How Jamie Durie is encouraging greener building: "A lot of it is just coming to the surface"

Jamie Durie is lending his profile to encourage greener building.

The celebrity garden guru and environmental advocate has partnered with Victorian boutique builder Chatham Homes, to aid the home construction industry in confronting the challenges of living in a changing climate.

Jamie tells Nine that he doesn’t know “of any other builder in Australia that has gone to these sorts of lengths to ensure Australian families and the environment end up with a healthier future.”

The horticulturalist and best-selling author is particularly keen on shedding light on the damaging nature of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that can be found in the home.

With some suspected or already proven carcinogens, Chatham Homes has made it their priority to ensure their homes are not only using low VOC paint, but also zero VOC glue in their joinery systems.

VOCs are described as a large group of chemicals that are found in the products used to construct and maintain our homes. They can be found in paints, upholstery, glue and laminates.

According to the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, side effects of inhaling VOCS can include irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, loss of coordination, nausea, and damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system.

“There are a lot of builders out there who don’t know what VOCs are,” Jamie tells Nine. “And you look at Chatham and they’re not only using low VOC paints, they’re using zero VOC glue in their joinery systems. It’s really quite amazing.

“They proof-test the entire home, they vacuum-test. So it’s an 8.2 energy star rating which is the highest level of any home builder in Australia.”

Jamie reveals that the impacts of VOCs are only starting to become common knowledge.

“The average new home has around 20 times the acceptable level of VOCs that a human being should experience. A lot of it is just coming to the surface,” he says.

“It’s about building healthy buildings and providing wellbeing to Australian families. A lot of people don’t realise these VOCs are carcinogenic.”

Alongside choosing the right building materials, Jamie reveals you can also reduce VOCs in the home with plants.

“If you would put five medium-sized plants into one average-sized family room, you would reduce your VOCs by 75 per cent. Plants help, but it’s also about the builders choosing those right materials when you get into the space.”

Chatham Homes are not only using products with low or zero VOCs, but also implementing other strategies such as using triple-glazed windows and sustainable energy systems.

“They’ve taken it upon themselves to investigate and incorporate these as standard building practices in all their homes,” says Jamie.