For many people, hearing the words “that smell is making me sick” is simply announcing displeasure over a scent they find offensive – unpleasant, maybe, but not harmful.

In the case of Silverdale residents Rick and Charmaine Courson, the words held not only the ring of truth but medical consequences.

Both natives of Walla Walla, WA, the family had returned to Washington in 1990 after living in Salt Lake City for a number of years. Their first course of action after deciding on Kitsap County (chosen for it’s economy and natural beauty) was to build a new home.

In the first few months after the Coursons and their five children moved into their brand new house, a variety of modest ailments began assailing all seven members of the family, ranging from general fatigue and modest cold-like symptoms to the beginning of more serious upper respiratory problems.

When the children – all serious “A” level students – began doing poorly in school due to a loss of concentration and when both adults and children began suffering from more serious symptoms – including increases in heart rate, kidney distress and asthma attacks – the Coursons knew that they had serious troubles.

It wasn’t until a pediatrician admitted to the family that he suspected an outside influence, like poisoning, to be the cause of their near-constant illnesses that they began suspecting their new home might be the culprit.

At least there was no one better suited to examine the finer points of finishes, floor coverings and general construction on the dream home than Rick. A general contractor since 1976, Rick Courson had built his family’s home using the same techniques and materials that he’d been using in his successful spec and custom home building business for more than fifteen years.

Rick knew that the construction was fine and the materials were top grade; the mystery lay in what has been introduced into their new home that had laid his entire family ill and showed no sign of abating even after eighteen months.

Working in tandem with lab analysts who specialize in isolating poisons and allergens, Rick and Charmaine finally found their culprit; some of the same chemical elements found in their brand new carpet and carpet padding was also found in blood samples of their children.

“We discovered that our house was, in fact, killing us,” said Courson. “The minute we changed environments, our health began changing for the better. We got our lives back.”

Rick and Charmaine also got passionate about clean air.

Both realized that if they – professionals who worked with building materials and design products every day — could develop symptoms and illness after exposure to a new element their clients were at equal risk. Immediately, they decided to change the focus, techniques and mission statement behind their Silverdale-based Cedar Bay Homes construction business.

Since 1993, the ten year-old residential building company has built only “healthy homes” or examples of “green building,” terms rarely heard a decade ago but creeping steadily into construction and design lingo.

To that end, all Cedar Bay Homes are now built using techniques and materials that greatly limit the potential for chemical contamination or “off gassing,” the release of toxins often associated with the new smell of carpets, cabinets, drapes or varnishes.

“We’ve changed some general construction techniques as well as finishes,” said Courson. “We’re using framing wood that has a low VOC (volatile organic chemical) rating due to being treated with formaldehyde and we blow fiberglass insulation into the wall rather than using traditional batting…that alone reduces the presence of formaldehyde by thirteen percent but provides a better R (insulating) value than traditional insulation.”

Courson, who says his company completes anywhere between five and eight homes each year, says that since words gotten out on Cedar Bay Home’s construction techniques, they’re fielding at least three new home requests per month for their primary building areas of Bainbridge, Poulsbo, Silverdale and Gig Harbor.

“You know, at first when we explained how we were changing our building techniques and why, people just went ‘what?’ They didn’t get it,” laughs Courson. “Now they call us a trendsetter and ask us to teach and lecture on the importance of creating and maintaining a healthy home. We’re having to grow to accommodate the demand.”

The Coursons are also winning awards, including the most recent Build a Better Kitsap Environmental Achievement Award, sponsored by the Home Builder’s Association of Kitsap County. The award-winning “Build a Better Kitsap” program has been used as a national model for environmentally friendly construction methods.

Charmaine, who Rick describes as the company’s “advocate and research specialist” has been known to refer some desperate callers to doctors and poison specialists in between overseeing the company’s bookkeeping and sales functions and has provided extensive research materials to consumers, builders and medical professionals alike.

“Quite often when people call us they’re calling not just because they’ve seen one of our homes and find it aesthetically appealing,” said Rick. “Quite often they’re calling because they’re sick and they’ve heard about us or heard our story and are looking for more information on how to get better.”

The Coursons have developed such a strong reputation as experts in the subject of healthy home building that they’re asked to both teach and speak on a regular basis. The two teach an Indoor Air Quality class for the American Lung Association, teach Healthy House Training for Professionals at Washington State University and have been asked to speak at the Home Builder’s Association “Build a Better Kitsap” program. Recently, they were asked to come out to Utah’s Brigham Young University to lecture on healthy home building.

Some of their notoriety doesn’t surprise Courson. “I’d guess that half the hits to our website are coming from international folks and the phone really doesn’t stop ringing. Most of our new home requests or information requests are referrals coming from professionals in the community – doctors, real estate agents, health organizations – or from current Cedar Bay Home residents who want their friends and family to live in a healthier environment.”

If, according to Courson, the additional cost of “building green” averages only an additional five percent in building cost, the returns on the investment are substantially more.

“If you knew that by simply living or working in a different environment, a healthier environment, would make you feel better every day, wouldn’t that make sense for you to do?” asks Courson. “Well, it does. You can make a dramatic change in the quality of your life by making sure your environment is free of toxins and poisons.”

“There’s been an eighty percent increase in asthma in the United States in the last fifteen years,” continues Courson, “and the Pacific Northwest has a thirty percent higher rate than anywhere else in the country! That’s due to lots of things – mildew, mold, tree pollens, etc. – but much of it is manageable or can be changed to provide better health.”

“Maybe at one point I was a little worried that the change in our business model would hurt us but it’s been the opposite…we’re booming and getting more and more national attention. The bottom line is that people are realizing that their environment – including the air quality in their own home – can be changed for the better. So can their quality of life.”.