Home Style Green

Home Style Green is here to help people build homes that are good for people and good for the planet. In episode 30, I spoke with Elrond Burrell and asked if Passive House was really relevant to New Zealand. This sparked some great debate and I subsequently caught up with New Zealand based Passive House designer, Jon Iliffe of eHaus. eHaus is New Zealand's first building company solely dedicated to building homes to the Passive House Standards. Among other things, Jon discusses: How Germany is managing to decrease energy consumption while growing their GDP.  What was good about 1920s houses and are they still good? How can you justify the cost of building better? Related Posts: Is Passivhaus Relevant to New Zealand References: eHaus: http://www.ehaus.co.nz/ Jon's book recommendation: Insanely Simple, by Ken Segall (Get the Kindle version for only $9.99) IPHA: http://passivehouse-international.org/ PHINZ: http://phinz.org.nz/ Homestar Training: NZGBC Education Calendar

What would you do if you had 6 months to go away and study whatever you wanted?  Phil McLean is a secondary school teacher who's passionate about design. He was given the challenge to go and find a topic that would put in the shoes of a beginner learner.  The result is a fresh perspective on solutions for our building industry. Phil's made his outputs freely available, including a Google Map of the most innovative houses in New Zealand, plus a SketchUp model of his 'Stretch and Grow' concept.  Links: Phil McLean: smarterhousingforabetterworld@gmail.com Innovative Housing Projects NZ: http://bit.ly/Za0AOn Phil's Design Process and 'Stretch and Grow' House: http://bit.ly/13E5G1r Other Resources: Tiny Houses on DesignBoom.com: http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/tiny_houses.html SIPS manufacturer, KnightBuilt: http://www.knightbuilt.co.nz/ Tiny House Floor Plans (from Amazon): http://amzn.to/11UgoXd

Prefab, (short for prefabrication), offers significant advantages to buidling. House can be: Higher quality, with improved finishing and attention to detail without deterioration from being exposed to the elements Produced quickly, being assembled in a matter of days or even hours Very resource efficient, producing little construction waste (a big environmental problem for the sector) Affordable! So why are we not doing more of it?  Bell has lead PrefabNZ since it was conceived and then incorporated directly as a result of her research as part of a Masters in Architecture. She's arguably New Zealand's most expert voice in the industry and is motivated to share the many benefits and some of the challenges of prefab.  Links:  http://www.kiwiprefab.co.nz/ http://www.prefabnz.com/ http://www.homeinnovation.co.nz/ Pam's Book recommendations: Massive Change, by Bruce Mau: http://amzn.to/1285lEt  Refabricating Architecture, by Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake: http://amzn.to/ZXlGL0

Jonny Parker is a Homestar Homecoach, a home assessor at Home&Dry, and also runs Attic Island in Wellington. Listen in to find out what Attic Island is and how it can help ensure insulation stays effective, while providing much more usable space if your attic.  http://www.­atticisland.­co.­nz In this week's show, I also mention: - Great comments and discussion happening both on homestylegreen.com:  http://homestylegreen.com/what-is-the-best-form-of-heating/ and also over at Ecobob.co.nz: http://www.ecobob.co.nz/Forum/ForumPosts/13187/Re-Is-Passivhaus-Relevant-to-New-Zealand.aspx?ShowForumPostId=13207#ForumPost13207 - Want to buy Ingo's house? Ingo Ratsdorf, who we interview in episode 19 is putting his passive solar house on the market. Let me know if you're interested and I can put you in touch. http://homestylegreen.com/passive-solar-house-riverhead/ - Big thanks for Thomas van Raamsdonk and Pro Clima for hosting an extremely informative workshop on WUFI and house ventilation this week. I hope to bring

Is it 'Passive House' or 'Passivhaus'? That was one question I put to expat Kiwi, and architect Elrond Burrell. The main question though, is Passivhaus even relevant to New Zealand? Elrond currently works as an Architect in the Herefordshire branch of Architype: http://www.architype.co.uk/ In this episode, we also cover: What is Passive House? How can designers and builders of high performance homes compete with the mass market? How important is indoor-outdoor flow and can you still achieve Passivhaus with it? Can Passivhaus be mass produced? What's the role of social media for building professionals? Resources: The Whole House Book: http://amzn.to/16gXqdG (Amazon Affiliate Link) Brute Force Collaborative: http://www.bruteforcecollaborative.com/

Hot water is the second largest portion of energy use in New Zealand homes, accounting for around 30% of the average energy bill, that's equivalent to $650 per year. So what's the best system for your home? My general advice: Do you need a new system? Obviously if you're building new, then you've got a great opportunity. Otherwise, if it's not broken, does it need fixing? Two main types, storage vs continuous flow. Storage tends to be better for any more than two people in the house Four main fuel types Wood Sun Electricity Gas Larger homes or long thin homes may benefit from more than one system Resource: http://www.energywise.govt.nz/products-and-appliances/water-heating

