Customer Reviews

Prescriptions for a Healthy House, 3rd Edition: A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders & Homeowners

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
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As a Building Biologist I work with people who want healthier homes and there is no better resource for creating a healthy home than this book. Every builder, architect and home remodeler needs to read this book before they start their next project. It's cutting edge thinking.

My wife and I are building a new home and I am someone who pays a lot of attention to things that can affect the health of my family. I unfortunately don't trust the world and the government to fully protect us. They do a great job on average, but sometimes the specifics fail (contamination in water supply, cancer causing high voltage lines too close to houses, etc.). Also, in todays world of "build it cheap" the entire contracting industry is pushed towards cutting corners and not paying attention to things that can cause serious health issues. This book is FANTASTIC! It discusses all of the relevant issues in building a healthy home, and finds the right balance between being readable to a layperson like me, and yet organized well for the contractors (things to include in your spec separated into the 16 Divisions, which is how the contractors look at building a house). I could not recommend this book more highly and already sent another 3 copies to friends and family.

This book is so valuble. Every builder or renovator should read this, as well as anyone who wants a healthy home. I learned about this book from several people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, who told me that this was the book that helped them build a home they could live in. That's a rare thing to be able to do, as many people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities cannot find a healthy building they can live in.

This book is a must have for a homeowner that wants to use building products that are green and admit no VOCs. We're doing a green remodel. This is the best book for beginners who need someone to tell them what products should or should not be used. The author covered all sorts of information that is really necessary to have a healthy house. Make sure you read the whole book and mark the parts that you need for references. I'm buying the book for family and friends because it is such a valuable resource.

Home is where the heart is - and what's around the heart can make it unhealthy. Now in a newly revised, updated, and expanded third edition, "Prescriptions For A Healthy House: A Practical Guide for Architects, Builders, & Homeowners" is especially for those who are building homes. "Prescriptions For A Healthy House" discusses how to improve the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of those who would reside in the home being constructed. Looking critically at current building practices, and offering advice on how to improve one's techniques, "Prescriptions For A Healthy House" is an expert manual on so-called Bau-Biologue - building biology. Highly recommended for community library architecture collections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I have read hundereds of books and articles on non-toxic homes and lifestyle and this book is top notch - highly recommended.

Very informational and useful! We plan to build a house and this book is enormous help. If you care about your health, read it.

This book certainly opened my eyes about the hazards of many commonly used chemicals, including pesticides. If you are going to build a house (a risky endeavor no doubt) do read this book. But it still will not guarantee a healthy result. In fact, for chemically sensitive people, this approach is usually not sufficient. More tried and true is the approach of using decent materials and then sealing the interior from the walls, floors and ceiling using ceramic or porcelain tile (and carefully chosen grout) or a foil barrier (applied with non-toxic glue, wallpaper style).