Overview of cost factors for materials, labor, and regional differences

Materials

Building a mold-resistant and non-toxic home does cost more than a conventionally built home. An architect friend of mine often states that home building is in a continual “race to the bottom.” What does this mean? In essence, building material standards have been decreased to the lowest possible outcome regardless of the quality or toxicity. This results in a cost-driven instead of health-driven agenda in producing the materials used in your home. 

One example is OSB (oriented strand board) plywood. OSB is a structurally fantastic product, but it contains harmful formaldehyde. And, while OSB tends to be the universal choice for homebuilders, there are other options, which can provide similar performance with less negative health impacts.

Formaldehyde is quite problematic for people who are sensitive to most chemicals, and those who have mold illness (CIRS). Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen, and irritant; it can be released into the air, and can contribute to poor indoor air quality. Symptoms of poor indoor air quality include headaches, nausea, allergies, and asthma, and can be linked to common OSB products. 

One alternative, CDX plywood, also known as exterior grade plywood, uses a different form of formaldehyde, which is much less-toxic and off-gasses at a much lower level. 

Why is this important to this conversation? Cost. In general, CDX, though considerably safer for home air quality, costs 55% more per sheet than OSB for the same size sheet. 

Labor and Regional Differences

While these factors are not directly related to building a mold-resistant and less-toxic home, they are worth mentioning. 

Throughout the US and the rest of the world, the region you are building in can have vastly different labor and regional costs based on the socioeconomics of that particular region, the availability of labor, and the availability of materials.  Construction costs are often assumed to be mostly uniform within the US regardless of where you build, but the truth is that building in Amarillo, TX is much less expensive than building in Denver, CO. The primary driver of this disparity is cost of living, which drives the cost of labor, site conditions, materials costs, and management fees. This holds true in most regions of the country when comparing the cost of building in urban versus rural areas.