Breathing Easy In Lakewood

Spring has sprung – just ask any springtime allergy sufferer. We have moved from the season of cold air entering our homes to the season of pollen infiltration. There are many measures that can be taken to decrease exposure to pollen when it comes to your home (keep doors and windows closed during spring months, use an air purifier, vacuum carpet more often), but unless your house is airtight, outside air will still make its way into your home. During winter and spring months in northeast Ohio, it is tempting to curse an older home for all of its leaks, or, as Lakewood homeowners might say, “fresh air intake”. Rising energy costs and the availability of tax credits for improving energy efficiency have prompted owners of older homes to battle the leaks – to “tighten up” – by insulating their homes and replacing their old leaky doors and windows.

On the other hand, newer homes and buildings that are built “too tight” have their own unique problems. Without an adequate amount of indoor air exchange with outside air, the more dangerous air might be inside rather than outside. Chemicals from plywood and carpets, asbestos from ceiling tiles and flooring, mold from poorly ventilated areas – these are just a few contaminants that can affect occupants with an array of symptoms that can mimic colds or hay fever, and is referred to by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “Sick Building Syndrome."

Construction techniques, architectural styles, and building ventilation standards in the early- to mid-1900s were much different than in homes built since the 1970s: ventilation in pre-1930s structures was intentional and necessary in order to alleviate offensive human odors! Nearly a century later, modern technologies and materials that reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and improve energy efficiency in an older home are often worth the investment. But breathe easy, Lakewood: even after filling our walls with insulation and installing windows that don’t rattle, our bay windows, fireplaces, single-pane leaded glass windows, cantilever balconies, sleeping porches, and multiple roof angles – the "character" features that we love about Lakewood's housing stock – are all helping to permit a beneficial transfer of fresh air into our homes.