Building A Peat Friendly Home

[noordinary]

When I was planning to remodel my house I got this book from Amazon:
so funny can't post any links, but please look up
Your Natural Home: A Complete Sourcebook and Design Manual for Creating a Healthy, Beautiful, Environmentally Sensitive House by Janet Marinelly
It is very resourceful for "green" building materials etc. Hopefully you can get it in Australia.

I ended up not doing the Big remodeling (money wise it would cost me as much as building new house) but I did wire the whole house (not only for laptop, but in every room).
So I don't use much WiFi but my neighbors wifi (both of them are 50 fit away from my house, which is a luxury for the city setting, and usually the neighbors are much closer, I don't know how is it in Australia) is so strong I get full bar reception in any room of my house.
Faradeay cage would be a great option if I would be planning building a new house and it is not as crazy as it sounds and not that hard to implement: you can use something like window screens all along the walls and the roof which should not be too expensive or require lots of labour to assemble. Probably this "cage" will need to be grounded, also not a problem considering you will ground the outlets.
I also would use special sleeves for the wires like this:
sorry again I can't post links as this is my first post on the forum.
Anyways goggle less EMF wire shielding
this website is also resourceful when it goes to EMF shielding, but pricy.
The cell tower is not that close to my house, but you never know when and where a new one will be. And considering the neighbors wifi as well.
I guess you building this house to live for years with your family, maybe worth exploring all the EMF.
I also got a whole house carbon water filters and additional filter for the fluoride from here:
again sorry can't post links yes
please google Pure earth backwashing whole house water filter
And they are huge, like literally my size and hardly fit in the crawl space, but did fit.

I actually glad I did not invest into my remodeling because now I'm considering moving south somewhere in SoCal (I'm in Seattle and we get very little sun here).
And will come back to the idea of my dream house once again but somewhere with 365 sunny days a year.

All the best to you and your Dream house!

 

[Ritchie]

If concrete, get the perimeter insulated as well as the underside of the slab - the temperature at the perimeter tends to drop a lot more than directly below, so can have big heat losses there in winter. Leave some of the internal slab exposed(or tiled) as thermal mass in places where it can soak up winter sun. But not necessarily everywhere - if it were me I'd think of a strip a couple of meters wide of polished or tiled concrete near large north-facing windows/doors, with something warmer/softer elsewhere.
If timber, and the ground can be damp under, an effective moisture barrier underneath can a make a big difference, and making it good insulation even better.

Very interesting points, thank you. Stuff I probably wouldn't have considered otherwise!

I don't know what current practice is like where you are - consider investigating airtight lining + heat recovery ventilation?

I have looked into both of these and seem very logical and sensible to incorporate into the build, again thank you!

Air to water heat pumps seem to be trending over direct solar water heating?

I will look into these, hadn't heard about them before...

Photovoltaic panels?

I like the sound of this, so they are basically like solar panels but with higher efficiency and less need for direct sunlight?

 

[Ritchie]

Double glazed windows made a huge difference in summer and winter for us in Central Tablelands NSW. Our
living areas are SO comfortable now. Highly recommended!

Thankyou, I will definitely be putting them in!

 

[Ritchie]

Are you using any concrete? Concrete absorbs water, even if it doesn't appear so. That's why concrete structures don't last as long as really old structures in China and Europe, according to George Swanson, in this interview: George Swanson - Living, Breathing Buildings - It's Rainmaking Time!®

He talks about using magnesium oxide as a building material.

Very interesting! Thank you I will look into this

 

[Ritchie]

When I was planning to remodel my house I got this book from Amazon:
so funny can't post any links, but please look up
Your Natural Home: A Complete Sourcebook and Design Manual for Creating a Healthy, Beautiful, Environmentally Sensitive House by Janet Marinelly
It is very resourceful for "green" building materials etc. Hopefully you can get it in Australia.

Thanks, I'll hunt down the book, definitely looks a worthwhile read! There are so many things to consider it's hard to know where to look so this sounds great.. Once it's built it's built so it's always worth putting in as much research as possible in the planning to get it right from jump!

