Five Basic Qualities a Healthy Home Should Possess

Housing is often regarded as one of the basic human needs. It ranks second after food and thereafter clothing. It is a pre-requisite for the survival of man.Housing as a unit of the environment has profound influence on the health, efficiency, social behaviour, satisfaction and general welfare of the community.

The importance of providing adequate and quality housing in any country can neither be overstated nor disputed in time or space. It is a stimulant to the national economy.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes housing as residential environment which includes the physical structure used for shelter, all necessary services, facilities, equipment and devices needed or desired for the physical and mental health and social well being of the family and individuals.

A healthy building does not necessarily mean a building that costs you millions of naira or a very expensive one, a healthy building simply means a building that has facilities necessary for your everyday life in order.

What most people do not know is that many illnesses and ailments are as a result of staying under poor housing conditions. These illnesses don’t show up easily, rather they accumulate over time, and are then manifested either as a result of stress, noise e.t.c.

For a building to be classified as healthy, it must possess at least these five basic qualities:

• A healthy building should not be densely populated: depending on the size of the house, a healthy home should not be overcrowded.

• Its window design and layout should facilitate natural ventilation and penetration of daylight;

• It should be isolated from noise and air pollution sources;

• Its water supply and waste discharge systems should be properly installed maintained and managed;

• its environmental conditions should be clean

Considering getting a house? Then look out for a healthy building, remember Health is Wealth.