The Essentials of Indoor Air Quality in Knoxville Custom Homes

One aspect of your home that doesn’t always get noticed is your air quality. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an essential aspect of your home, as your home should always keep you safe, comfortable, and healthy.

When building custom homes, Red Door Homes puts the utmost care into designing homes to have the best IAQ possible. Below is some more information on factors that can affect your IAQ even after building your beautiful house, and what you can do about it.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the quality of the air within and around your home or other buildings. In particular, IAQ is important when it comes to the comfort and health of the building’s occupants. IAQ is determined by the concentration of pollutants, humidity levels, and ventilation rates in the building.

Having a good IAQ is always essential for any building you occupy. We spend lots of time indoors, and even more at our own homes. Spaces with poor IAQ can lead to health issues including headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritation of your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.

Here in Knoxville, we have a mix of urban and natural surroundings, which can create a large spectrum of IAQ. From dust and pollen to chemical vapors, there are many things that can pollute the air you breathe in your beautiful house.

There are several factors that can affect your IAQ in your Knoxville home. The two most common are the local climate and your home’s building process.

Knoxville has a unique climate compared to other areas of the US. Our high humidity can encourage mold growth in buildings, and also cause an increase in indoor pollutants.

We also tend to get more pollen during the spring and fall compared to other areas, which can greatly affect individuals with allergies. Seasonal maintenance can help reduce these allergens throughout the year.

Did you know the materials used to build custom homes can potentially cause a poor IAQ? Some materials can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can decrease IAQ. Plus, poorly designed homes may have inadequate ventilation systems and poor overall construction, leading to all those pollutants being trapped in your home.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to try to manage your IAQ both during and after the custom home building process. Here are a few of the most common:

One of the most important things you can do to improve your IAQ is properly ventilate your home. If you can’t ventilate your home, you’re going to have a hard time controlling your IAQ.

Make sure you have a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation systems throughout your home. Natural examples would be opening windows or exposing screen doors, while mechanical would be the actual vents in your home.

Make sure that when you move in you don’t block any of your vents with furniture or other items! This can lead to poor ventilation and IAQ very quickly.

Here in the south, it gets humid pretty regularly. You’ll likely want to get a dehumidifier for your home - if not several. Decreasing the humidity can help prevent mold growth and allergens in the air, which can affect your health if not treated quickly.

Remember : Optimal air humidity indoors is between 30-50%!

You’ll likely have an air filter in your home if you have any sort of central heating or air. Always check these filters regularly to determine when they’re dirty and need to be replaced. Leaving dirty filters can not only decrease the IAQ, but also cause your HVAC to work harder than it should, increasing the chances of machine failure and higher electrical bills.

If you don’t think your current filtering system is enough, or if you’re prone to more pollutants than others (pets, anyone?), you can always get an additional air purifier for your home. From large units that sit on the ground to small tabletop units, there’s a variety of choices out there.

Finally, you should work closely with your custom builders to make sure you’re choosing responsible building materials. Look for low-VOC materials for paint, flooring, and cabinetry in particular. You should also ask about your custom builder’s construction practices, and see what they can do during the build to minimize dust and chemical exposure during building your beautiful house.

Indoor air quality is a crucial part of having a healthy and comfortable home. With Knoxville having such a unique climate, it’s even more important that you consider these strategies to keep your IAQ as clean as possible.

At Red Door Homes, we take your comfort seriously. Reach out to us today to learn more about our building processes and how our custom builders can help you build the beautiful house of your dreams.

How often should I replace my air filters?

We recommend checking your air filters every 1-3 months and replacing them if they’re dirty. However, this can vary based on several factors like the filter type, overall air quality, and whether or not you have pets.

Can indoor plants improve the air quality in my home?

Yes, but only to an extent. Indoor plants can help absorb some pollutants and produce more oxygen, but their impact on IAQ is relatively small compared to proper ventilation and filtration systems.

How can I monitor the air quality in my beautiful house?

You can monitor your air quality with smart home devices that measure particle matter, VOC levels, and humidity. Some air filters and dehumidifiers can also tell you this information and run automatically based on these levels.

What is the best way to ventilate my Knoxville home?

We recommend a combination of natural and mechanical ventilation strategies like windows, vents, and HVAC systems to get the best of both worlds. The more ventilation methods you have, the better.