For the first time in Grand Designs TV history, Kevin McCloud followed Elinor and Born Barikor on their self-build journey to creating a healthy home. Take a look at the key features that ensure their project is a truly healthy building.
Image: David Giles
With the news spotlight focussed firmly on allergies and their potentially devastating outcomes, the third episode of the 2018 series of Grand Designs marked TV history as Kevin McCloud and the team visited their very first healthy home project. Gallery owner Elinor and fitness entrepreneur Born Barikor set themselves the nearly impossible challenge of building Britain's first hypoallergenic house designed to help with the crippling allergies which blight their children’s day-to-day lives.
The family's new part-submerged, shed-inspired home will be built with the high standards of airtightness approaching Passivhaus standard, a mechanical ventilation system to purify the air, non-solvent paints, flooring and carpentry and natural materials wherever possible.
'Over the years since getting the diagnosis and learning of the complexity of the boys’ allergies, we had many discussions about how we would have liked to live somewhere that was ultimately ‘safe’ for the children,' Born says. 'This however was always considered a dream.'
Here are just a few of the possibilities for safeguarding you and your family's health when carrying out a self-build or renovation project.
Decorate with non-solvent paint
Image: David Giles
Their children, Pascal, Avery and Blakely-Rae each have their own bedroom, decorated with bright non-solvent paint from the Crown Breatheasy range and including furniture and furnishings chosen to be as healthy as possible.
Use large full-height glass doors for natural light
Image: David Giles
This lower floor is where the bedrooms are sited, opening onto a sunken courtyard which forms the centre of the tiered garden. For a home designed specifically to be healthy, the lack of natural light in this part of the house was an issue.
Elinor and Born ensured that the full-height glass doors were as large as possible and brought in Lighting Designer Darran Prior to advise on how to incorporate artificial light.
Create a garden space or courtyard with healthy plants
Image: David Giles
This generous series of spaces provides a peaceful retreat for Elinor and Born and has doors which open to the sunken garden with its carefully-chosen healthy plants including hostas, hydrangeas and lavender. These plants reduce pollen as they are all pollinated by insects rather than wind.
Design a multi-purpose living area made from natural health-approved products
Image: David Giles
The family spend most of their time in this comfortable multi-purpose open-plan space, which includes an island unit in the kitchen, a dining area and space for books and hobbies. It leads onto an outdoor terrace where the family can make the most of the fresh air.
Born and Elinor’s designer sourced a German company, Rational, whose products are approved as not being harmful to health, for the kitchen units, and tracked down worktops, tiles and deck derived from natural products - the decking is made from maize husks, for example.
Design a lounge with healthy reclaimed furniture
Image: David Giles
A cosy room where the family can relax, safe in the knowledge that the paint, floor-coverings and comfortable furniture are as healthy as possible.
Elinor and Born's top healthy furniture finds include a reclaimed scaffold plank dining table and benches, Ercol chairs, Persian rugs and a church pew, now painted in non-solvent paint.
Words: Jayne Dowle
Which features of this hypoallergenic house would you incorporate into your own build? Tweet us @granddesignsmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.
