Healthy Home Design

Q&A: Splurge vs Save with Insulation, Windows, Floors, and Roof Nov 4, 2025 04:59 Where would I splurge and where would I save when it comes to insulation, windows, flooring, and roofing?

Q&A: Why We Didn't Put Exterior Insulation On Our New Home Oct 28, 2025 03:17 This is a great question! I urge everyone to put exteiror insulation on their homes if they're building new (even in hot climates), so why didn't I do it for my own new home? Exterior insulation is rigid insulation that goes on the outside of your exterior walls, behind the siding. You can also put exterior insulation on your roof, but this question is specific about the walls.

Q&A: Basement vs Slab on Grade - Which One's Better? Oct 21, 2025 03:39 This Q&A question is asking whether it's better to do basements or slab on grade. Of course, it depends on where you live, so make sure you get local structural and soils (geotechnical) advice before making any decisions on your home's foundation :)

Q&A kickoff: Where do I begin when designing my home? Sep 29, 2025 04:51 I'm bringing back the Healthy Home Design podcast with The Q&A Sessions. These are questions that the audience is asking about anything design and build related. It was orginally intended for Instagram, but my answers were getting a bit too long. So I decided to do a shortened version of the answer on Instagram, then post the more thorough answer here on the podcast. FREE 4 day challenge sig

056 // The Home-Building Process: Who To Have On Your Team Aug 30, 2023 29:34 Today we're talking about who to have on your project team as you design and build your new home, renovation or addition. When you're ready to build a custom new home or renovate your existing home, you have options on who you want to help you complete the project. If you've never gone through the renovation or new build process before, you might be feeling a bit clueless on who will be involved

055 // Core Green Building: Why You Should Use A Green Certification Program When Designing Your Home Aug 15, 2023 30:04 The living building challenge is a program created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). It is about creating buildings that improve the planet and people by being built. It's very aspirational and pretty hard to achieve. That's why ILFA created a second certification program called the Core Green Building Certification that makes achieving a super healthy and sustainable home wi

054 // How to stay within budget when building or renovating your sustainable, healthy home Jun 21, 2023 37:40 What makes building a house so expensive? Rising construction costs have put a lot of projects on hold or have sent the design team back to the drawing board. How can you renovate or build a new home in these expensive times without compromising your sustainable and wellness-focused design values? In this eposide, I talk about the main factors in controlling building costs so that you don't ge

053 // Getting your home design ideas out of your head and into a floor plan May 16, 2023 34:30 Link to Blog Post that has ALL the links I mention in the eposide!! Are you ready to start designing your dream home, but have no idea how to get all the thoughts and ideas you have floating in your head down on paper? If you've been thinking about your house design for a while, and have been saving Pinterest images and making inspiration boards, you have any idea of what you want, but you may b

052 // Interior Design Options For A Low-Maintenance And Durable House May 3, 2023 27:23 In Part 2 of the How to design a durable house episode, we're covering all things interior. There are some great ways to make sure the inside of your home is easy to maintain, will keep you safe and healthy, and will last a long time. We'll get into materials, ventilation, lighting, and even storage! What you'll discover: Why ventilation is key for a durable home and what kind you need Low-m

051 // Design Strategies for a Durable, Low-Maintenance House Apr 18, 2023 29:00 Creating a durable home is a big part of creating a sustainable and healthy home. A durable home means that the house will last a long time and be relatively low-maintenance. This will help save you money in the long run, so it's well worth it. It also helps maintain a healthy indoor environment and makes you more comfortable. In this episode we'll break down some of the big picture design st

050 // Biophilic Kitchen Design: Bringing Nature Into Your Home Apr 11, 2023 29:58 Looking to create a kitchen that brings the beauty and tranquility of nature into your home? Tune into this week's episode all about biophilic kitchen design! We'll explore the benefits of incorporating natural elements into your kitchen, and learn how to design a space that's not only functional, but also calming and rejuvenating. This is an insightful conversation about the intersection of natu

049 // Hempcrete and Hempwool Building Solutions with Hempitecture Mar 28, 2023 56:00 Hempcrete is an amazing alternative building technique that fits into the category of natural building methods. In this episode, I interview Mattie Mead, the founder and CEO of Hempitecture, a public benefit corporation that supplies hempcrete building materials and makes hempwool insulation. "Hempitecture was founded with the idea that healthy, sustainable materials can help build a better worl

048 // 10 Sustainable Design Strategies for your home reno project or new build Mar 20, 2023 24:21 And we're back! This week we're exploring 10 sustainable design strategies that you can incorporate into your home renovation / addition or new build project.

