Home Style Green (Matthew Cutler-Welsh)

New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities are hosting a launch event on 20th August 2013 in Wellington for the book 'Homes People Can Afford"

The book was put together by Sarah Bierre, Philippa Howden-Chapman and Lisa Early from He Kainga Oranga, the Housing and Health Research Programme.

I discussed with Sarah, why they wrote the book, what housing affordability actually means and why it's important. 

Reference

The Poetics of Space

While on tour as a young US Marine, Josh Oqueli was stationed in Spain for 6 months. In Barcelona, he walked into the Basílica de la Sagrada Família. At the time, he didn't know about the architect and master builder, Antoni Gaudi, but the experience of entering this enchanted space inspired Josh to find out. Gaudi's skill as both a designer and a builder resonated with Josh and led him on the path to creating the Bonsai Design + Build.

Andrew Stephenson has always seen architecture as a unique opportunity to turn people's dreams into reality. 

Living in a luxury bus with a family of five, and studying permaculture, has given Andrew some great inspiration for multi-function spaces and features. He now incorporates this thinking into his designs to make stylish and sustainable homes. 

http://homestylegreen.com/111

http://www.bellstephenson.co.nz/

About 10% of New Zealand homes invest in some form of retrofitted ventilation system. But do you really need one, and if so, what for?

In this cast I talk about how to tell if your house is leaky or air-tight depending on it's age, two basic types of ventilation systems and the common symptoms that cause people to want to install a ventilation system. 

Steps to take when considering ventilation are:

1. What's your problem?
2. What's your house type?
3. Insulation
4. Draughts 
5. Adequate heating
6. Extraction of moisture at the source
7. Whole-house ventilation

To get independent advice, talk to a Homestar Practitioner: http://homestar.org.nz/services

Also, check out two of my other favourite podcasts:

• Tim Reid at Small Business Big Marketing
• http://smallbusinessbigmarketing.com/
• Natalie Cutler-Welsh and Jacqui Lockington at If Only They'd Told Me
• http://www.ifonlytheytoldme.com/

Would you like to be part of Home Style Green?

Contact me: comments@homestylegreen.com

Design Navigator is a great, online resource for calculating the thermal performance of your house plan. I spoke with developer, Albrecht Stoecklein about why he created it and a great new feature he's just added.

References

• http://www.designnavigator.co.nz/index.html
• http://www.energywise.govt.nz/resource/design-sun
• http://www.ecotect.co.nz/PDF/eecapsfs.pdf
• http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/abtcit/ec/bldsus/pdf/energy/designsun.pdf

Derek Ward's strength is the science that connects good design with good performance. Clioma House specialises in 'airtightness and effective insulation'. They help bridge the gap between the drawing board and the construction site.

I love it when I find new companies that are looking at the design and building process a bit differently and who want to provide healthy, energy efficient homes. That's what Nook is all about. I caught up with their designer, Warren Clarke recently and asked him why he does what he does.

http://nook.nz
http://homestylegreen.com/164

Sam Rogers thinks we've reached a tipping point where more people are seeking high performance homes and are willing to invest a little extra for a much better result. Sam and his team at Land Homes are on a mission to make high performance homes mainstream.

Michael Rubino is an educator, author and an expert in mould remediation of homes. In this interview he shares his journey and some tips on how we can make our homes a better, healthier place to live.

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.

Kelly Hart is an amazing thinker and innovator. He's passionate about the environment and generous with the resources and learning he shares. 

http://homestylegreen.com/119

Paul and Pascale have created Park Homes for people like themselves. They were first time home buyers in the New Zealand market and they wanted something that would be worthy of living in for several years. Houses built to the current code are not up to this standard and so they created the change they'd like to see.

Home is where the heart is. It's also where our lungs are, where our eyes and ears are, where our whole bodies, and where our minds are.

In this week's show, I read a short audio essay about why we should dream and why we should ask for, and build better homes. 

Links:

• http://homestylegreen.com/greenhomedreamteam/
• http://solarking.co.nz/
• http://www.customconstruction.co.nz/

Sustainability Options is an 'altruistic business'. Find out how they contribute 85% of their profit back to the community, provide free home assessments that save households between 10% and 30% on their power bills, and their recent campaign to help one family in need. 

How do you make a house sustainable? Talking to the team at Sustainability House would be a good start. 

Sustainability House believe that all buildings should aim to have low embodied energy, use energy efficiently, generate electricity, collect and recycle water, be passively thermally comfortable and provide safe indoor air quality.

Sounds reasonable. 

But how do you do it?

