Home Sweet Home

Once you determine where you can live, then there is the decision of what kind of housing would be the safest and at the same time affordable. Here are some pros and cons on housing options:

Apartments  I love apartments. They are small which means less cleaning and less stuff.  They are rentals which means less maintenance and cost. All you have to do is pay the rent, your bills and keep the area relatively clean. The main problem with apartments is shared walls which is like living with a bunch of stinky people and you have no control.  Also, landlords can do all kinds of toxic things to your environment, for instance, re-painting, construction, air freshener usage, carpet shampooing, cleaning and you have no control. Also, apartments use public water works with all the chemical additives and you have no control. Bottom line: you have no control. But for those of us with limited finances, living in an apartment is often the only option. Apartments with limited units such as duplexes might be a better choice.

Some urban apartment buildings are implementing smoke and pet free policies which indicates a move toward environmental friendliness, but in most cases this is to protect real estate investments rather than addressing tenant health issues. There are fragrance-free apartments springing up all over and most have long waiting lists. In fact some of the waiting lists are so long they are closed. This indicates a need and a great investment for someone with some capital.

Trailers, Mobile Homes and RVs Although trailers are much like apartments in size and comfort without the shared walls, if located in a trailer court the distance between you and your neighbor might only be ten feet. I don't know if that offers much safety, but I know some MCSers claim it makes all the difference. Be aware of the age of the trailer and the use of cheap construction materials as many offgas toxic chemicals, formaldehyde in particular. RVs are trailers on wheels - nice if you want to be mobile or travel. Some RVs and mobile homes are bigger and more luxurious than homes and cost just as much. My neighbor's RV cost more than my house.

Houses  If located in a neighborhood, your neighbors will be anywhere from five to fifty feet away and you will be sharing air space with them. If on acreage, you might not even see, hear or smell your neighbors!  Hooray!

Rentals: Other than rent and utility payments,  you aren't financially responsible for maintenance other than general cleanliness unless otherwise negotiated in the lease agreement. With a landlord you will have less control over what you are able to do with the house and what the landlord may want to do. Advantages to renting a house: no shared walls, less responsibility and you can move easily.

Home Ownership : Owning your own home isn't financially feasible for many especially those on fixed incomes or disability, but it affords you the luxury of control over what happens within your environment and the option to choose safer alternatives. You are also responsible for maintenance and upkeep which can get very expensive. As the owner you may also renovate the building to create a cleaner environment by adding such things as whole-house water filters, healthier heating systems and/or filters, and air purifiers. Again, these extra costs don't come free so plan on spending some dollars.  It used to be home ownership was a good investment, but with this latest economic recession, I've heard many houses are now valued less than their original market cost. Main disadvantages to owning a house: responsibility and you can't always move whenever you like.

Cottage Cob House

A very inexpensive option if you already have property are cob houses. Built out of dirt, they look like little hobbit cottages. I read about one woman who spent only $5,000 and did all the work herself, finding reclaimed windows and doors for cheap and other second hand supplies for free.

I played with designs a few years ago. Molding a house out of mud is a bit like doing pottery. Hey, I can do that! Here are two of my designs (out of about ten!). One for a cottage style and one for a castle:

Cottage Cob House Plan

Cob Castle Plan

Straw-Bale House

Straw-bale houses are also an option along the same lines but you would need to obtain bales of hay. These are more popular in the warmer climates of the south and they end up looking like adobe houses. I think dirt might be more cost effective...and it's a lot more fun to shape a house and play in mud!

SQUISH!

I love those tiny houses people are building. Some of them are no more than 100 square feet and on wheels so they can be carted around behind a car or truck. It's the latest thing with the minimalist movement as the economic problems are forcing people to re-think their material possessions. I read about a woman who was given a free shipping container and she made a house out of it. Check out the many websites to see designs and watch videos. It inspires me. Here's a photo of a tiny house which is a little scary for anyone with chemical sensitivity issues, but you can see the size comparisons. I visualize a tiny house on LOTS of property!

There are people who dream of building low-cost communities for chemical sensitivity residents. I visualize a plan using a large tract of acreage with multiple tiny homes. Add a centralized recreational center and community gardens and we've got ourselves a chemically-sensitive community providing safety and support yet tenants are still able to maintain a sense of independence. 

Fragrance-Free Community Living

With all the baby boomers nearly ready to retire, this sort of plan would be a nice alternative to convalescent centers, too. Unfortunately, dreams need financing.

Condominiums  This housing option strikes me as the worst. All the exposure disadvantages of an apartment, lack of freedom with condominium contracts and rules, plus you own it so the financial burden of payment and maintenance still rests on your shoulders. If there is a chemically sensitive person reading this who is living in one and can share any advantages, feel free to comment.

Homelessness There are many chemically sensitive people living in cars or tents unable to tolerate modern construction materials but without the funds to build their own green homes. I've read about some who are camping in their carports or backyards unable to live inside their toxic houses and others who live in their cars at parks. As MCS statistics go up, let's hope more chemically-sensitive communities and fragrance-free options will be available to all.