Is Your Home Making You Sick?

[Avalon]

Several years later, I dropped in to say hello, went into a new addition, and began getting the same reaction. Now I seem to be more sensitive to this stuff, which hampers the "tough girl" image of myself. Just can't inhale the space age polymers like I used to.

Its worth bearing in mind that from certain points of view (holistically speaking), your ability to cope with allergens changes depending on many things.

I have eczema, hayfever and sometimes an allergy to cats and dogs. Whether or not I get these things seems to be determined by whats going on in my life as much as the actual physical reaction.

This was explained to me as : I was more reactive - I was less able to shut things out (phisically, mentally and emotionally). Now bear in mind - when I was at my worst - I was about to get divorced and my job was hellish! These types of situation can reduce your "protection". (this goes against EVERYTHING i was taught at Uni!)

When I came out here, my eczema cleared, but my animal allergy came back. That now appears to have gone.

Diny -

Im with you!

[driver]

40 yrs ago my husbands family emigrated to NZ. He was only a baby. They lived in Christchurch.
The stay didn't last very long as his mum left a UK Hayfever season to go to another in NZ. She blames the fact that Chch was built on a swamp and her problems got worse from the damp. I'm glad they came back as I wouldn't have met him otherwise.
Not knocking Chch remember it didn't look anything like it does now 40yrs back.

Theres a lot to think about with schools and houses etc. I hope that when we eventually get there that we won't get carried away with all the excitement and rush into to stuff. Knowing the builder is good and not just plucking him from the yellow pages is one less worry.

I'm getting lots of good advice off here keep it up.

[Mildred]

Diny

Quite concerned about the asthma being worse. How often was he weezy at home? Rose hasn't had any weeziness since she had her tonsils out which was about 10 months ago. Up until then she had been in hospital numerous times. When she had an allergy test she was completely clear for pets but went off the scale for house dust mites!

[veronica]

One of the things that we have been advised to do in Chch (so I would assume it would work elsewhere) is to get either polythene laid on the ground in the crawl space under the house or to get underfloor insulation put up against the underside of the floorboards. Both of these are said to reduce the damp in the house and raise the inside temp. significently. Although the backpackers is an older style house, (timber framed and when we bought it completely uninsulated) it shows not signs of damp.

One of the things to be a bit careful of is that we are all coming over here with GB£'s and can afford, and indeed know about these things. A lot of Kiwis haven't experienced the benefits of insulation (in both summer and winter) and central heating and an awful lot more of them can't afford to put it in even if they wanted too.

[selchie]

We probably wouldn't have as much insulation and other energy savers, but in the 70s there was a big rebate campaign by the gas & electric company for people to nsulate. Since then, they occasionally offer rebates for double-glazed windows, insulation, solar cells or energy-efficient appliances. Good motivation.

[selchie]

Its worth bearing in mind that from certain points of view (holistically speaking), your ability to cope with allergens changes depending on many things.

I agree that emotional and physical health influence each other. In my own case, I've been healthier overall since the bronchitis episode. However, when I paint or varnish inside, I have to air out the house well, because the vapors will give me a sore throat and mild asthmatic reaction.

[sarahw]

Its the one thing that lets NZ down. The average temp. inside a NZ house is 14 degrees C - the minimum recommended temp. by World Health Org is 18 degrees C - they say that the average NZ house is colder than the average house in Siberia.

As I'm sitting here having breakfast (in my kitchen!) I can see my breath in front of me - its not a particularly cold morning either! We have Pink Batts insulation as well - but that's no good when you're losing out of the roof & windows! and your average house has a lot of large windows here to take in the views (and to make the most of daylighting - capturing the sunshine that comes in!)

We're biting the bullet & having a gas heater fitted in our living area - I had a flu bug that lasted a month & I just know it was the house that made me sick! It'll be fine in the summer but I dream of sealed UPVC double glazing... My parents will die when they come & see the housing!

I also have to clean the largest amount of mould off the walls, floor & ceiling in our downstairs loo - I'm sure that's not good for health unsettling all those spores! But the windows don't have things on them where you can leave them slightly open to ventilate (we only have 2 windows in the whole house that do that and they're in the kitchen!!!!) So we can only ventilate rooms when we're at home - a trip to Bunnings to get something to fix it sounds like a plan!

[Diny]

I remember last Christmas at home. It snowed - and we sat by the bedroom window at about midnight, all of us in nightclothes - watching the snow come down. You can imagine the temps outside !!! But there we were, sitting behind double glazed UPVC windows, cavity insulated walls and enjoying the benefits of central heating (not to mention loft insulation !!). It's little things like that that I miss.

OK OK - so I know I shouldn't compare one country to another - but it's only natural to crave the comforts of home when you're camped out in little more than a garden shed (thankfully only 4 more nights in this place they laughingly call a house).

I also know we should understand that the average Kiwi can maybe not afford to insulate and heat their homes. But we also need to understand that it appears the average Kiwi has no desire to. Cold houses are what they've always known so it's normal to them. And besides ...... I'm not an average Kiwi, I'm a person who is use to basic, healthy comforts ..... so hang me.

Diny

[Paul and Linda]

This is all excellent advice and warning. I for one will be looking for a house similar to our UK one (temperature wise).

After all it's not just a roof over your head!

[Avalon]

I also know we should understand that the average Kiwi can maybe not afford to insulate and heat their homes. But we also need to understand that it appears the average Kiwi has no desire to. Cold houses are what they've always known so it's normal to them. And besides ...... I'm not an average Kiwi, I'm a person who is use to basic, healthy comforts ..... so hang me.

Diny

I remember the first time I lived with central heating (in university halls) - I nearly died from heat exhaustion! Could belive how nayone could sleep in a place so hot!

I had been brought up in a draghty old farmhouse, whose main heating was a big open fire in a huge living room, and fan heaters in teh othe r rooms!

Now of course - I want my heating!

(Do miss the huge fire though!)