What are healthy homes? House building movement growing in Tasmania

It doesn't involve a fancy home-gym, but it does support the wellbeing of home owners, as well as the planet.

And according to founder of The Healthy Home Zara D'Cotta, more Tasmanians are opting for healthier designs.

"Healthier home building incorporates two fields of science," Ms D'Cotta said.

"That's building science and building biology, it started here in Tasmania with research conducted by the University of Tasmania (UTAS).

The scoping study of condensation on residential buildings from UTAS has been "instrumental" in bringing about changes to the National Construction Code in relation to condensation management, according to Ms D'Cotta.

The research found 40 per cent of new builds in Tasmania had condensation and mold problems, which lead to negative impacts on health and structural integrity issues.

Ms D'Cotta said there were a number of principles taken into account when building healthy homes.

"When looking at artificial lighting, it's considering the type of lighting that supports circadian rhythm, and bringing in natural colours and textures," Ms D'Cotta said.

"And then also considering things like factors unique to the site - the topography, the climate and micro-climate and considering nearby health hazards.

Davies Construction founder Luke Davies said from a builders perspective, it was important to limit liability and ensure structures would last a long time.

"There's something called passivhaus which is a German building principal we try and stick as close to as we can, because then we know that our structures are going to be sound and moisture is not going to get into the walls," Mr Davies said.

"The more we can do that, the more likely it's going to be that the homeowner is going to be healthy and not have mold."

He said people were starting to ask more questions around healthy homes.

"A few years ago, no one was talking about the health of your build environment and now, lots of builders and clients are becoming more aware of it," Mr Davies said.

Ms D'Cotta said health was "the next frontier" in the building industry.

"There's been so much focus on energy efficiency and sustainability, but a key takeaway is that sustainability, eco-friendly and energy efficient doesn't necessarily equate to healthy," Ms D'Cotta said.

"Up until recently, human health has felt like the forgotten cousin in new home builds, and it's about looking at ways to reduce our environmental footprint, while also balancing the need to support the well being of the human."

While "healthier" building materials typically come at a higher cost, Ms D'Cotta said they pay off in the long run.

"You end up with a home that is going to be much less likely to need to be renovated or rebuilt in 10 or 20 years time, which a lot of new builds are," Ms D'Cotta said.

"It's going to reduce heating and cooling costs, reduce medical expenses and it's going to have a higher resale value."