Regional Insights Provide a Baseline to Advance Specification Guidance

Billy Weber | September 2018 | Newsletter

Are you curious about regional trends in building products? Do you want to know what your peers are using on their projects? Healthy Building Network has collected project specifications to assess baseline information to help you understand typical products installed in affordable housing and identify opportunities for improvement. The results of the Washington, DC baseline specification study are now live on the HomeFree site, where you’ll find similar studies for California, Louisiana, Minnesota, and the Pacific Northwest. Next up is New York.

Each review focuses on products used in the following seven categories: Drywall, Thermal Insulation, Interior Paint, Flooring, Cabinetry/Millwork, Countertops, and Doors; and contains recommendations for improvement. With this information as your baseline, you can now measure your progress towards adoption of healthier products.

Understanding how your practices compare to others is an important beginning. Take the next step toward healthier material selection by reading the full Washington, DC area summary and recommendations, and check out our overall spec guidance.