Housing and Design Newsletter
Kenneth R. Tremblay, Jr.
Summer, 2006
Healthy Colorado Homes Work Team
Elisa, Laura, and I met in Frisco last month to discuss management and progress of the Healthy Colorado Homes Work Team. We evaluated a first draft of the House Records Organizer, a notebook with pertinent information and places to store important documents related to home repairs and improvements. A proposal was submitted to the CSUE Venture Capital Fund for further development, copying, and training for the notebook.
We discussed the radon grant that was just awarded from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Elisa will act as liaison with agents, Laura will provide resources, and Ken will analyze data submitted and write necessary reports.
The Healthy Colorado Homes Work Team will be meeting in Frisco October 19 and 20, 2006. If you are a member of the team please write the dates into your schedule. We plan afternoon training on the use of House Records Organizer, an evening session on the radon grant, and a morning training on Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes. Everyone will receive a copy of House Records Organizer and the new CD on Healthy Indoor Air for America's Homes. If the Venture Capital Fund proposal is approved, we hope to offer $250 to each participant to help cover travel and lodging expenses. More information will be sent via e-mail.
Healthy Homes DVD
Joseph Laquatra, Cornell University, has developed a Healthy Homes DVD with financial support from the HUD Healthy Homes Program. The DVD, in English and Spanish, looks at a rental home situation as well as an elderly homeowner's house and includes realistic healthy home issues and suggestions for improving living spaces. I have sent copies of the DVD to the Healthy Colorado Homes Work Team members, and have two extra copies if you are interested.
Housing and Society
The most recent issue of Housing and Society covers a broad range of housing issues:
- Residential property management
- Theory in housing research
- Housing satisfaction
- Mortgage defaults
- Counseled first-time home buyers
- Gaming/simulation methodology
- Greening homeowners
- Healthy indoor air
- Acceptance of household technology
Copies were mailed to Healthy Colorado Homes Work Team members. I have additional copies if you are interested in receiving one.
Earth-Friendly Living Display
The National Building Museum in Washington, DC, has a new exhibit, "The Green House." More than just a show of homes that incorporate sustainable, renewable, and recyclable products, the exhibition encourages its visitors to become greener too. Quick tips are posted throughout the exhibit to suggest ways we can all be environmentally conscious at home.
The National Building Museum is located at 401 F Street, NW, in Washington, DC, near the Judiciary Metro stop. The Web site is www.nbm.org
No Place Like Home
AARP and The Home Depot have put together five useful brochures full of tips and instructions on how to make all the rooms of your home safer and more comfortable. There is even information on how to prepare yourself, your family, and your home for disaster. To get any brochure or all of them, call 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-800-687-2277) and order by title and number: "Hallways" (D18371), "Bathroom" (D18370), "Kitchen" (D18369), "Lighting" (D18372), and "Are You Prepared?" (D18373). You can also download them in English or Spanish at www.aarp.org/homedepot
Avoiding Mold Hazards in Your Flooded Home
A flood-damaged home requires special attention to avoid or correct a mold population explosion. Mold is likely to multiply on materials that stay wet for more than two or three days. The longer the mold is allowed to grow, the greater the hazard and the harder it is to control. Thus, as soon as floodwaters recede and it is safe to return, do not delay clean-up.
Take photographs to document damages for insurance purposes and get started. It is not wise to wait for the adjuster to see it in person. Most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover mold damages or clean-up costs.
Mold and Health
Molds produce spores that float and spread easily through the air, forming new mold growths when they find the right conditions-moisture, nutrients (nearly anything organic), and a place to grow. Although there is wide variation in how people are affected by mold, long-term or high exposure is unhealthy for anyone. Exposure to mold can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks, may suppress the immune system, or have other effects.
Mold testing is not usually needed and is rarely useful to answer questions about health concerns. Some insurance companies and legal services may require sampling as a form of documentation. Professional mold remediation contractors may test before and after clean-up to provide evidence of the clean-up's effectiveness.
To Prevent Mold Growth After Flooding
- Remove wet carpeting right away. It is best to discard it, but if salvaged, clean, disinfect, and dry quickly with professional equipment or outdoors. Never reuse flooded padding.
- Cut away wet wallboard and remove all wet and damp insulation right away, even if wallboard appears to dry. Wet insulation will stay wet far too long, leading to the growth of hidden unhealthy mold and decay fungi inside the walls.
- Clean with non-phosphate detergents (any phosphate residue is mold food). If you disinfect, follow directions carefully and never mix bleach with ammonia or acids (vinegar). Disinfectants can kill molds, but do not prevent regrowth.
- Do all you can to speed the drying of subfloors, slabs, and wall framing before replacing insulation, wallboard, and flooring. Use air conditioning or heaters, fans, and better yet a dehumidifier. Water damage restoration contractors with special equipment (dehumidifying blowers) can provide the fastest drying.
- Test the moisture content of studs and sheathing (using a moisture detector) before replacing insulation. Wood should drop below 20% moisture content by weight before you close the wall.
- Do not use vinyl wallpaper. That would prevent further drying to the inside.
Mold Clean-up Guidelines
To clean up mold, follow these steps and refer to the EPA guidelines: A Brief Guide To Mold, Moisture, and Your Home or Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings available online at www.epa.gov/mold
Minimize Your Exposure During Clean-up: People are mainly exposed to mold by breathing spores or fragments, and can also be exposed through skin contact. Wearing gloves and a respirator that can filter mold spores (N-95 or better) is recommended.
Isolate Work Area and Ventilate to Outdoors: Disturbing mold colonies can cause a massive release of spores, so seal off the contaminated area from the rest of the house. If power is on, use a fan to exhaust air to the outdoors.