Faradeay cage would be a great option if I would be planning building a new house and it is not as crazy as it sounds and not that hard to implement: you can use something like window screens all along the walls and the roof which should not be too expensive or require lots of labour to assemble. Probably this "cage" will need to be grounded, also not a problem considering you will ground the outlets.
I also would use special sleeves for the wires like this:
sorry again I can't post links as this is my first post on the forum.
Anyways goggle less EMF wire shielding

Limiting and minimising EMF exposure within the house is very high on the agenda, something I am currently researching and looking at options for. Thanks for the link I will look at it.. If only there was some type of material that could be built into the walls, floors and ceiling to act as a type of Faradeay cage haha make life a lot easier. And safer.

I also got a whole house carbon water filters and additional filter for the fluoride from here:
again sorry can't post links yes
please google Pure earth backwashing whole house water filter
And they are huge, like literally my size and hardly fit in the crawl space, but did fit.

Thankyou, that sounds great! I will look into that

And will come back to the idea of my dream house once again but somewhere with 365 sunny days a year.

Northern Australia? haha

All the best to you and your Dream house!

Thankyou, once done I'll make a list of all the things implemented for anyone else embarking on this journey.

 

[tara]

I have looked into both of these and seem very logical and sensible to incorporate into the build, again thank you!

I said lining, but I meant building wrap (moisture/vapour barriers), not the actual lining (plaster board or whatever).

I like the sound of this, so they are basically like solar panels but with higher efficiency and less need for direct sunlight?

Photovoltaic (PV) panels turn solar energy into electricity. As contrasted with the ones that collect solar energy directly as heat for water heating. I think the term 'solar panels' can be a bit ambiguous. Both kinds rely on sunlight for their energy. I can't tell you about exact efficiency ratios.
I've been told that it's possible to get better energy efficiency by using a combination of PV panels supplying electricity to run an air-to-water heat pump to heat water than to use direct solar water heating panels, and that the PV and air-to-water heat pump technologies are becoming more common in newer houses (though still not very common). I haven't done the detailed comparisons myself. That's where I am, and the efficiencies, relative costs, and available technologies and local expertise probably vary from place to place.

 

[danishispsychic]

Thanks! Yes sunlight orientation with respect to all the rooms is definitely of major consideration, some will get more than others but I'm working on getting as much as possible into all areas of the house. Great idea about a private space for whole body sunbathing!

after living in a lot of lofts that were soaked in sun, i really am the opposite now- i live in a Wexler designed home that is like a cave. i think an atrium type thing for sun with a salt water pool ( indoor ) would be awesome. i think that having a room that gets pitch BLACK for sleep is essential , and i think that having built in infrared sauna would be a must. of course major water filters, orange and lemon trees that can grow indoor in the atrium ( easier to take care of ) possible fir sauna , cold plunge pool, and prenegnolone on tap would be nice . xx

 

[Amazoniac]

- A Room with a View: A Review of the Effects of Windows on Work and Well-Being

 

[MetabolicTrash]

I was thinking of the same thing.

Would a good air purifier be worth it?

I get the impression one could help a bit, but not sure how much.

 

[yerrag]

i think an atrium type thing for sun

Isn't an atrium where sunlight only comes from the top and where it only let's light through as it's covered by glass?

If so, wouldn't direct sunlight only get through around noon, and so the window of beneficial exposure is very limited?

And even so, regular glass would filter out UV rays and you really wouldn't be getting the needed UVB rays for endogenous vitamin D production.

Not unless the atrium is so designed that the glass used doesn't filter UV rays and the atrium will allow light to come in starting from 50 degrees from the azimuth, as this is the exposure where you benefit from healthful UVB rays the most with the least harm from UV-A rays.

 

[danishispsychic]

Isn't an atrium where sunlight only comes from the top and where it only let's light through as it's covered by glass?

If so, wouldn't direct sunlight only get through around noon, and so the window of beneficial exposure is very limited?

And even so, regular glass would filter out UV rays and you really wouldn't be getting the needed UVB rays for endogenous vitamin D production.

Not unless the atrium is so designed that the glass used doesn't filter UV rays and the atrium will allow light to come in starting from 50 degrees from the azimuth, as this is the exposure where you benefit from healthful UVB rays the most with the least harm from UV-A rays.

um, they have them where the tops open up remotely.

