Our homeowner had bought a beautiful plot of land at Lake Opuha, near Fairlie, for her retirement, or ‘forever home’ as we like to call them.

Despite the magical surroundings, it experiences weather extremes – hot windy summer days and freezing winters with snow not uncommon on the ground.

A tough place to choose for your retirement. However, a comfortable sanctuary to escape from the harsh conditions when they arise means that a less hospitable place can become a wonderful place to live. The best of both worlds.

Her sanctuary was achieved using passive house principles in the design. Comfort and health were two main drivers, plus with retirement looming, saving money on power was really important.

At her new home, the heating and cooling bills will be minimised due to the air tightness, insulation, and heat recovery ventilation system. Other power usages would be reduced due to the PV panel system installed on the roof.

A poly-core door with appropriate seals allows internal access to the garage whilst minimising air and thermal leakage.

Healthwise, there are naturally more concerns as we age. By controlling and managing the air inside the home we can ensure the indoor air quality is high.

This is achievable because when the windows are closed all air entering the home must come through the mechanical heat recovery ventilation system. Air tightness removes the risk of damp, humid, allergy-dense air entering the home elsewhere.

The Zehnder heat recovery system recovers heat from the stale air being expelled to warm the continual fresh air entering the home (a thin metal plate means these two air masses never meet), humidity is controlled as excess moisture is managed and 95% of all allergens are removed through its high-grade filters.

The insulation and air tightness help prevent thermal movement between the interior and exterior, removing cold spots and draughts and also allowing usage of every bit of the home, no longer shutting off areas to reduce power costs – no cold bedrooms or bathrooms to shiver in.

A forever home is the ideal time to get the core and envelope of the home built with health, comfort, and energy efficiency in mind. This is arguably more important than additional bedrooms that are rarely if ever used.

Our homeowner prioritised the home’s performance. She managed the additional cost to build using passive house principles by utilising a simple form and building the size she needs.