Select Healthy Materials for a Build or Renovation, Even if You Know Nothing About Construction
- Course
- 35 Lessons
- 365-day access
Step-by-step video walkthroughs for each material category - with exact brands.
Advice specific to environmental sensitivities.
Tons of visuals + the terminology needed to feel confident discussing materials with your contractor.
For industry professionals, gain the knowledge to build healthy homes.
Ask questions.
The first and only course of its kind!
If You Are Chemically Sensitive, Choosing Building Materials Is Overwhelming...
Labels don’t tell the whole story; gathering the information on materials is time-consuming and takes experience; options and ingredients change rapidly; testing materials causes reactions; and making the wrong choices can set you back - financially and physically.
The course provides simple, clear videos that take you step-by-step through all the main construction materials, ready-to-go, compiled, up-to-date information, including exact brands; you don’t need unlimited time or perfect cognition to make safer, confident choices.
The course makes material selection as simple as possible, as foolproof as possible, and gives you confidence in discussing materials with your builder, even if you are completely new to construction.
Mistakes are very costly!
Maaaany clients have come to me over the years after high off-gassing flooring was installed or after spray foam was mistakenly used in a house....
Errors can cost thousands of dollars to fix, are very stressful, cost you health gains, and delay your project.
The course guides you through material choices, explaining the riskiest materials (including 0-VOC materials that are actually high-risk in real life).
You will have a decade of community experience at hand regarding what works, plus exact guidance through the top materials and brands in each category.
Health challenges make building harder
Cognitive difficulties, low energy, or low capacity to take on stress make a build or reno much more difficult.
(Building is already stressful for healthy folks.)
The course makes the process easier - simple 10-15-minute easy-to-follow videos with lots of visuals of each material (and the construction lingo) will help you be confident in discussing materials.
Detailed brand lists are below the videos so you can come back to them easily and reference it when needed.
My information on non-toxic building materials is updated more often than any other course, book, or website.
My questions are individual
Lists and articles don't always cut it when each person's situation is so different.
The videos are how I would explain the different better, best, and worst choices when talking to a client.
Within the course, you can also ask short questions about building materials below the lessons to make sure you understand everything, for any nuances, or for any short individual questions/clarifications.
This Course Is for Industry Professionals (As Well as Homeowners)
If you work with folks who want to build a non-toxic home, this course is also for you.
This is the only course of its kind that goes into detail on choosing materials, including exact brands, composition, and VOC levels; materials particularly difficult for environmentally sensitive folks; and chemicals of concern considered toxic even if folks don’t react to them.
This will help you to understand the needs of those wanting to build a healthier home - with exact products, products ranked as better, best, worst, and the concerns within each material category.
Course Contents
Introduction
The Preliminary Lessons
Foundational information before we get into the building materials.
Non-Toxic Materials for the Shell
Non-toxic materials for the shell of the house.
Non-Toxic Interior Build Materials
Non-toxic materials for the inside of the shell.
Bonus Lessons & Bonus Downloads
Meet Your Instructor
Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI certified Healthy Homes Inspector and Moisture Intrusion Inspector with certificates in Building Biology, and Healthier Materials & Sustainable Buildings.
For approximately 10 years, she has worked as a Healthy Building Materials Specifier for new builds and renovations, often for chemically sensitive folks, and as the writer at My Chemical-Free House, where she writes about healthier building materials.
She experienced chemical sensitivities, MCAS, and mold sensitivity for a decade herself, including severe reactivity, and has personal experience choosing materials for builds, trailers, and shelters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have access to the course?
You will have access to the course for one year.
I expect to offer a renewal option in the future at the end of the first year.
How do I get access to the course?
Once you log in to Podia, you can view all the lessons and watch them at your own pace.
Does the course include questions?
Corinne will answer short questions related to the building materials that take a few minutes to answer.
You may also share suggestions, your experience, and connect with others who are going through the build process.
Questions that take longer than a few minutes, are complex individualized comparisons or pros and cons, plus product reviews, and problem solving off-gassing after move-in, will require a one-on-one consulting booking, which is not included.
Is this course only for conventional wood-framed builds?
The course certainly focuses on materials for standard stick-frame (wood-framed) American homes, but the majority of the information will apply to unconventional builds like adobe, pumicecrete, ICF, and more.
Is this course only for Americans?
The materials, brands, notes on price comparisons or availability, regulations, and certifications are specific to the US market.
