I am mainly coming at green building from the angle of indoor air quality; i.e. avoiding materials that offgas. Ideally I would have liked to buy a LEED certified home, but it doesn't look like they will be built anytime soon. CARB in CA takes care of things somewhat in that they are at least better than they were a few years ago. Can anyone provide insights on offgassing properties of the following materials: tile vs hardwood vs carpet (for floor) [I have chosen tile and carpet.] tile vs piedrafina (for bathroom vanity) [I have chosen piedrafina] granite vs silestone (for kitchen countertops) [I have chosen silestone] painted cabinets vs stained cabinets [I have chosen painted] One possibility I have remotely been entertaining is to get all the cheapest/standard stuff from the builder and switch to green materials myself (look for zero VOC stuff). However, I'm not very knowledgable/handy about these things and I'm not sure if I may be causing myself a ton of pain by going that route. It may also affect the new home warranty. Any help regarding these decisions would be helpful. Thanks!

hi anoop, first a good question to ask yourself is exactly why you have the concern for offgassing. If it is due to asthma and allergies then there are other important criteria that you should be considering, such as whether you will allow combustion in the home (natural gas heat, for example). Also in typical wood frame construction you're looking at a lot of glue in the OSB sheathing, and a potential mold farm of spores already existing in the dimensional lumber that will be triggered if there is ever any issue with leaks inside the home. I mention this because I noticed a lot of your concern is with finishing materials, but they are just the icing on the cake.

The concern is not due to asthma or allergies, just long term health and that I find the smell in most new homes overpowering. That said, I have been in newly constructed homes by this builder and while there is some smell, it is not that bad except in homes which have hardwood floors. I am just trying to find materials that would minimize offgassing. I wasn't aware that the structure itself would be a significant issue. Perhaps the only way to deal with this would be to get an air purifier that can handle VOCs and mould.

Thanks.

If the hardwood floor is "engineered" then you could expect offgassing from the glue and additives holding all the particles together, but not from real hardwood. Whatever it is coated with (varnish for example) is a different story.

Most of the stuff they offer is engineered wood so my guess is that's what was in those homes. Hardwood is too pricey, and from what I understand, needs more maintenance/upkeep to keep it from getting damaged.

I am glad that you are concerned about what type of products you will be using in your new home.  I am currently working on a presentation about green building and how it ties to what we build.  I can tell you if you do the research you will be astonished.  We build European Tilt & Turn Windows, doors, and cabinetry.   My research was on PVC (Vinyl).  Here is information for you even though you did not mention this particular product I feel it is essential information to anyone.  The market demand for Green Building in rising and this is due to the rising cost of energy, code ordinance/regulations changing, and the availabilty and cost of green products.  Some argue till they are blue in the face that green building is not becoming popular but they are wrong.  More and more people are building green or trying to become more green.  In an existing structure you are limited as to what you can do to be more "green."  Windows and doors are usually the easiest.   

Here is quick facts about wood.   Wood products have significantly lower carbon footprint.  It is environmentally responsible raw material, becuase it stores carbon.  It is durable and can last virtually 100's of years with proper maintenance.  It is structurally strong and natural insulator.  For example, radiata pine structural timber has a strength for weight ratio 20 percent higher than structural steel and four to five times better than non reinforced concrete in compression.

Thanks for the info. I was aware that many car manufacturers use green materials in their cars. When I looked at an Audi the sales guy mentioned that, so after that I went back and did some research.

I have written a couple of articles about this in my blog
http://anoopsplace.blogspot.com/2012/06/going-green-living-healthy-home.html
http://anoopsplace.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-car-smell.html

Unfortunately, none of the home builders in my area use green building materials. They all claim to be green because they slap on a bunch of solar panels on the roof, but when it comes to indoor air quality, everything is conventional. Fortunately because of CARB in CA, the emissions are not bad as they used to be, but I am still overwhelmed when I enter model homes (which are full of upgrades and new, cheap furniture).

I bought my home office stuff from Steelcase and that is pretty good (zero VOC).

Anoop, an alternative answer to your question is to consider use of an HRV (heat recovery ventilator) in your new home. If you utilize an HRV (or ERV) you will change the air in your home multiple times each day. This will help mitigate the offensive nature of some of the VOC/materials you are concerned about.

The HRV was running in our new house from sheetrock install on, including during painting, while our flooring was being glued down etc. Most times you had no idea anything was going on in the home, no smells. Only trick was that we had to install (and periodically change out) extra filtering on the intake side so we didn't fill the unit with sheetrock dust.