Waukesha County Home

January, 2017

Homes Plus

Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/771207

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 0 of 7

By Dan Muckelbauer HomesPlus Editor Can your home make you sick? Architectural and interior design con- sultant Jonathan Synovic is convinced of it. While he says he doesn't force cus- tomers to build healthier, he does ask them questions when they come to his Brookfield company, Source 1 Project Solutions Inc. "I say, 'Do you have allergies? Do you have them in the middle of winter? Well, what's the pollen content in winter?' We close up our homes and everything's cir- culating in them," he said in advance of the MBA home show this weekend. That tight-as-a-drum insulation and some chemical sealing products can sub- tract rather than add to the occupants' health, he said, although he added it might be one or two people in a family who are steadily plagued by common ill- nesses or multiple chemical sensitivity. "The older homes can be healthier than our new homes. The products we used then were more natural," Synovic said. "The '40s and '50s had studs that were not chemically infused and the elec- trical wasn't coated in plastic." He doesn't unduly want to worry folks or have them believe building a new home or remodeling is an all-or-nothing venture when it comes to healthy prod- ucts or practices. It's more like healthier. "It's not that your home is unsafe to live in. What we're looking at are things that are noticeably obvious. If you smell paint, it's a product that's chemically changing itself," Synovic said. "It's less- ening the chemicals we're exposed to. "And it's a process to find what specif- ic people react to." There are lowest common denomina- tors, "and it's always better to do some- thing than nothing," Synovic said. "Dust — we try to eliminate that first and foremost," he said of the building and remodeling work. "We make sure the homes are cleaned. "We eliminate smoking on site and even outside by the crews," Synovic said, "and not making the mistake of grab- bing an adhesive that's going to smell up C O N T E N T S What's the difference between hybrids, GMOs and GEOs? What every consumer should know Short- and long-term winter repairs How to start a fire without smoking up the room A publication of the Waukesha Freeman and Oconomowoc Enterprise • January 2017 Your Guide to Homes, Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden and MORE! HOMES HOMES WAUKESHA + Moving toward healthier homes From construction techniques to products, 'healthy' can be a process See HEALTHY/Page 7 * Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is variable and will adjust according to the U.S. prime rate (as published by the Wall Street Journal) + 0% with a minimum APR of 3.75% and a maximum APR of 18.00%. An annual loan commitment fee of $ 36 with autopay or $ 50 without autopay is waived for the first year. An early termination fee of $ 300 may be assessed if the home line is terminated within the first 3 years. There will be no fees imposed to open the new home line. Property insurance will be required. This special offer is valid only for new home lines of $ 25,000 - $ 250,000, or existing home lines with an increase of $ 25,000 or more, with a loan-to-value (LTV) not exceeding 80% and subject to credit approval. Other financing options may be available to customers that do not meet the terms of this offer, including LTV ratios as high as 105%. The interest on the portion of the credit extension that is greater than the fair market value of the dwelling is not tax deductible for Federal income tax purposes. Consult a tax adviser for further information regarding the deductibility of interest and charges. Other conditions or restrictions may apply. Member FDIC. :KDW DUH\RXU SODQVIRU " %R\VURRPUHPRGHO 2XUZHGGLQJ )LQDOO\RXUWULSWR&DOLIRUQLD 0\1(:&$5 A Home Equity Line of Credit can help! $35 Variable Rate: Prime* + 0% Not a Teaser Rate No Closing Costs No Gimmicks www.WaukeshaBank.com | Member FDIC 253527008 Photo courtesy of MBA The MBA Home Building and Remodeling Show will feature an exhibit on healthy homes, including some of the products used in the process.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Waukesha County Home - January, 2017