 

[Cirion]

Curious why you think sleeping in complete darkness is good @danishispsychic . I used to think that too back in the day, but I've back pedaled on it after learning how much darkness promotes serotonin, and I don't need more serotonin. I haven't yet adjusted to sleeping in bright lights, so for now I have a somewhat dim light I sleep in. There has been a user or two here who slept under hundreds of wattage of light and swore by it. I did try this once or twice. I did notice that when I wake up in the middle of the night doing this I don't feel heavy fatigue/serotonin symptoms like usual. I only really quit it because it was kinda hard to fall asleep under 600W of light lol.

 

[MetabolicTrash]

Curious why you think sleeping in complete darkness is good @danishispsychic . I used to think that too back in the day, but I've back pedaled on it after learning how much darkness promotes serotonin, and I don't need more serotonin. I haven't yet adjusted to sleeping in bright lights, so for now I have a somewhat dim light I sleep in. There has been a user or two here who slept under hundreds of wattage of light and swore by it. I did try this once or twice. I did notice that when I wake up in the middle of the night doing this I don't feel heavy fatigue/serotonin symptoms like usual. I only really quit it because it was kinda hard to fall asleep under 600W of light lol.

Never thought that darkness can increase serotonin. When I was little I would be scared to sleep in total darkness because nothing could then be bright/moving pictures to distract me from my thoughts. My mother told me stuff like, "You're too old to not sleep in total darkness," and etc. Maybe some kids' instincts are better than their parents if their fear of dark keeps them out of it, which then leads to a net positive with less serotonin. Some people only like sleeping in pitch black rooms that are super ventilated/cool/cold, which I think isn't very good. Even though my fears of the dark weren't because of serotonin knowledge, maybe they served me right for now.

Just interesting how some of the stuff we learn as kids from our parents turns out to be opposite (told to enjoy the dark; shovel down anything green because it's "good"; get vaccines and etc.). In some ways it seems like our first instincts hold true longer than our "learned instincts" from media, culture, etc.

 

[Cirion]

Never thought that darkness can increase serotonin. When I was little I would be scared to sleep in total darkness because nothing could then be bright/moving pictures to distract me from my thoughts. My mother told me stuff like, "You're too old to not sleep in total darkness," and etc. Maybe some kids' instincts are better than their parents if their fear of dark keeps them out of it, which then leads to a net positive with less serotonin. Some people only like sleeping in pitch black rooms that are super ventilated/cool/cold, which I think isn't very good. Even though my fears of the dark weren't because of serotonin knowledge, maybe they served me right for now.

Just interesting how some of the stuff we learn as kids from our parents turns out to be opposite (told to enjoy the dark; shovel down anything green because it's "good"; get vaccines and etc.). In some ways it seems like our first instincts hold true longer than our "learned instincts" from media, culture, etc.

I tend to have more nightmares sleeping in pitch darkness and even sleep paralysis. Nightmares are caused by a sudden spike in adrenaline, as well as drop in CO2 and glucose/increase in serotonin.

 

[Amazoniac]

- The heterogeneous home

 

[Amazoniac]

- Room- and illumination-related effects of an artificial skylight

Spoiler: Artificial light used

 

[Amazoniac]

- Lily Yan | ResearchGate
↳ Light as a modulator of emotion and cognition: Lessons learned from studying a diurnal rodent

"While the illuminance necessary for entrainment of circadian rhythms varies among species, for humans, light as low as 120 lx is sufficient (Zeitzer et al., 2000). Light in our natural environment is much brighter, though, with examples being >1000 lx in a typical retail store or ~100,000 lx outside on a bright sunny midday (Turner et al., 2010). Such different levels of illumination during the day have been found to influence human behavior and physiology. Compared to low daytime light intensity, bright illumination during the day increases arousal and enhances attention (Altimus et al., 2008; Ruger et al., 2006), activates digestive activity (Lee et al., 2001; Sone et al., 2003), suppresses plasma cortisol levels (Jung et al., 2010), and increases the nocturnal rise of melatonin (Park and Tokura, 1999). Furthermore, rooms decreased their pain and analgesic use (Walch et al., 2005), and heart attack patients in sunny hospital rooms have relatively shorter hospital stays and higher survival rates (Beauchemin and Hays, 1998). As will be discussed below as the focus of this review, brighter daytime illumination has also been found to have positive effects on affective well-being and cognitive function in humans, while insufficient light exposure during the day can lead to affective disorders and cognitive impairments."

