Introduction

“Wellness by Design” was written before COVID-19 shut the world down. Not long after the manuscript headed to the printer, a deadly new virus sent everyone home. And suddenly, without warning, our lives dramatically changed and our living spaces had to multitask as offices, fitness rooms, classrooms, quarantine quarters and even nursing homes for some households.

COVID made us see the reality and importance of our homes to our health, safety and well-being. Since public health researchers predict that many people living today will experience another serious pandemic in their lifetime^{, potentially in the next 25 years, it’s essential to study how the pandemic transformed our lives and living spaces. The same can be said for the hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters that seem to be increasing in frequency and severity these past few years. Let’s be better prepared going forward!}

This award-winning book was updated in 2023 with an all-new “Lessons for How We Live Now” bonus chapter.

(BLANCO / Wellness by Design / Simon & Schuster & Jamie Gold)

In this bonus chapter, I’ll be discussing the many ways these events affect our homes, along with tips for increasing our safety, comfort and well-being. I’ve also included a couple of “Wellness Tips” with advice that anyone can implement, regardless of budget or home type, as I shared in the original book.

I hope you find this new information helpful, as so much of it relates to our region with the conditions and crises we find ourselves dealing with lately.

The following is an excerpt from “Five Lessons for How We Live Now”:

The word resilience — “The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties” — is a term that’s been getting quite a workout these past few years. When it comes to people, resilience is about how we come through the crises that hit us personally, whether it’s losing a loved one to a pandemic or losing use of our home to a wildfire or hurricane. There are tragedies we can’t prevent, unfortunately, but we can sometimes decrease their effects on our property.

A survey of architects ^{conducted in 2022 revealed that many of them don’t think current U.S. building codes are adequate to protect our structures. What I learned in reporting about that study was that codes are written to allow occupants to escape the premises during a disaster, not to ensure that the building will escape destruction. Can homes be built or remodeled to withstand hurricanes, floods and wildfires? The short answer is yes, but of course that can come with increased costs.}

Adding battery storage to your solar panel system can help keep your home powered during outages.

(Savant Systems, Inc. / “Wellness by Design” — Bonus Chapter (Jamie Gold))

Withstanding natural disasters

If you’re planning to build (or buy) a home in an area within or close to a wildfire zone, it’s worth speaking with an architect, builder or contractor about your home’s roof, siding and landscaping to reduce fire risk from windborne sparks. As one example, porcelain cladding is nonflammable, unlike wood and many composite materials. The same is true for tile roofing materials.

If you’re building or buying in a hurricane zone, the resilience of owners in Southwest Florida’s Babcock Ranch ^{community is highly instructive. Built after 2004’s Hurricane Charley in that hard-hit area, the developer elevated the homes’ first levels and designed landscapes and pathways so that pond or lake overflows would flood streets, not houses, in a future storm.}

One resilience feature that many homeowners can implement today that kept Babcock homeowners from losing power during 2022’s Category 4 Ian was solar panels combined with battery storage. What many solar customers don’t realize is that if the local grid goes down, their connected panels (i.e., those sending power back to the utility for credits) will not keep their home powered around the clock ^{unless they also have battery storage. That feature can be lifesaving for family members who have electricity-dependent medical equipment or prescriptions that need to be refrigerated.}

Whether building new or remodeling, consider installing an induction cooktop in the kitchen to help cut risk of fire. Induction relies on an electromagnetic field to heat instead of a flame or hot coil.

(Bosch home appliances / “Wellness by Design” (Simon & Schuster, 2020, Jamie Gold))

Remodeling for resilience

There are remodeling choices you can make that can also increase your home’s resilience. One is to choose well-made materials that will last for years with minimal maintenance. Opting for porcelain floor tile and wainscoting on your home’s first and basement levels can reduce flood-related damage. (Revisit Chapter 3 Materials to help you select your surfaces.)

Tile flooring is a smart choice because its water-resistant surface will limit the damage from flood or fire.

(Cotto d’Este / Ceramics of Italy member company / “Wellness by Design” (Simon & Schuster, 2020, Jamie Gold))

Additional options to reduce your risk of a home fire include having a properly sized and professionally installed ventilation hood over your cooktop or range, using an induction cooktop and keeping a fire extinguisher close at hand. If you want a fireplace, opt for an electric one. Another benefit of enhanced ventilation, induction technology and an electric (rather than gas or wood-burning) fireplace is improved indoor air quality. Long-time and recent studies have shown that gas appliances in particular, combined with poor ventilation, can put your health at risk.

Whatever design decisions you make in a remodel or custom build, use licensed contractors and credentialed designers to be sure your project is properly built and installed. (See Chapter 2 Making Your Whole Home Healthier to help you choose the right team.)

Even the simple smart phone can tie into a leak detector and alert the homeowner before a major problem arises.

(Josh.ai LLC, photo by Nicholas Freeman / “Wellness by Design” – Bonus Chapter (Jamie Gold))

WELLNESS TIP

When you add safety items to your home like fire extinguishers and second floor escape ladders, show the other members of your household where they are and how to use them so that everyone is prepared in an emergency.

A typical young couple like my parents could afford a home like this in the 1950s, but probably couldn’t today — in San Diego.

(Personal collection of Jamie Gold)

Parting thoughts

Finding a safe place to call home has become a challenge for too many Americans. Older adults have a tough time finding accessible accommodations where they can live independently, while younger adults have a tough time finding affordable places to start their families. There is a housing crisis that touches most of us in some way, even if our home situation is currently stable and safe.

The pandemic, aging and ever-increasing disaster-triggered crises have exacerbated these housing shortages, while also making it painfully clear that wellness design — the practice of creating living spaces that support health, safety and well-being — cannot be just for the well-to-do.

Otay Mountain trails view. “Nature can bring you to stillness, that is its gift to you.” – Eckhart Tolle

(Personal collection of Jamie Gold)

Our individual choices and shared community decisions going forward can make a positive difference.

Stay well,

Jamie

San Diego

Hear more in person

Jamie Gold will present “Five Lessons for How We Live Now,” an author talk inspired by the new bonus chapter of her award-winning book, “Wellness by Design: A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Home for Health, Fitness and Happiness,” at 1 p.m. on May 18 at the Bonita-Sunnyside Branch of the San Diego County Library.
The talk will cover:

• How to add resilience against storms, wildfires and power outages to your home and property.
• Why multigenerational living can benefit your family — and tips for making it succeed for all.
• Why noise reduction is crucial for healthier lives and home spaces — and how to achieve it.

Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event.
The Bonita-Sunnyside Branch Library is at 4375 Bonita Road in Bonita. For details, call (619) 475-4642.

To get a free copy of the bonus chapter:

• If you have the book “Wellness by Design,” go to the Checklists and Resources pages (listed in the book’s Table of Contents). Find the exclusive website address printed there with page info for access to the new bonus chapter, as well as other helpful links related to the book.
• If you do not have the book, it is available at Amazon.com, through local independent bookstores via Bookshop.org, and at most national booksellers. The original book is available in print, e-book and audio versions.

Gold is a San Diego-based wellness design consultant, speaker and author of “Wellness by Design: A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Home for Health, Fitness and Happiness” (Simon & Schuster).