047 // How can the lighting in your house affect your sleep AND your health? Interview with Greg Yeutter, founder of Restful. Oct 25, 2021 34:37 And we're back! Today's podcast episode is an interview I had with Greg Yeutter from Restful, the company that created the Bedtime Bulb. We're diving into all things sleep, lighting, and circadian rhythms. What you'll discover: Why is sleep so important, and how can your living space influence your sleep? What are circadian rhythms? What is blue light? Do blue light blocking glasses reall

046 // The Best Insulation For Your Home with Andrew Legge of Havelock Wool Jun 29, 2021 52:56 Andrew is founder and managing partner of Havelock Wool. He has a passion for all things New Zealand, where the company procures its wool, that is mirrored by a desire to affect positive change in the built environment. He has lived and traveled around the world and seeks to leverage those experiences in bringing a biophilic, best practice to an industry known to contribute excessive waste to our

045 // All About Indoor Air Quality with Jay Watts from AFM Safecoat Jun 4, 2021 01:06:49 We have a special guest interview today, from a company I love to recommend, but first I have a quick, fun announcement. If you've tried visiting my Balanced Home Balanced Life website lately, you probably noticed that it's no longer there! I decided to combine my two websites into one, and now everything I do can be found at Balancedarchitecture.com And it's been totally revamped! You'll find all

044 // How To Make The Ultimate Sustainable Wellness Home May 4, 2021 28:28 There is a lot to discover about the Living Building Challenge and how you can create a Living House. This month's podcast episode is bringing you an overview of the concepts and how you can bring the ideas into your own home design. You'll Discover: What the Living Building Challenge is and who it's for The 7 'Petals' that make up the core concepts of the LBC How to use the LBC framework withou

043 // How to Find Healthy and Sustainable Materials When You're Renovating Or Building A New Home Apr 8, 2021 41:40 Have you ever started searching for a healthy product and then found yourself three hours later even more confused than when you started? I have been there. Searching for healthy and earth-friendly building materials for your home renovation or new home build is hard! It's exhausting and confusing. This episode is meant to help you narrow down your choices and guide you to the best websites to f

042 // What You Need To Know About Kitchen Ventilation Feb 2, 2021 30:58 We spend a lot of time in our kitchens, but do you know what's in the air when you operate your stove or cook food? It sounds a bit silly, but cooking can actually be dangerous! Cooking puts a lot of toxins into your air, so whenever you're cooking, those toxins are releasing into your air and you're breathing them in. With proper ventilation, you're curbing a lot of those toxins from getting in

041 // How to Design a Small House Without Sacrificing Comfort or Flexibility Jan 19, 2021 30:16 Can you live in a small house? Now, we're not talking about tiny houses, which are wonderful for the planet, but a small house relative to the number of people and how those people live their lives. Being comfortable in a small house, or any house, is all about the design. You can walk into a 3,000 square foot house and it can actually feel smaller than a 1,800 square foot house. Creating a spacio

040 // How much will your project cost? How long will it take? Should you phase the construction? Jan 12, 2021 32:26 Starting a renovation or a new home build can be daunting and there are often a lot of questions at the beginning. Everyone always wants to know how much the project will cost, how long it will take, and if they should phase the construction. So what should you consider when asking these questions, and what information can you provide to your contractor to prepare them as much as possible? This w

039 // How can the design of your home make you more productive? Jan 5, 2021 27:46 We're spending a lot more time in our homes and as work and family responsibilities merge, we're finding ourselves more distracted and less productive. With January being the time we set goals and figure out how to make our lives better, I wanted to share some ideas that can make your new home or renovation help you become more productive and healthy. These 10 design ideas will help you work effi

038 // How to Help Everyone Live In A Healthy Home Dec 22, 2020 33:52 This might be bad timing, with it being 3 days before Christmas, but I've been meaning to talk about this subject for a while, and finally had the chance. So here we go... Who's really affected by all the things we buy (and then throw away) in this country? Who's primarily dealing with asthma and other serious illnesses because of where they live? Who takes the brunt of the extreme weather events

037 // What is a site analysis and why do you need one before designing your renovation / new build? Dec 15, 2020 38:23 How well do you know your site? If you're planning a renovation or building a new home, you need to know it REALLY well. You need to spend time on your property conducting a site analysis. A site analysis is probably one of my favorite things to do. I realize I say this for a lot of things when it comes to design, but this one I love because I get to be outside and just look around. Imagine

036 // My top 8 healthy and sustainable products from my renovation adventures Dec 1, 2020 27:51 Notes coming soon...