- Lux - Wikipedia
- Taxicab tipping and sunlight​

"A recent study showed that for hospitalized depression patients, those staying in southeast-facing rooms recovered much faster compared those who stayed in northwest-facing rooms (average of 29.2 ± 26.8 versus 58.8 ± 42.0 days to recover) (Gbyl et al., 2016). The only factor that could account for the speedy recovery in southeast-facing patients is that their rooms were much brighter compared to those in the other side of the building, and the difference in recovery time was up to 20- fold at any given time of the year."

"In addition to depression and anxiety, SAD patients also experience cognitive impairments including slower cognitive processing as well as impaired working and spatial memory (O'Brien et al., 1993; Sullivan and Payne, 2007). Seasonal effects on cognitive function have also been documented in non-clinical populations. A recent fMRI study revealed seasonal fluctuation in brain activity during cognitive tasks, such that the brain responses to a sustained attention task were highest in summer and lowest in winter, while the responses to working memory were highest in the fall and lowest in spring (Meyer et al., 2016). The impact of light on cognitive function has also been documented in human populations independent of season. As examples, brighter illumination in the classroom enhances math and reading performance of elementary school students (Barkmann et al., 2012; Heschong, 2002; Heschong et al., 2002; Mott et al., 2012), bright office lighting increases performance of adults in the workplace (Baron et al., 1992; Mills et al., 2007; Viola et al., 2008), and bright light therapy improves cognition in mild/early-stage dementia in some studies (Forbes et al., 2009; Riemersma-van der Lek et al., 2008; Yamadera et al., 2000)."

"Importantly, because most humans around the globe use artificial lights, the duration of daily light exposure we experience across seasons does not fluctuate nearly as much as the quality/intensity of light. In a study monitoring light exposure in a group of subjects at the 45° N latitude (Quebec, Canada) where the natural day-length fluctuates between 8 and 16 hours across the year, the total duration of light exposure experienced by the subjects was not significantly different between winter and summer (14.6 ± 1.2 vs. 14.9 ± 1.5 h). However, the duration of light above 1000 lx was greatly reduced in winter compared to summer (2.6 ± 1.2 vs. 0.4 ± 0.3 h) (Hebert et al., 1998). Therefore, the change in daylight intensity over the seasons is a more salient factor than daylight duration for driving seasonality in modern humans."

"To assess the effects of daytime light intensity on affective and cognitive responses, we housed diurnal grass rats under a 12:12 hour LD condition with either bright (1000 lx, brLD) or dim light (50 lx, dimLD) during the day, thus resembling the lighting conditions that many of us experience in summer or winter, respectively. It should be noted that the light exposure is voluntary because the animals can always avoid the light by hiding in a PVC tube provided as enrichment in their home cages. Even so, we have often observed that the animals in the brLD condition stand on top of the PVC tube to be closer to the light source, suggesting that the light at 1000 lx (which is higher than the standard for most laboratory rodent animal facilities) is not aversive but rather desirable for the grass rats."

"Following 4 weeks in each lighting condition, the animals underwent behavioral testing. Consistent to what has been observed in humans suffering with SAD, compared to the control group housed in the summer-like brLD condition, grass rats housed in winter-like dimLD condition showed increased depression and anxiety-like behaviors. Depression-like behaviors were assessed in the classic forced swim test (FST) and sweet solution preference (SSP) test (Leach et al., 2013a). In the FST, the dimLD animals showed longer immobility and less climbing/escaping, indicating more behavioral despair (Fig. 2). In a SSP test that permits free ingestion of 1% saccharin and tap water, the SSP of dimLD animals was significantly lower than that of brLD animals, indicating anhedonia. Anxiety-like behaviors were assessed in open field and marble burying tests (Ikeno et al., 2016). In the open field test, animals in the dimLD group had fewer center entries and spent less time at the center of the testing arena (Fig. 3). In the marble burying test, the dimLD group buried twice many marbles, compared to the brLD group. The behavioral responses in both tests reveal anxiety-like phenotype of animals housed in dimLD."

