So, you want a high performing home, and this means investing more in your building envelope, but what design strategies can you consider helping offset the additional costs that are…
The effort to maintain a constant and comfortable temperature inside your home is hindered primarily by two forces: conduction and convection. 40% of heat lost from an average minimum code…
Simple explanations & guides can make life, and decisions, easier. However, sometimes simple does not tell the whole story which can be disappointing when something, like your home’s performance or…
Form Factor is basically the buildings surface to volume ratio. In terms of building performance this is important as it affects heat loss. In Passivhaus and high performance design,…
After years of dreaming about living in a passive house, we finally moved into our own in March 2020. So, six months on, what are our thoughts?....The biggest plus for…
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). We are often asked how much more expensive they are than traditional timber framing and batts. The answer might surprise you, but we should also consider…
There are several very reasonable designers and architects that cater for a market that wants a home for their unique needs, tastes and unique locations, but whose budgets are not…
We are often asked this question. Visits to our mid builds and show homes get people thinking about living in a better designed, healthy comfortable home. Everyone loves the idea…
BRANZ & Building Beyond Code Minimums … ‘these ‘bare minimum’ houses are the poorest performing homes that can legally be built’ – BRANZ referring to Minimum Code Build Homes. …