035 // 10 Questions to ask a potential contractor when building / renovating your sustainable wellness home Nov 10, 2020 30:26 Choosing a contractor can be a tricky task! Not all contractors are created equal. Some contractors are much more experienced in building durable, energy efficient, healthy homes than others. The best way to find a contractor that will build your healthy home correctly is to ask lots of questions! It is a good idea to interview up to three contractors before hiring the team that will build y

034 // Biophilic Design and How To Design Nature Into Your Home To Reap Wellness Benefits Nov 3, 2020 32:34 "…the enjoyment of scenery employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it, tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system" -American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, 1865 Olmsted describes the benefits of nature perfectly. At once, being in nature relaxes t

033 // Ventilation Systems to Keep Your Home Healthy and Safe Oct 27, 2020 43:51 Ventilation is at the top of everyone's minds these days thanks to COVID. And while a lot of attention is being focused on commercial ventilation systems, there is less talk about home ventilation systems. We're in our homes more than ever before. And there's more people in the home at one time than ever before since so many of us are working from home and our kids are schooling from home. There

032 // 8 Things I Learned During My Healthy Home Renovation Oct 20, 2020 32:05 We did it! It's finally done. Three years later, my husband, Pieter, and I finished our DIY healthy home renovation. There were good times, bad times, you know we had our share. .. And I'll be getting into all of it in today's Healthy Home Design Podcast episode. We had A LOT of lessons learned, so I put together my top 8 most important lessons learned to share with you. What You'll Discover: Wh

031 // Everything You Need To Know About Healthy Wood Flooring Oct 13, 2020 38:24 Who doesn't love a wood floor?!⁠ ⁠ It's comfortable to walk on, it looks beautiful, it can come in so many different styles, and it can last a very long time.⁠ ⁠ But what is the best type of wood floor for a healthy, sustainable, wellness-focused home? What types of finishes are safe? Do you need an underlayment?⁠ ⁠ I'm digging into all things wood flooring in today's Healthy Home Design podcast e

030 // Part 4: Creating a Sustainable, Healthy Outdoor Environment at a Home Designed For Wellness Sep 23, 2020 25:29 This week wraps up the Components of a Wellness House series, and we're going outdoors. A wellness house merges the indoor and outdoor environments, so it's important to consider all the outdoor spaces early in the design process. What You'll Discover: Best materials for your driveway, walkways and patios Important things to know about choosing concrete How to keep critters out of your house natu

029 // Part 3: What are the mechanical, lighting and water systems of a Wellness House? Sep 16, 2020 21:23 In part 3 of the Components of a Wellness House series, we're digging into systems: mechanical, lighting and water. In this episode you'll discover: Most efficient heating and cooling systems Water heating systems Mechanical ventilation strategies Net zero design Lighting for circadian rhythms Water efficiency techniques

028 // Part 2: What Does It Feel Like To Live In A Wellness House? Sep 8, 2020 25:20 In Part 2 of the Components of a Wellness House series, we're digging into what it feels like to live in a wellness home. We'll explore daylighting, ventilation, and how the essential spaces of a home designed for sustainability, health and well-being should feel and function. We'll look into wellness kitchen design, entryways, spa like bathrooms, fitness spaces and more.

027 // Components of a Wellness House Part 1: Site, Orientation, Construction Type Sep 1, 2020 30:30 What goes into make a home that's healthy for you and healthy for the planet? Find out the components of a wellness house in this 4 part podcast series. This week, we're starting at the beginning, and talking about site selection, building orientation, construction types, and healthy and sustainable material choices. Image of North and South facing bedrooms

026 // Let's Make A Better Podcast Aug 18, 2020 01:49 Survey Link I began this podcast to help families create healthier environments for their families, for others, and for the planet. And I want to make sure I'm delivering on that. As a health-conscious environmentalist myself that has experienced the power of a healthy home, the hope for future episodes is to have more balance between healthy home design and sustainable home design education.