"It is well established that circadian rhythm disruption is a causal factor for mood disorders and cognitive impairments (Evans and Davidson, 2013; McClung, 2011; Wright et al., 2012). However, the rather subtle differences in circadian rhythms between the brLD and dimLD grass rats, and the much higher intensity required for the antidepressant effects of light therapy than that for circadian entrainment in humans (i.e. 5000 vs. 120 lx), collectively suggest that there are mechanisms in addition to - and more importantly independent of - circadian disruption that contribute to the behavioral deficits caused by daytime light deficiency."​

 

[Amazoniac]

- Thermal neutral zone - Wikipedia
- City-Scale Expansion of Human Thermoregulatory Costs
- The Critical Temperature in Naked Man (I don't remember where I got this from, suspect it was mentioned in an article posted by Zeus)

Aiming for the low end of comfort (adjusted with clothing) should promote stillness.

 

[Amazoniac]

- I’m living in a carbon bubble. Literally.

↳ Is CO2 an Indoor Pollutant? Direct Effects of Low-to-Moderate CO2 Concentrations on Human Decision-Making Performance

"Epidemiologic and intervention research has shown that higher levels of CO2 within the range found in normal indoor settings are associated with perceptions of poor air quality, increased prevalence of acute health symptoms (e.g., headache, mucosal irritation), slower work performance, and increased absence (Erdmann and Apte 2004; Federspiel et al. 2004; Milton et al. 2000; Seppanen et al. 1999; Shendell et al. 2004; Wargocki et al. 2000). It is widely believed that these associations exist only because the higher indoor CO2 concentrations at lower outdoor air ventilation rates are correlated with higher levels of other indoor-generated pollutants that directly cause the adverse effects (Mudarri 1997; Persily 1997). Thus CO2 in the range of concentrations found in buildings (i.e., up to 5,000 ppm) has been assumed to have no direct impacts on occupants’ perceptions, health, or work performance.

Researchers in Hungary have questioned this assumption (Kajtar et al. 2003, 2006). The authors reported that controlled human exposures to CO2 between 2,000 ppm and 5,000 ppm, with ventilation rates unchanged, had subtle adverse impacts on proofreading of text in some trials, but the brief reports in conference proceedings provided limited details.

This stimulated our group to test effects of variation in CO2 alone, in a controlled environment, on potentially more sensitive high-level cognitive functioning. We investigated a hypothesis that higher concentrations of CO2, within the range found in buildings and without changes in ventilation rate, have detrimental effects on occupants’ decision-making performance."


"This study addresses responses among human participants under three different conditions in a controlled environmental chamber outfitted like an office, with CO2 concentrations of approximately 600, 1,000, and 2,500 ppm. Six groups of four participants were scheduled for exposure to each of the three conditions for 2.5 hr per condition."

"Given the purity level of the carbon dioxide in the gas cylinder (99.9999%) and the rate of outdoor air supply to the chamber, the maximum possible chamber air concentration of impurities originating from the cylinder of CO2 was only 2 ppb. The impurity of highest concentration was likely to be water vapor, and at a concentration ≤ 2 ppb, short-term health risks from exposures to impurities would have been far less than risks associated with exposures to many normal indoor or outdoor pollutants."


"For seven of nine scales of decision-making performance (basic activity, applied activity, task orientation, initiative, information usage, breadth of approach, and basic strategy), mean raw scores showed a consistently monotonic decrease with increasing CO2 concentrations, with all overall p-values < 0.001 (Table 2)."

"Figure 2 shows the percentile scores on the nine scales at the three CO2 conditions (based on the raw scores shown in Table 2), with the percentile boundaries for five normative levels of performance: superior, very good, average, marginal, and dysfunctional. At 1,000 ppm CO2 relative to 600 ppm, percentile ranks were moderately diminished at most. However, at 2,500 ppm CO2, percentile ranks for five performance scales decreased to levels associated with marginal or dysfunctional performance."


