Expert tip: Checklist “Renovation Planning”
Existing buildings of older stock are quite popular with property owners since they are cheaper than new-builds. However, when renovating these buildings, there are a few points to consider if you want to make sure that your future home is comfortable and healthy. Our expert will tell you the best way to proceed.
Tip 1: Careful removal of old pollutants
Asbestos, PCBs, wood preservatives – this list appears like a chamber of horrors in the history of building materials. When embarking on a renovation or modernization project, you may still come across these and other problematic materials that have been proven harmful to health. When removing these materials, you must therefore proceed with great care and take the necessary precautions such as wearing a fine dust mask. This also applies if you hire a specialist company to carry out the remediation work.
Tip 2: Planning with the help of a practical checklist
Once you’ve got rid of the old pollutants, you should also proceed with utmost care when installing the new components. To facilitate the product choice for renovators and refurbishers, the GEV – the German Association for the Control of Emissions in Products for Flooring Installation, Adhesives and Building Products – has created the checklist “What to remember when renovating a house or flat”. You can download this checklist as a PDF file from here: https://www.emicode.com/en/renovation-checklist/. The checklist provides you with an ideal basis for discussions with the responsible architect and/or professional craftsman. Systematically, you can go through the individual trades and choose only those products and materials that are not harmful to health. The checklist covers the major areas of modernization that may impact a healthy indoor climate, including the installation of wall and floor coverings, sanitaryware and (kitchen) furniture as well as the sealing and replacement of doors and windows.
Tip 3: Consider the consequences of a tight building envelope
The purpose of modernizations, such as facade insulation or window replacement, is to make the building envelope tighter and more energy-efficient. This does not only reduce the energy consumption but also the associated costs. However, the tighter the building envelope, the less air is exchanged. Even when the air exchange can be partly controlled by manual or automated ventilation, it is much more preferable to prevent emissions from happening in the first place. After all, the fewer pollutants in the air we breathe, the better for our health! This is why it is so important to choose building materials that have been proven to be harmless to health.
Tip 4: Install EMICODE®-certified products
Currently, more and more building materials are being offered that are free from harmful chemicals such as solvents, free radicals and phthalates (mainly used as plasticizers for plastic materials). However, to be on the safe side and ensure that the selected products can be used without any health concerns, you should look out for trustworthy certificates such as the EMICODE® seal. This is exclusively awarded to products that assure the lowest possible indoor emissions, which makes them ideal for use in airtight buildings. Products carrying the EMICODE® seal have been tested for harmful VOC emissions by independent laboratories in special test chambers. To ensure long-term compliance with the VOC limit values, the initial test is followed by regular, unannounced spot checks carried out by independent experts and testing institutes.
Tip 5: Checklist “Renovating a house or flat” – download now!
The checklist enables you to plan and carry out renovation projects with EMICODE®-certified products in a holistic and environmentally conscious manner, thus ensuring healthy living in a sustainable way. Download it right here.
Photo: © yakobchuk/123rf/GEV
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