It’s likely that you’ll spend at least half of your life in your home so understandably, you’ll want it to be a haven. In addition to building a comfortable, functional and stylish home, you should create a healthy home that supports you and your lifestyle and doesn’t work against you.

There are many ways to create a home that promotes physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Here are a few of our top recommendations:

Ventilation

Ventilation is essential to ensuring pollutants and fumes have a way of escaping your home. Pollutants build up over time, so utilising a whole-house ventilation system is the best way to ensure fresh air is in large supply. Make sure your home is designed with adequate ventilation to ensure pollutants have a way to get our and fresh air has a way to get in.

Another great way to promote adequate ventilation into your home is simply by incorporating plenty of doors and windows, which can be opened to allow fresh air to enter. Even during winter, having the windows open for a short period of time is a great way to keep your home fresh and your air healthy.

Minimise moisture

Moisture can lead to devastating water damage, but less visibly, and arguably more importantly, it can lead to the development of mould spores. Mould can have a huge negative impact on your health, particularly for those with allergies or asthma sufferers.

Many of the best ways to minimise moisture in your home start at the construction stage and mean ensuring your builder properly waterproofs wet areas. This also means minimising the potential of condensation build up by adding insulation to cold surfaces, such as exterior walls, floors and windows; and installing fans in bathrooms and laundries.

To keep your home free of mould ongoing, investing in a dehumidifier can be a great way to reduce moisture in the air. These are relatively low cost and are a great way to ensure your home stays healthy.

Outdoor Living

We hear it all the time – when you’re feeling sad or lacking energy, getting outside is a great way to boost your energy levels and promote physical and mental health. The positive effects of nature on health are well-documented, so why wouldn’t you add a stylish outdoor area to your home?

A brightly coloured and functional outdoor living space will encourage you and your family to get outside, breathe in the fresh air and get a healthy dose of Vitamin D.

Timber

Incorporating timber into your home can be hugely beneficial to your health. Studies have shown that timber has a variety of stress-related health benefits and is a great way to promote health within the home. In fact, a recent study by the University of British Columbia found that “the presence of visual wood surfaces in a room lowered sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation”.

Capitalising on these health benefits could mean incorporating timber floorboards into your new home or renovation, opting for a timber staircase to connect your first and second stories, or simply drawing upon natural timber cabinetry in your kitchen, bathroom and/or living spaces.

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To find out more about creating a healthy home for you and your family, get in touch with the team at Homes By Elite.