025 // What's holding you back from creating a healthy home? Aug 11, 2020 21:48 Do you have hesitations about building or renovating a health and wellness focused home? If so, you're not alone! The most common hesitations I hear involve affordability, stress and overwhelm, and feeling a bit hopeless about the endeavor. In this episode, we'll tackle each of these hesitations and show you how you can create a home that supports you family's health and well-being without brea

024 // Sustainable Design vs Wellness Design - Is There A Difference? Aug 4, 2020 21:58 On this week's Healthy Home Design podcast episode, I'm diving into what makes a sustainable home and how it relates to a home designed for health and wellness. Are sustainable homes the same thing as wellness homes? The answer is: Not necessarily. Listen to the episode to learn: What it means to design and build a sustainable home What the differences are between a wellness home and a sustainabl

023 // What Are The Steps to Designing and Building / Renovating a Healthy Home? Jul 28, 2020 23:28 What you'll learn: What are the major milestones of the design process of a healthy home What should happen when Who needs to be involved in the design process What costs are involved in the process Healthy Home Planning Workshop: https://www.balancedhomebalancedlife.com/workshop/

022 // How To Create Your Bedroom Sanctuary Jul 21, 2020 29:50 Everyone needs a little escape sometimes, especially these days! No place in your house to call your own? Learn how to transform your bedroom into a healthy retreat, a place you'll be able to escape to and focus on self-care. You will learn: Why a healthy bedroom is so important How to create a calm bedroom How to improve bedroom air quality How to improve bedroom light quality Ways to protect

021 // Feng Shui Essentials for a Healthier and Happier Home Mar 31, 2020 35:38 Designing homes for health and well-being may seem like a new design trend, but creating healthy homes is a concept that's been around for thousands of years thanks to the practice of feng shui. After learning more about feng shui I was amazed at the correlation between the healthy home design principles I follow and the principles of feng shui. That's why I was so excited to talk with feng shui e

020 // Safe and Natural Alternatives to Household Paint Mar 17, 2020 19:19 This week's episode is a helpful guide to choosing healthy paint for your home interior painting projects. What you'll discover: Why it's so important to focus on healthy interior paint What you want to avoid when buying paint What to look for in a paint The best non-toxic and natural interior paints Tips for being safe while painting

019 // What's The First Thing You Should Do When Planning A Renovation Or New Build? Mar 3, 2020 22:22 Starting a big project like renovating or building a new home can feel very scary. Of course it's exciting, or should be exciting! But for many people, it's daunting. Where do you even begin? How do you turn all the ideas floating around in your head into something cohesive that you can pass along to your builder or architect? This could be especially true if you have an idea in mind, su

018 // What Should You Focus On First When Creating A Healthy Home? Feb 18, 2020 33:17 Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed by the idea of creating a home that will enhance your family's health and well-being? If so, I can definitely relate. When I started transforming my house into a healthy home back in 2015, I was completely overwhelmed from all the research I did online. I was full of information, misinformation, and conflicting information. And I had no idea where to star

017 // Insulation 101 - What Insulation to Choose For Your Healthy Home and Why Feb 4, 2020 36:56 It's the season of heating, which means you might be feeling the lack of insulation in your house, both because you're cold and because you're energy bill has gone way up. Insulation is one of the main factors affecting your comfort in your home. If you're planning to build a new home or renovate your existing home, it will pay to get the insulation right. In today's Healthy Home Design

016 // Understanding Color Traits to Find the Best Colors for Your Wellness Home Jan 21, 2020 40:55 Have you ever picked a paint color for a room and then realized you didn't enjoy being in that room anymore? I have (more than once)! When I was in college (early 2000's, yikes!) it was trendy to paint a single wall of a room red. Although, to be honest, I can't remember if it was actually a trend, or if I saw it in a Sex and The City episode and mistakenly thought it was a good idea. Either

015 // What is a Healthy Home Consultant? Jan 7, 2020 30:20 Is this your year for creating a home that will allow your family to thrive? Find out how teaming with a healthy home consultant for your renovation or new home build will elevate the success of your project and have you living in a home that keeps you healthy, makes you happy and encourages living your best life. In this week's episode, I'm switching things up a bit, and providing information on

014 // 5 Reasons To Design Your Kitchen For Wellness Dec 10, 2019 21:08 Did you know that you can design a kitchen that will help you eat healthier? This may sound too good to be true, but it's not! The way a kitchen is designed plays a huge role in how we eat. We know that eating organic fresh fruits and veggies is best for our bodies. We are paying more attention to the fact that we shouldn't be eating processed and packaged foods. And we might even try to prep

