Low-chemical Maine home for myalgic encephalomyelitis patient
Excerpt from Pretty Good House: A Guide to Better Homes shows how a new home became a refuge from unhealthy building materials and other environmental hazards.
The following case study is an except from the new book from construction authors Dan Kolbert, Emily Mottram, Michael Maines and Christopher Briley. The study focuses on one new home in Maine. It was designed not as an architectural tour de force, but as a refuge from
unhealthy building materials and other environmental hazards.
The owner's health problems, which began
while she lived near a bus station in Boston, were
originally attributed to mold, environmental toxins
such as petroleum, and a virus. Jill was eventually
diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, and her
sensitivity to chemical fumes, pollution, and other
environmental hazards prompted her to look for a
healthier place to live.