The healthy house project

Timber framing treated with Boron a natural preservative

Tesla battery storing energy from the solar panels for the Healthy House

Wooden unit by locally based Castle House Joinery slate tops clay plastered walls Earthborn clay paint and Tom Raffields toxin and chemical free mirror

Geocell recycled glass - looks like pumice stone and is very light - used as a substrate below eco-concrete

Wool insulation - cosy and natural

Clay plastering on Fermacell board made of recycled paper and gypsum

Solar panels for an all electric house

Solid wood flooring wooden windows & wildflower turf

Wooden staircase made by locally based Castle House Joinery

Wooden doors with Ecologique MDF - formaldehyde free

I’m Clare Sherriff and I’m an architectural historian on a mission to share current academic research - with everyone everywhere - about the outgassing of toxic chemicals and plastics from building products into our interiors. Academics and environmentalists working in this field are increasingly concerned how such a cocktail of toxins, both individually and collectively, can affect the human body.

Several years ago I developed a thyroid problem, my man and my dog were also not well despite living what we thought was a healthy lifestyle. An enlightened health practitioner suggested that I should also look at my home environment. This was a eureka moment. I lived in an old house in the country. It never crossed my mind that the house we lived in could affect our health. We eventually found that underground water - it was close to the Thames - was a possible culprit. Volumes of underground water can create an electromagnetic charge which seeps up into the buildings above. Geopathic stress – where the earth’s magnetic field is disrupted - cannot in it itself cause illness, but long-term exposure is believed to weaken the immune system and health problems may develop. My passion and long-term research springs from this single discovery. Where you live and the materials used in your house can affect your health.

In 2017 I built a chemical and toxin free home and am in the process of starting another. I am passionate about using natural materials wherever possible in our homes and believe that information on the effects of toxins in buildings should be available for everyone.

The Healthy House in Henley on Thames , a small three bedroom end of terrace house was built in 2017 as a chemical toxin and plastic free build. At the time the cost was about 20% more than a conventional build. The Healthy House is a wooden house, the wood was treated with Boron a natural preservative, the insulation is wool, the walls clay plastered, with solid wood flooring throughout. The kitchen was made locally from old panelling found in a London house. It is an all electric house supported by solar panels with Tesla battery storage. In an effort to avoid plastic the electric switches are stainless steel. We used copper and cast iron pipes – copper is known to eliminate bacteria.

To book a consultation with Clare email clare.sherriff@btopenworld.com