013 // 10 in 20: 10 Steps To An Energy Efficient, Comfortable Healthy Home Dec 3, 2019 26:47 We are talking about something a little bit different from my usual topics on the Healthy Home Design podcast this week, but it's something that is equally important. This week's topic is about creating an energy efficient home that in turn produces a comfortable, healthy home for you and your family. Since it's the first of the month, this is another 10 in 20 episode. I run through tens steps

012 // Using Color To Fight Off The Winter Blues Nov 26, 2019 19:35 Back with us today is Mehnaz Khan. Mehnaz is a fine artist and color consultant. She was on the show last week giving us an introduction on how color can affect your happiness and well-being. If you haven't listened to that episode yet, please do! You will learn a lot about the basics of color psychology and why it is so important to understand how color affects your mood before you do any upg

011 // How You Can Use Color in Your Home to Improve Happiness and Well-being Nov 19, 2019 30:09 Did you know that the color you choose throughout your home plays a big role in your happiness and well-being? Color has the power to affect your emotions, so the colors you choose for your home really matter! I learned so much from this week's guest, Mehnaz Khan. Mehnaz Khan is a fine artist and color consultant who helps overwhelmed mothers turn their home into a sanctuary through art and

010 // Looking ahead at Residential Wellness Design Trends of 2020 with Rochelle Maize Nov 12, 2019 25:30 Today we are going to live in luxury because I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Rochelle Maize, Beverly Hills leading luxury realtor that specializes in wellness real estate. Rochelle is the executive director of the luxury estate division of Nourmand and Associates and she recently sold the Wellness House in Beverly Hills. Rochelle has been a pioneer in the luxury real estate secto

009 // 10 in 20: Healthy Kitchen Countertops Nov 5, 2019 26:51 Are you sick of Googling the best healthy and sustainable countertop options for your kitchen renovation? I have you covered. On today's Healthy Home Design podcast, I am sharing my ten favorite countertops for a health and wellness focused home. You will also learn what countertops I recommend avoiding in a healthy home. This is another 10 in 20 episode, so I share ten countertops and ta

008 // Healthy Materials Q and A Oct 29, 2019 32:28 We're continuing our healthy materials mini-series by answering listener questions specific to healthy building materials and finishes. Here are the questions we're covering this week: I am doing a renovation to my house and have spent so much time searching for healthy building products. It's confusing because there is so much greenwashing, I don't know what I should believe. Now I'm frus

007 // What's So Important About Choosing Healthy Building Materials? Oct 22, 2019 29:29 You know the saying 'You are what you eat'? Well, there's a new saying that goes 'You are where you live'. We now know that our indoor environment has a major impact on our health. So, when we live in a healthy home, we are going to be healthier people. When we live in an unhealthy home, we are going to be less healthy people. We also know that healthy air quality and water quality are funda

006 // Does a Healthy Home Cost More To Build? Oct 15, 2019 31:35 Have you thought about building a home that encompasses your health and wellness goals, but figured it would be too expensive to build? A healthy home must cost more to build than a typical home, right? Guess what?! It doesn't have to! This podcast episode breaks down the myth that a healthy and eco-friendly home will cost more to build than a typical home. There are certain items that

005 // How to Reduce Stress and Create More Calm in Your Home Oct 8, 2019 36:44 I've said it before, but I'll say it again 🙂 A healthy home is about SO much more than healthy air and water. This week on the Healthy Home Design podcast, I'm talking about the mental health side of a healthy home. And since mental health is also tied to physical health, the ideas I share in this episode are really powerful tools to treat both your brain and your body to some much needed r&r

004 // 10 in 20: 10 Ways to Improve the Air in Your Home Oct 1, 2019 24:43 Start improving the air in your home today be implementing these 10 strategies for better air quality. All ideas are designed to be implemented into your current home. You do not need to be renovating or building new to start putting these strategies into action and helping to create a healthier indoor environment for your family. Tune in to find out what the 10 healthy indoor air strategies ar

003 // Where To Invest The Most Money On Interior Finishes For A Healthy Home Sep 24, 2019 20:41 Many of my clients are renovating their homes or making small improvements to their existing homes and want to know where to invest their money to make the most impact on healthy living. When you are making home upgrades, the most costly areas of creating a healthier home will likely be for air quality. Since this can be expensive, you will want to put your money to the best use where it has th

002 // The Eight Healthy Home Elements Sep 17, 2019 24:40 Learn the eight healthy home elements that are the framework for creating a healthy home.

001 // Introducing the Healthy Home Design Podcast Sep 17, 2019 05:05 This episode will introduce you to the show and discuss why it is so important to live in a healthy and sustainable home.

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