Most of this course will apply to Canada, but not all. The course does not have Canadian-specific brands or information; I won't be able to provide Canadian brands or resources in the comments; and there is no claim that the information is accurate in Canada. (Though being Canadian myself, I know that most of it applies, so I would still have taken this course myself).
Canadians get a discount - email mychemicalfreehouse@gmail.com with evidence that your build/reno or construction-related business is in Canada. Your payment option/payment address for the course must also be Canadian.
For those outside of Canada and the US, the course does not apply.
What if I can't test materials?
If you are too sick to test materials, can't test materials accurately, or don't have enough time to test materials, this course will give you your best shot at selecting the best-in-class materials (to the best of my knowledge) and what other sensitive folks have done well with.
There is certainly no guarantee that if you can't test the materials for yourself, the build will turn out to be fine for you, but a bonus lesson goes through what to do if you can't enter your new house.
Is the course similar to the book?
In terms of the raw information and brands, the course has very similar information to the book.
If you already own the book, you can get the book price discounted off the course price. Send proof of purchase of the book to mychemicalfreehouse@gmail.com
The course is best for those who want to see visuals and learn construction terminology so that you feel confident talking with your contractors.
The course also includes more discussion on which materials are better for the chemically sensitive, more of my opinions, and an option to ask questions.
The course also has bonuses that can help you with the process of going through a healthy build.
Do the video sessions work for people with cognitive difficulties?
As of right now, the video lessons do not have subtitles or captioning, but they will in version 2.0 (the next opening).
Videos have no background sound/no music, minimal motion, and clear visuals.
Is this course only for those with environmental sensitivities?
This course is mainly for those with environmental sensitivities who are building or renovating, as well as consultants and builders who build for folks with environmental sensitivities.
This includes MCS, MCAS, lung conditions, or other environmental reactivity to VOCs, odors, and other chemicals.
You can take this course if you are healthy and want a non-toxic build, but keep in mind that the course does not go into great detail on the toxicity of specific chemicals, so it applies less to healthy people.
I do point out chemicals of concern (like flame retardants) even if the chemically sensitive don't react to those, but the majority of the course focuses on individual reactivity.
(I plan to make the course broader in the future).
Does the course address building low EMF?
No, the course does not cover the topics of EMFs at all.
The course only covers safer/less toxic building materials.
Bonus sections cover a few mold avoidance tips, but this is not a building science course or mold preventative build course.
It's suggested that you take another course on building science/mold-preventative building alongside this one.
Is there a sliding scale or any discounts?
Canadians get a discount - email mychemicalfreehouse@gmail.com with evidence that your build/reno or construction-related business is in Canada. Your payment option/payment address used for the course must also be Canadian.
If the total budget of your build is 45,000 USD or less, email proof of budget to mychemicalfreehouse@gmail.com, and you will get a discount on the course.
(Only one of the discount options can be used; they cannot be combined).
In version 1.0 of this course, there is also a rebate option that is going out to Substack subscribers.
You can also become an affiliate of the course; the affiliate payout is generous.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
There are two scenarios in which you can request a refund to reduce your risk.
This program is unique and specialized. It compresses a decade of hard-earned, rarely public, time-agglomerated knowledge and experience about what actually works for people with environmental sensitivities, insider information and experience on materials, deep research on materials, material testing by sensitive folks, experience with past abnormalities in materials to look out for, and upcoming potential changes that only someone with a decade+ of experience in this field will have.
When you enroll, you receive immediate access to proprietary videos and written materials, access to one-on-one support with Corinne Segura, and bonuses that cannot be “unseen” or returned.
For this reason, we know that it will help in building a home with fewer chemicals of concern and with confidence in the build/reno process.
I am offering a money-back guarantee for two situations.
One, you don't end up building or doing a major renovation of any living space in the next 5 years (this includes a home, tiny home, simple shelter, prefab, and mobile home/trailer/RV).
Request a refund within two weeks on either side of the one-year date of purchase.
Two, you make a full recovery from environmental sensitivities after purchasing the course, but before building or renovating, and you don't wish to apply any of this information to your build or reno (you decide to build with conventional materials only, if you do build/reno at all).
Provide evidence to show that you meet those requirements. For the second one, provide an online written or video testimonial and evidence that you are not building with non-toxic materials.
If you experience a technical or accessibility issue (login, playback, captions) within 7 days of purchase, email support. We’ll resolve it. If we can’t after two attempts, we’ll refund you in full if we see that you did not watch the videos.
Email mychemicalfreehouse@gmail.com