At the Prefab HIVE event a couple of weekends ago, I caught up with Jamie Harrington from Ekokit. I've had the pleasure of assessing some of Jamie's Hybrid Homes in Nelson, which are not only very high performing, they're also aesthetically stunning.  WIth Ekokit, Jamie's team have applied the same sustainable philosophies to a modular, cost effective set of house plans. Their features include: Modular design, allows owners to expand the home inline with family needs Non toxic materials Douglas fir timber Water efficient toilets and showers, including the Methven Kiri Satinjet, which boasts an impressive 8.5 L/min, 3 star WELS rating: http://www.methven.com/nz/range/kiri/satinjet-wall-shower-on-upswept-arm/tech-spec/ Mohawk premium carpet made from recycled PET bottles: http://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring-products/carpet/everstrand.aspx Laminated timber beam flooring system with poured and exposed concrete flooring High efficient LED lighting Very high levels on insulation, much higher than building code

A few weeks ago now, I got up at 5 am to interview Ben, who lives in Hertfordshire in the UK. Ben has a blog and podcast called HousePlanningHelp.com and he shared with me his motivation, vision and plans for learning to build a good home in the UK.  Listen in to find out what we have in common with people building and renovating houses on the other side of the world. What are some of the biggest issues for housing in the UK and how is it similar or different to NZ? And why should we all be following Wolfgang Feist? Ben's own very good blog site can be found at: http://www.houseplanninghelp.com You can also find Ben all over the web: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HousePlanningHelp Google+: https://plus.google.com/116757818387809474216/posts Twitter: https://twitter.com/Houseplanhelp Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/houseplanhelp/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/houseplanninghelp Resources that Ben mentioned The Sustainable Building Association: http://www.aecb.net/ Professor Wolfgang Feist: Passive Hou

Part 2 of my interviews from the Rebuild and Renovate Christchurch Home Show. This week I catch up again with Bob Burnett. Bob is Homestar trained Architectural Designer who I interviewed about thermal modelling in episode 14. I also speak with Thomas van Raamsdonk from Pro Clima about airtightness, blower doors and how to seal a three dimensional joint in framing around a window sill, using one piece of tape. Links: http://www.bbarc.com http://www.eversunhomes.co.nz http://www.proclima.co.nz http://vector.co.nz/solar

Last week I had the priviledge to attend some of the sessions at the Green Property Summit, jointly hosted by NZGBC and the Property Council.  A highlight for me was Wade Lange, Director of the Lloyd Ecodistrict in Portland, Oregon.  Later in the week, while in Christchurch, I attended a great lecture by Associate Professor Susan Krumdeik. Aside from being fun to go back to my old University at Canterbury, this was an inspiring lecture, with some great similarities to the vision that has now become a reality in Portland. The main event in Christchurch was of course, the rebuld and renovate show. This week I report on my interview with Lifemark and Metro Glasstech.

Monique Alfris and her team sell solar powered lights to people in India. She does this through an organisation called Pollinate Energy, which Monique co-founded in 2012.  I was inspired by Monique's story after hearing her presentation at the recent Green Cities conference in Sydney, Australia. I really wanted to ask Monique about why Pollinate Energy was created and to see what learning might be applied to housing in Australia and New Zealand. Also in this week's show: http://www.mysolarquotes.co.nz Vector Energy solar pilot, http://vector.co.nz/solar/solar-electricity-system http://www.plugin.org.nz Auckland Unitary Plan, http://homestylegreen.com/auckland-unitary-plan/ Rain! Upcoming interview with Ben Adam-Smith from http://www.houseplanninghelp.com/ Rebuild and Renovate Christchurch Home Show, http://www.canterburyhomeshow.co.nz/ Green Property Summit 2013 Big shout out to JMore36. Thanks very much for your iTunes review! Love it. Matthew Cutler-Welsh comments@homestylegreen.com

Sian Taylor trained to be an architect in Cardiff, Wales. When she arrived here in New Zealand, like many others who have experienced homes in colder climates,  Sian was pretty appalled at the state of New Zealand houses. Since then Sian has gained experience working in prestigious firms such as Warren and Mahoney Architects and joined Queenstown firm, Green Being in March 2012. Sian has been heavily involved in a number of Passive House projects in and around Queenstown. Demand for high performing homes has grown rapidly and now Sian and her own team of dedicated architects have formed the specialist practice, Team Green Architects.  At the time of publishing, Team Green is still awaiting their website, but you can find Sian through Green Being. http://greenbeing.co.nz/2013/03/architecture-spreads-its-wings/ In this interview, Sian discusses, among other things, how it's easy to justify spending a bit more up front, on the things that really matter. In some cases, houses they design in Queenstown may require

Amanda Magnus is the Exhibition Director for Exhibitions & Events New Zealand, and is responsible for organising the inaugural Rebuild and Renovate Christchurch Home Show. http://www.canterburyhomeshow.co.nz/index.htm   The show, which is on from Friday 22nd - Sunday 24th March at CBS Canterbury Arena, is a response to huge demand in Christchurch for information about building a home.   I spoke with Amanda about why there's room in the exhibition calendar for another show in Canterbury and how you, as someone interested in building, can get the most out of the show, including how to get a great discount on the entry!   Also in this week's show: Check out Ben Adam-Smith's site: http://www.houseplanninghelp.com/  Ben and I compared notes recently about eco-building and also podcasting. I look forward to bring you an interview with him soon. (Thanks also Ben for mentioned Home Style Green on your show!)   James Schramko: http://www.superfastbusiness.com/  Anyone interested in online business and marketi