Remove and Discard Moldy Materials: Porous moldy or sewage contaminated materials should be removed, bagged, and thrown away-including gypsum wallboard, insulation, plaster, carpet/carpet pad, ceiling tiles, processed wood products, and paper. To minimize the spread of spores, cover moldy material with plastic to contain spores before removing and discard it. Even if not moldy, all wet fibrous insulation and other materials that are unlikely to dry quickly enough should be removed and replaced.
Clean Surfaces: Surface mold on non-porous materials such as hard plastic, concrete, glass, metal, and solid wood can usually be cleaned. Cleaning must remove, not just kill, the mold because dead spores can still cause health problems.
After cleaning, you may choose to use a disinfectant to kill any mold missed by the cleaning. In the case of sewage contamination, disinfection must be performed. Contact your local health department for appropriate advice.
On color-fast, non-metal surfaces, you may disinfect with a solution of 1/4 to 1/2 cup bleach per gallon of water. Do not use in the air system. Milder, less corrosive disinfectants include alcohols, disinfecting cleaners, and hydrogen peroxide. Always handle with caution; never mix bleach with ammonia and it is a good idea to test on a small area.
Speed Dry: Dry all wet materials as quickly as possible. Use air conditioning or heat with fans and dehumidifiers, if possible. New mold colonies can form in as little as three days if materials stay wet. Wood and other materials that may look dry can still be wet enough to support regrowth.
Remain on Mold Alert: Continue looking for signs of moisture or new mold growth. If mold returns, repeat cleaning and consider using speed drying equipment and moisture meters. Regrowth may signal that the material was not dry enough or should be removed. Rebuilding should wait until all affected materials have dried completely.
(Adapted from Claudette Reichel, Storm Recovery Guide for Homeowners booklet and Cleaning Your Flood Damaged Home fact sheet available from LSU AgCenter Web site.)
Environmental Tobacco Report
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) recently released a report which links environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) to a variety of health effects ranging from asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and increased
incidences of breast cancer in non-smoking pre-menopausal women.
"These findings again heighten the need to minimize the public's exposure to tobacco smoke," said ARB Executive Officer Catherine Witherspoon. "This information should be considered before anyone lights up another cigarette, especially around infants and children."
The joint ARB and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) report cites new and strengthening evidence that links secondhand tobacco smoke to a wide variety of adverse health effects, including increased incidences of cancer, heart disease, and respiratory ailments, as well as the increased incidences of breast cancer in non-smoking pre-menopausal women.
In addition to the breast cancer finding, other significant findings of the report include the
correlation of exposure to secondhand smoke to premature and low birth-weight babies, SIDS, bronchitis, pneumonia, the induction and exacerbation of asthma, and to middle ear infections in children. In adults, ETS has been identified as a cause of lung and nasal sinus cancer, eye and nasal irritation, and now asthma. For more details visit www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/ets/finalreport/finalreport.htm
Housing Trends
Energy Efficient Mortgage. In 1993, HUD gave a boost to the mortgage lending industry by approving a pilot program which allows for originators to underwrite potential mortgage borrowers of existing properties using guidelines for an energy-efficient mortgage. The premise behind EEMs is that they recognize the energy savings of a home that has cost effective energy easing improvements-these increase the energy efficiency of a home. Because the home is energy efficient, the family will save on utility costs and thereby can afford to devote more of its income to the monthly mortgage payments.
 National Apartment Association. The National Apartment Association held its annual conference in Denver this past June. The NAA serves as the primary advocate for the multi-family industry, a sector that covers nearly 30% of American households. As a result, NAA serves the interests of multi-family housing owners, managers, developers, and suppliers, and indirectly the rental housing needs of the public. Some of the issues most prominent in the apartment industry are mold remediation, fair housing compliance, and the state of today's property management industry. Its educational arm is the NAAEI. The journal Housing and Society is currently soliciting manuscripts for a special issue on multi-family housing. Contact me if you have an idea for a manuscript.
Forty Year Mortgage. For the past year secondary mortgage marketing giant Fannie Mae has been purchasing 40-year mortgage loans. The 40-year loans can help to alleviate some of the affordability anxieties that the home buying public has, but critics worry that this kind of mortgage saddles people with too much debt. Also, the lower per month costs allow people who are bad credit risks to get credit, increasing nonperformance rates. Along with no downpayment and interest-only mortgages, there is concern that foreclosures will increase. Colorado had the highest foreclosure rate of any state for the first six months of 2006.
National Housing Act of 1949. History was made in the housing world on July 14, as President Harry Truman signed into law the National Housing Act of 1949, possibly the most important piece of housing legislation in the nation's history. The road to passage was not easy, with industry and conservatives fearing that government interference in housing was not desirable. However, the liberal view that public housing was in the best interests of the U.S. carried the day, and the measure was passed. Along the way, a new phrase became the standard by which Americans could separate themselves from residents of other countries, in that Congress mandated "…a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family."
National Center for Seniors' Housing Research. The Center's goal is to offer the home building and seniors housing industries the most current information on older adults' housing issues and options so that all Americans can continue to live comfortably, safely, and independently in their own homes as they age, regardless of income or ability level. Its Web site is www.nahbrc.org, providing resources on LifeWise Home, Directory of Accessible Building Products, and Smart Ideas Checklist.
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Any comments, needs, ideas or suggestions can be sent to:
Kenneth R. Tremblay, Jr.
Housing Specialist and Professor
Department of Design and Merchandising
155 Aylesworth
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523
(970) 491-5575
Fax: (970) 491-4855
tremblay@cahs.colostate.edu
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