The first ever Mold Safe Model Home (MSMH) has been built in New Hampshire. The 3,000-square-foot two-story showcase home is housed on the shores of Spofford Lake, and incorporates mold-resistant building practices and building materials. The project is sponsored by the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), a partnership of industry leaders and government officials whose mission is to accelerate the use of technologies that improve the quality, durability, energy efficiency, environmental performance, and affordability of housing. PATH manufacturing partners include CertainTeed, Georgia-Pacific and Typar.

The house is owned by Charles Perry, principal of Environmental Assurance Group, a lending and real estate consulting firm, which spearheaded the project. The home is located near the borders of Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and is subjected to heavy amounts of moisture and a wide seasonal humidity range. “Homes in this area can experience summers with temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees and winters where it is common to have temperatures in the 20-degree-below-zero range,” Perry said.

The MSMH is intended to serve as a showcase for building designers, architects, planners and product manufacturers with a stake in the prevention of mold growth in construction. The project focuses on risk management efforts designed around the development of a new mold prevention protocol. The new protocol, which centers on smart building practices, includes the use of mold-resistant building products and a thorough inspection process that begins during the design stage, and proceeds through the construction cycle and the occupancy stage.