I spoke to Business Development Manager, Mark Clayton about their services and the growing demand for sustainable buildings. 

Robert Sroufe, PhD. is a Professor of Sustainability, Operations and Supply Chain Management at Duquesne University. His practical experience comes from sustainable supply chain management. He was ‘co-opted’ into the green building movement by experts that he invited him to present to their students about the business opportunities associated with building green.

Something a little different this week. I’ve had some excellent questions sitting in my inbox for a while and I thought that many could benefit from them. In this Q&A session I cover Homestar, thermal mass, heating and cooling options and small, affordable home design. 

Joachim Herrmann developed an interest in building biology while working as a teacher. As a trained biologist, he describes the science of life as "endlessly fascinating". We discuss the 25 principles of Building Biology and how they contribute to creating healthy places to live.

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 be an inspiration for your project!

The inspiring  book Ingo referred to and which I also highly recommend for anyone interested in design, 'Cradle to Cradle' can be found here: http://amzn.to/VVbBBr

Lesley England knows how to design eco friendly homes and importantly for her, she knows how to attract the right clients who want her to design eco friendly homes. It's all in the name - ecohabitats.

Three key factors for designing eco friendly homes are:

1. Size
2. Orientation
3. Materials

Find out more at http://homestylegreen.com/78

Beautiful architecture and high performance thermal envelopes. What a great combination. 

This week I chat with Christine Alberstsson of Albertsson Hansen Architecture in Minneapolis. 

http://homestylegreen.com/130

http://www.aharchitecture.com/

This week I attended a BRANZ seminar titled 'Building for our changing climate'. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was the last stop on the BRANZ seminar tour of the country and it's encouraging to think that rooms of designers, builders, product suppliers, building officials and others, were interested enough in this topic to take four hours out of their week. 

A key takeaway is that we're not prepared. We're already handicapped by having insufficient standards in our building code to deal with our current climate. With the forecast being 'warmer and wetter', the situation is set to get worse.

https://homestylegreen.com/?p=5936

John Stulen is Co-Founder and Communications Director for Innovatek. He's passionate about wood and through the WoodWorks brand, John helps the construction industry by promoting the many benefits of engineered wood.

Jennifer Crawford first appeared on Home Style Green when Our New Home Coach was just getting started. Six years on, she's back to discuss her journey and why she still believes strongly in helping people build the right home.

Dennis Dowling creates finely crafted, passive energy homes that you’ll love. From energy efficiency and budgeting advice, through to high quality, Passive House standard construction, DCD offers a turn-key approach to building.

I initially contacted Dennis for a comment about why he choses to use pro clima products, but when he started to describe his approach to building homes, I had to turn on the microphone!

http://homestylegreen.com/145

http://dcd.co.nz/

Jae Sabol is a man on a mission involving open source, community based, sustainable building for 'The Highest Good of All'. 

http://onecommunityglobal.org/

http://homestylegreen.com/listen

Why should all buildings designed for people, be designed by an architect, and how can architects be more influential?

Architects, like all building professionals, need to run a good business to be effective.

Mark R. LePage is an Entrepreneur Architect. He's passionate about the business of architecture, so much so that he writes, podcasts and coaches other architects how to run successful businesses. 

I spokes with Mark about his journey, what makes his architectural practice, Fivecat Studio different, and the influence that architecture can have on people. 

How much time do you spend finding out what your clients need or want?

Links:

• http://www.entrearchitect.com/
• http://www.fivecat.com/
• http://www.houzz.com/

Mark's book recommendation:

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Upcoming Events

• Go Green Expo - Wellington 12 - 13th October, 2013
• Canterbury Home Show - Christchurch, 18 - 20 October, 2013
• Earth Song Eco-Neighbourhood Public Tour - 2nd November, 2013

What could we learn from a creative entrepreneur who's looking at ways to inspire others to live to their highest potential?

No, you haven't tuned into the wrong podcast. It is something a bit different today as I talk with Paul Blais from Doubt the Doubts. 

Paul also has some great experience selling and installing efficient lighting. 

Links: 

• http://www.doubtthedoubts.com
• http://www.gotogirl.com

Book Recommendation

Paul's book recommendation is The Power of Habit. 

Where to Find Paul Blais and Doubt the Doubts

• Facebook
• Twitter
• iTunes
• LinkedIn

Green Tomato Energy, based in Hammersmith London, is another example of a company fulfilling a fantastic need. They help people get set up with renewable energy technologies and they provide advice on low energy and Passivhaus building design.

http://homestylegreen.com/107

http://greentomatoenergy.com/

Everett Norris always wanted to build his own house. As a boy, he also assumed that he’d own his own house. This sounds simple enough, but the reality is that home ownership is becoming more like Everett’s naive childhood dream for many New Zealanders. Everett now helps people achieve the dream of home ownership by teaching them how to build their own Tiny House.

