Before purchasing or renting a house or apartment to live in, look carefully at the Construction of the house and the materials with which the house has been built. Generally speaking, you are looking for a house that can act as a Faraday cage and an Anechoic chamber, protecting you from electromagnetic fields by either conducting fields away from you or shielding you from these fields. If you already own a house, you might consider making the following upgrades or renovations to help make your house more environmentally friendly. If at all possible, you or a friend should perform the renovations. Both the Location and the Construction of a house will determine the EMF exposure of a house. A) House Construction: Walls The walls of your house are an important part of your protection from EMF fields. Walls will help block fields from surrounding towers, as well as any fields that emanate from your neighbors' houses or hotel rooms. Materials that provide good shielding from EMFs include: Cement block Red Brick Metal (e.g. Copper) Stucco (covering chicken wire) Stone (e.g. Slate, Granite) Houses that are made entirely of wood are not sufficient to provide protection from Electromagnetic fields. Additionally, Fungus (Mold), which is considered to be a possible cause for EMF sensitivity, thrives in wood. If you have a house made of wood, you might consider changing the siding to stucco, or to use Hardie Plank which is installed in a manner similar to wood plank. Using a combination of the above listed siding materials can also be successful. Each material has its own strengths; therefore, used in combination, they can be more effective. Note that metal is an extremely delicate material to work with. If you choose to work with metal, you should do so carefully because metal can accentuate ambient fields and near sources. Having said this, metal is one of the strongest shields against higher frequency fields such as microwave, satellite, radar, and directed energy fields. House with stone brick walls and a metal roof House with copper walls B) House Construction: Roof The roof of your house is your primary protection from towers and other fields such as satellites and airplanes. Consider houses that use one of the following roofing materials: Metal (e.g. Copper, steel) Tile Concrete Stone (e.g. Slate) Roofs made of asphalt or wood are usually not strong enough to provide significant protection from EMF fields. It is important to consider the materials used for your roof in conjunction with the materials used for your walls as there can be an interaction between the two materials. In particular, if you use metal throughout your house (both the walls and roof, for example) you will need to pay attention as metal can cause reverberations in certain situations. A good combination is to use stone walls and a metal roof. House with stone walls and a metal roof It is also a good idea to use a thick foam board insulation for your roof. This is particularly important if you are using a metal roof. C) House Construction: Foundation Use a concrete foundation for your house. If possible, do not have a crawlspace (make sure that you have good drainage around your house e.g. by installing a French drain). Because crawlspaces are difficult to access, they become "contractors territory" where you cannot inspect and ensure their integrity. Too often, crawlspaces become a haven for electrical items and wiring. D) House Construction: Interior Tiling Tiling is one of the best protections against electromagnetic fields. We strongly recommend that you tile your floor, and if possible, your interior walls as well as your ceiling - not only in your bathrooms, but throughout your house. Ceramic, porcelain, and stone are good tile choices. Porcelain is a good lightweight tile for your ceiling. Stone works well as floor tiling. Tiles are a good choice for environmentally sensitive individuals and people with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). They are easily cleaned and are less likely to collect dust, mold, and pollution. E) House Construction: Floors Your floors should be made of concrete, if possible. This makes it more difficult for the electromagnetic fields to pass from one floor to the next. Additionally, tiling your floors is strongly recommended. F) House Construction: Insulation Insulation can offer significant protection for an EMF sensitive individual. Foam insulation is recommended, for example. This may be available in your local hardware store, or through companies that install insulation in houses in your area. We also like the foil backed insulation from Reflectix which can be purchased at Home Depot in the U.S. This consists of multiple layers of plastic and aluminum. Reflectix insulation NOTE: Insulation that is placed close to electrical wires and lights has the potential to cause fires. You should turn off the main circuit breaker to your house before performing any work. You should be very careful with installation and consult with a professional as necessary. G) House Construction: Doors Steel doors can help mitigate EMFs from passing from one room to the next room. They can be purchased inexpensively through Home Depot, for example, and can be customized to fit the size of your existing door frames. H) House Construction: Plumbing Surprisingly, the plumbing of a house can be a source of EMF Sensitivity. This is particularly true if you have large stretches of copper pipe in your house, as is frequently seen with heaters. One way to mitigate problems with plumbing is to use plastic pipes for your plumbing. PEX is one option for plastic plumbing, although several other options exist. You will need to ensure that whatever piping that you choose meets the water and plumbing standards in your area, and can safely carry hot water in particular. Given that replacing your entire plumbing system can be very expensive, a cheaper solution that can also be very effective is to replace a stretch of your metal piping with plastic pipe, for example, where the plumbing enters your house. This is done to insulate your house from the rest of the "plumbing grid." Municipal or private water pumps for example are known to be an extremely high source of magnetic fields and should be separated from your house plumbing. I) House Construction: Basements Basements are an excellent solution for EMF individuals. By being underground, you eliminate exterior electromagnetic fields. It is important to note that EMF sensitive individuals can still have health problems in basements and other underground structures. Improper wiring will continue to be a problem in basements and underground structures. Additionally, basements frequently house the main electrical panel and major appliances such as water heaters, which generate large EMF fields. Also, many basements have been used as garages, or for storing toxins and other chemicals that can make them hazardous. Basements are frequently damp and can grow mold. Houses built partially into a hillside or underground also offer good protection.