Building your own home is a great way to ensure you’re getting exactly what you want. You can build something that fits your needs and wants from the ground up. More importantly, though, building your own home allows you to choose materials that are safe and healthy for you and your family.

Some existing homes can contain a variety of harmful building materials, including things like asbestos in older homes.

If you’re considering building your own home or you’re already in the initial stages, it’s important to understand the potential health benefits. Knowing more about how home construction can benefit your well-being can help you to make the best possible choices for you and your family.

Let’s cover some of the health benefits you should keep in mind, so you can both prioritize and enjoy them throughout the building process.

Homeowners Are Healthier

According to a Habitat for Humanity survey, 74% of families said their overall health improved after moving into a home. Homeownership, in general, is a great way to improve your health and give your family a better lifestyle. While renting is a viable option for many people nowadays, don’t ignore the benefits that come from owning your own home. Some of those health benefits include:

• A better sense of stability
• More safety
• More control over your environment
• Social and community interaction

Even buying a pre-existing home can help you to achieve these benefits, but building your own house from the ground up offers you even more control over the health and well-being of your family. If you need even more reasons to consider building a house, we’ve definitely got you covered.

Materials That Matter

Building your own house allows you to use materials and techniques that will help to keep everyone healthier. It’s especially beneficial to use certain materials over others if you have a family member with an underlying health condition or respiratory disorder. Some of the best building materials for better health and to avoid respiratory disease include:

• Paperless drywall
• Cellulose insulation
• Low VOC paint
• Stainless steel
• Fiberglass insulation

Many eco-friendly building materials are also better for your overall health. Green construction is becoming more popular, and materials like bamboo, smart glass windows, and purifying paint can help to reduce your home’s carbon footprint while improving air quality within the house itself.

When you’re considering potential materials for your new home, make sure to do your research. Some materials will cost more than others, and it’s important to factor that into your overall budget. But, sustainable building materials can help you to save money on energy costs, and materials that will keep you and your family healthier are often worth their weight in gold. It’s about deciding what’s most important to you and adjusting your budget as necessary.

Meeting Your Needs

We touched on it above, but one of the biggest health benefits of building your own home is customizing everything to meet your individual needs. You can design your home to fit your family. That’s especially important if you have any family members with special needs or existing conditions. For some, that might mean installing wheelchair ramps or making the home accessible as possible. For others, it could mean having the bedrooms all on the same level so you can check on your children at night.

You can design your home to encourage a healthy lifestyle, too. More people are starting to work out at home because of the pandemic, so home gyms are becoming increasingly popular. Having your own personal workout space can motivate you to stay in shape and make your health a priority. A spacious kitchen that inspires you to cook can also make it easier to put together healthy meals for you and your family, rather than dining out so often. When you construct a home with health in mind, the possibilities are endless. Your home could be the thing that keeps you on track with your wellness goals.

Finally, building your own home will also give you peace of mind. When you purchase an existing home, no matter how nice it is, you may never know its full history. While home inspections can warn you about any immediate red flags, you could end up buying property with a history of foundational issues, insects or rodent problems, or damage from past accidents. When you build your own home, you’ll know everything is safe from the start.

There’s nothing wrong with renting or purchasing a home. There are plenty of great options out there that can benefit your health. However, building your own home gives you the freedom to put your health and well-being first. From choosing a safe and open location for construction to utilizing the right materials, and designing everything to fit your needs, the benefits of building can’t be beaten.

Indiana Lee

Writer & Journalist

Indiana Lee is a writer and journalist from the Pacific Northwest with a passion for covering workplace issues, social justice, environmental protection, and more. In her off time you can find her in the mountains with her two dogs. You can follow her work on Contently, or reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @indianalee3