"The real-world significance of our findings, if confirmed, would depend on the extent to which CO2 concentrations are ≥ 1,000 and ≥ 2,500 ppm in current or future buildings. There is strong evidence that in schools, CO2 concentrations are frequently near or above the levels associated in this study with significant reductions in decision-making performance. In surveys of elementary school classrooms in California and Texas, average CO2 concentrations were > 1,000 ppm, a substantial proportion exceeded 2,000 ppm, and in 21% of Texas classrooms peak CO2 concentration exceeded 3,000 ppm (Corsi et al. 2002; Whitmore et al. 2003). Given these concentrations, we must consider the possibility that some students in high-CO2 classrooms are disadvantaged in learning or test taking. We do not know whether exposures that cause decrements in decision making in the SMS test will inhibit learning by students; however, we cannot rule out impacts on learning."

"In general office spaces within the United States, CO2 concentrations tend to be much lower than in schools. In a representative survey of 100 U.S. offices (Persily and Gorfain 2008), only 5% of the measured peak indoor CO2 concentrations exceeded 1,000 ppm, assuming an outdoor concentration of 400 ppm. One very small study suggests that meeting rooms in offices, where important decisions are sometimes made, can have elevated CO2 concentrations—for example, up to 1,900 ppm during 30- to 90-min meetings (Fisk et al. 2010)."

"In some vehicles (aircraft, ships, submarines, cars, buses, and trucks), because of their airtight construction or high occupant density, high CO2 concentrations may be expected. In eight studies within commercial aircraft, mean CO2 concentrations in the passenger cabins were generally > 1,000 ppm and ranged as high as 1,756 ppm, and maximum concentrations were as high as 4,200 ppm (Committee on Air Quality in Passenger Cabins of Commercial Aircraft 2002). We did not identify data on CO2 concentrations in automobiles and trucks. One small study (Knibbs et al. 2008) reported low ventilation rates in vehicles with ventilation systems in the closed or recirculated-air positions. From those results, and using an assumption of one occupant and a 0.0052 L/sec CO2 emission rate per occupant (Persily and Gorfain 2008), we estimated steady-state CO2 concentrations in an automobile and pickup truck of 3,700 ppm and 1,250 ppm, respectively, above outdoor concentrations. These numbers would increase in proportion to the number of occupants. It is not known whether the findings of the present study apply to the decision making of vehicle drivers, although such effects are conceivable."

"There is evidence that people wearing masks for respiratory protection may inhale air with highly elevated CO2 concentrations. In a recent study, dead-space CO2 concentrations within a respirator (i.e., N95 mask) were approximately 30,000 ppm (Roberge et al. 2010), suggesting potentially high CO2 concentration in inhaled air. The inhaled concentration would be lower than that within the mask, diluted by approximately 500 mL per breath inhaled through the mask. Although the study did not report the actual inhaled-air CO2 concentrations, partial pressures of CO2 in blood did not differ with wearing the mask. Caretti (1999) reported that respirator wear with low-level activity did not adversely alter cognitive performance or mood."

"Moderately elevated (or reduced) PaCO2 has dramatic effects on central nervous system and cortical function. Bloch-Salisbury et al. (2000) reported that experimental changes in PaCO2 in humans within the normal range (in 2-hr sessions involving special procedures to hold respiration constant and thus eliminate the normal reflex control of PaCO2 through altered breathing), showed no effects on cognitive function or alertness but caused significant changes in electroencephalogram power spectra."​

- Dozing off in a meeting? It could be the air.

↳ Associations of Cognitive Function Scores with Carbon Dioxide, Ventilation, and Volatile Organic Compound Exposures in Office Workers: A Controlled Exposure Study of Green and Conventional Office Environments
↳ High indoor CO2 concentrations in an office environment increases the transcutaneous CO2 level and sleepiness during cognitive work
↳ Airplane pilot flight performance on 21 maneuvers in a flight simulator under varying carbon dioxide concentrations

 

[Amazoniac]

It would be interesting to know if reducing the ambient temperature delays the dumbesterone surge.
Will is hyper- and hypothyroidism lead to claustrophobic and -philic tendencies?

--
- Potted plants do not improve indoor air quality: a review and analysis of reported VOC removal efficiencies
- Pistolas y Rosas - Bienvenido a la jungla
- Improving Indoor Air Quality With Plants (it was a sponsored post, I confess it)