I'm a sustainable homes expert and I want to create healthy, efficient homes that don't cost the Earth. This week, I answer a couple of listener questions about the cost effectiveness and red tape associated with building green.  Following up on last week, I also discuss if concrete slab edge insulation is important in a hot climate for keeping cool. Upcoming events mentioned in the show: HIVE Prefab open day: It's free! http://www.prefabnz.com/Events/Upcoming-Events/HIVE_2013/ Green Property Summit, from the New Zealand Green Building Council and the Property Council of New Zealand http://www.greenpropertysummit.org.nz/ Breathe New Urban Village Project, with my hero Kevin McLoud http://www.futurechristchurch.co.nz/breathe You can find me at: http://homestylegreen.com/ nz.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-cutler-welsh/16/789/6b6/ http://www.youtube.com/homestylegreen https://www.facebook.com/HomeStyleGreen Thanks to James Schramko over at Superfastbusiness.com for recommending Auphonic. I've tried it out this wee

Why should you insulate the edges of your concrete slab?  I was amazed when I discovered how much of the heat loss from a concrete floor can occur out the side of the slab, as opposed to down into the ground under the slab.  It's as much as 80%.  That means that most of the heat loss (the energy that you're paying for) goes straight out through the narrow bit of exposed concrete around the edge at the base of the house. Why is this so? Well there are two main reasons and I go into a bit of detail on the blog. Check out http://homestylegreen.com/insulated-concrete-floor In this podcast we talk solutions. I interview Craig Lonsdale, a Quantity Surveyor with Maxraft.  Maxraft is a great solution for insulating the whole of a concrete floor, not just underneath.  http://maxr.co.nz/ Other resources include BRANZ: http://www.branz.co.nz/cms_display.php?sn=123&st=1. Check out their Bulletin number 552 'Edge insulation of concrete floor slabs'. Please take two minutes to give the show a rating over in iTunes. I'd

Ingo Ratsdorf is a registered architect with Babbage Consultants based in Auckland.  Having grown up and been trained in Germany, Ingo is very aware of how poorly most New Zealand homes stack up against international standards.  When Ingo and his family were hunting for their dream renovation project, they were continually overwhelmed with the size of the job they saw. It seemed each house they looked at would need far too much work to bring up to a level of quality and comfort that would satisfy them.  And so it was that they ultimately realised they would have to build from scratch. Listen in to our conversation as Ingo explains the inspiration and challenges of building and completing (almost) their dream in Riverhead. He shares some sound advice for anyone looking at start a building project.  This podcast is best accompanied by a great slideshow of the build available here on slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/IngoRatsdorf/riverhead-passive-solar-design-house I hope this finished product will b

How do you build a code 4 house for the price of code 3? And how do you get industry to solve the problem themselves? Richard Buchanan is an Associate Director at BRE and Founder of Green Building Consultancy Ltd. I met Richard recently inside a LinkedIn group during a discussion about housing affordability.  It turns out that while we're all looking around for policy solutions and government intervention here in New Zealand, the UK building industry has already figured out how to build better homes, for less. And they did it by collaborating together.  Richard explains what a Code 3 and a Code 4 home is and describes the aimc4.com project that successfully helped the industry produce more efficient and healthier homes, without any additional upfront cost. Some links that Richard mentions in this episode include: Building Research Establishment: http://www.bre.co.uk AimC4: http://www.aimc4.com Lean Construction Institute: http://www.leanconstruction.org CALIBRE, for construction performance measurement:

One of the most common questions I get asked is "what's the best form of heating?" Much to the frustration of most people, I usually answer "it depends…" The best type of heater for you and your home does depend on many factors, however there are some guiding principles that apply to all cases. The most sustainable form of heating is passive The second most sustainable form of heating is wood Heat pumps (split-system, reverse-cycle air conditioners) are single room heaters Homes with solid fuel burners are generally warmer than those with electric heating Your roof won't heat your home Water is much better at moving heat around then air it Insulation is always the first step Insulation is not heating Useful links: CCANZ design guide: http://www.ccanz.org.nz/files/documents/37289bcd-8dbb-4ee3-9150-e36b07173791/DCH_Book_WEB.pdf Otago Univserity study on heating potential of home ventilation systems: http://www.energywise.govt.nz/node/12364

Throwing food scraps away is something that most of us do, because it's convenient.  But there are so many reasons why throwing nutrients away is a bad idea. So what are the best ways to make it easy and effective to compost at home? In this episode I also mention: The Auckland Home Show Green Architects Lounge Bokashi (my favourite supplier of Bokashi is: http://www.zingbokashi.co.nz)

Eion Scott is an Eco Design Advisor with the Auckland Council. Eco Design Advisors around the country offer free, in home, independent advice on how to improve the warmth, health and comfort of your home.  For more information go to the Eco Design Advisor website.