate through-out the home.  Wouldn't it be nice to see eco-friendly, energy efficient materials and products used?  Of course, the home should be built to standards that could come close (if not equal) to a net zero energy footprint. 

Not to much to ask right? !!

You might be skeptical of a project this aggressive.  Could it even be accomplished without costing an arm and a leg? If you find the right builder and designer to complete the project, you might be pleasently surprised at the cost and the results.

Remember, that the cost of building materials and other home products and appliances may be more

expensive, ...we are talking energy efficiency! This home will be built to provide decades of service with minimum repair or remediation cost as well as utility bills that will be almost nothing.  Let's not forget that a good builder will know all the federal, state and local programs and incentives to help defray the higher cost of the green materials.

Those of you who are thinking of purchasing Sedona Arizona real estate or a luxury home may want to visit  NRG Build Pros  to get more information.  During a recent open house event, I was able to see a newly completed project and was quite impressed with the designer and the builder. I started to think of all the people that suffer from allergies of some sort.  This home would give people with allergies a reprieve from the nagging symptoms.  This home checked off every box I talked about and more. 

Here is a list of "Extreme Energy Efficient Features" you might want to see in your dream home:

• HERS Rated Home / Energy Star Certified home and appliance (Home Energy Rated System) see chart ---->
• ICF Wall System ~ R-30 plus - 
• Roof System ~ R-4- & R-50
• IB Roofing Membrane w/ Lifetime Warranty
• Insulated Garage Door ~ R-9
• Anderson Door & Window Package
• ERV or HRV Fresh Mechanical Ventilation System
• High Efficeiency 20.5 Seer Heat Pump
• Air to Air Hot Water Heater
• LED Lighting - lasts longer and is very energy efficeint
• E-Max Flushing System by Toto - water efficent
• High Performance Low-Flow Faucets by Grohe & Hans Grohe
• Panasonic Whisper Sense & Whisper Sense-Lite
• Solar System 2k (there is an option for 5k system w/ plug-in for hybrid auto or off grid system)
• Kilowatts Monitoring System by Envi
• Many, many more amenities and features

This is a partial list and was furnished by NRG Building Specialists l.l.c.