Housing
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As we spend more time inside our homes, our concerns about indoor air quality are magnified. The air inside your home is more polluted than the outside air and can negatively impact you. Your health impacts depend on the types of pollutants in your air, how often you breathe them, and your current health. People…
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You found a house that fits most, or maybe even all, of your requirements. Great, now it’s time to hire a home inspector to ensure the house is structurally sound and safe to live in. Although not always required, a home inspection is highly recommended. The cost of a home inspection will vary, but…
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In Ireland I saw several buildings with thatched roofs and they made me smile. I always thought it would be fun to spend the night in a cottage with a thatched roof until someone in Ireland said the reason there are 4 poster beds with canopies in thatched cottages was to keep the mice, insects,…
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I’m excited to announce the opportunity to present your research, teaching and/or outreach at the Housing Education and Research Association (HERA) Annual Conference in Lowell, Massachusetts on October 8-11, 2017. This year’s conference theme is: “The Beat Goes On: From Boardinghouses to Gen Alpha.” HERA is a small dynamic organization of research, teaching and outreach professionals…
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The tiny house movement continues to expand in Australia as more people are exploring smaller house options. The interest comes from a variety of factors, including a lack of decent affordable housing for those entering the housing market for the first time as well as an interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Australian houses are…
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At the end of a busy summer I find myself needing to “declutter” my brain. This year I decided a good place for me to start is to take control of my home. I am not a hoarder, but I have a lot of stuff and it feels like it has taken over every room…
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Everyone can carve out 5 minutes each day to keep yourself and your family healthy. You may need to make trade-offs, but it will be worth it. Here are five things you can do to make your home safer and healthier. Program the poison control number (1-800-222-1222) into your cell phone. Inspect your door locks and…
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I recently discovered that even door locks need regular maintenance. This weekend my key would not open the deadbolt on my back door. Having broken off a key in the lock several years ago, I knew better than to force it. With my limited fix-it knowledge I grabbed the screwdriver and took the doorknob off.…
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Do you feel ill whenever you are in your house, but feel fine when you stay in a hotel or at a friend’s house? There could be something in your house that your body is reacting to. Mold is often the named culprit; however, it isn’t always mold. To determine what is causing your health concerns you…
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For most of us, our home is, or will probably be, our largest financial investment. And, if you are anything like the average financially savvy American, then you are likely looking for ways to cut down on cost and make the most out of every opportunity to save a few hundred dollars here and there. As…
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Every year 72,330 women die from lung cancer. Lung cancer has killed more women than breast cancer since 19871. Of those who survive, only 18% survive five years2, meaning lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of all cancers for women. So, why is it that only 1% of women consider lung cancer…
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Does your home have “curb appeal?” October is a great time to stand on the curb and check out the condition of your house. Are the spiders taking over the front porch? Does it need painted around the windows to keep the moisture out? Are there loose shingles? Is the sidewalk cracked? Are the gutters…
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It’s interesting what you can learn from the past. Last year when I was in Austria I saw a very interesting way to heat a room. We were staying in Mariastern Abbey in Hohenweiler, which is in western Austria, near Bregenz (on Lake Constance). The abbey was built around the 16th or 17th century and was once a castle.…
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Several cultures continue to build houses as they did in the past. These traditional building techniques take advantage of local materials and work with the wind and sun to create houses that to build workable houses. An exhibit in Weil Am Rhein, Germany, at the Vitra Design Museum shows traditional houses and new construction that was inspired…
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Are you an “energy vampire?” If you live in an apartment in the central part of the building you may be sucking energy from neighboring flats. In Hungary people who live in the central apartments are referred to as energy vampires. (In the U.S. this term has a slightly different meaning.) The European Union…