In 2003, thermal performance requirements for residential buildings were added to the Building Code of Australia for the first time. The initial performance requirement was 4 Stars in the National House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) as simulated using the benchmark software AccuRate. In 2006, the requirement rose to 5 Stars, then to 10 Stars in 2010. This all sounds great. The increasing rating requirements of NatHERS provides a measurable and predictable target for improving the energy efficiency of Australian homes. But the building products industry wanted to know, how accurate is AccuRate?

Bamboo Technologies, LLC (Bamboo Living) design and manufacture structurally certified bamboo homes. Founded in 1995, Bamboo Technologies has produced over 350 homes in Hawaii and around the world. I spoke with founder David Sands about why bamboo is sustainable as a building material.

http://homestylegreen.com/142
http://www.bambooliving.com/

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

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

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 House page on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house
• Wolfgang Feist on GreenSource: http://greensource.construction.com/people/2011/1102_Dr_Wolfgang_Feist.asp
• Wolfgang Feist on GreenBuildAdvisor.com: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/conversation-wolfgang-feist

Sheryl Owen's purpose is to create a sustainable environment where everyone can thrive. The environment, says Sheryl, should not be a commodity available for a select few. In order for us to elevate, we must be aware of our impact on the environment and marginalised communities. In her day job and her numerous volunteer roles, Sheryl Owen helps companies find opportunities to link their environmental goals with how they can support their communities.

As a founding member of PassivHaus Main, I should have guessed that Chris Corson would be pretty passionate about why and how we should build better homes. A quick look at EcoCor's website suggests they are a good place to start for achieving a practical solution to a sustainable home. I caught up with Chris to talk about prefab, Passive House and Passion!

International attention on Gaobeidian is set to increase up to October 2019 when Windoor City along with Passive House Institute China will host the 23rd International Passive House Conference. I spoke to the Head of International Cooperation at Windoor City, Peter Lee recently. Among other topics, I asked Peter about the perception we have in the West of 'Made in China'. My discussion with Peter confirms my belief that Passive House coming to Asia is going to make an impact in Australia and New Zealand.

What's the link between durability and sustainability? Brett Little explains that there's no point in building a zero energy house, if it only lasts a few years.

The Green Home Institute is focussed on empowering people to make healthier and more sustainable places to live. Working closely alongside the the USGBC, the Green Home Institute offers services to help with LEED for Homes Certification and other third party verification provides to help prospective home owners meet their sustainability goals.

http://homestylegreen.com/112

http://greenhomeinstitute.org/

In this episode of Build Aotearoa, I explore the concept of building circularity and its impact on the construction industry. Learn about deconstruction vs. demolition and reflect on the reduce-reuse-recycle hierarchy. I also discuss the role of polystyrene pods and alternative fillers in concrete slabs. 

Be sure to check out recent episodes of the Passive House Podcast from the Passive House Accelerator for more on building cicularity.

Bert Sarkinnen has been building homes since he was 16, firstly alongside his Father who was also his teacher and mentor. Along the way Bert fell in love with the craft and beauty of timber framed buildings, so much so that he created Arrow Time Framing to specialise in this type of construction. As creators of beautiful, high quality buildings, Arrow Timber Framing is now 'the enemy of ugly'. In this conversation, we discuss the importance and value of a craft, how being encouraged to makes mistakes helped Bert to learn, and the challenges of building a business.

The Homestar Mandatory minimums are a series of benchmarks that have to be achieved in order to progress up the Homestar scale. They're important because if they are are not achieved, your score will be held back. So what are the Homestar mandatory minimums, and how can you achieve them?

Ben Adam-Smith discusses EcoBuild 2014, what makes an energy efficient house, constraints versus compromise, new versus retrofit, why houses don't use energy, and population growth. 

Also, find out why Ben hasn't had a bath for a year!

Links:

• http://www.houseplanninghelp.com/
• https://www.thesnippetapp.com/web/writers/benadam-smith
• http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/

99 Waiwai Drive, Milldale north of Auckland looks like a regular new house in a regular new subdivision, but around 30 people visited the site mid-build to see why it's different. This showhome will be one of the Platinum Homes high-performance range. It's a SIP (structural insulation panel) construction and achieved a near Passive House level of airtightness. 

I caught up with Sam Watt, the General Manager of Platinum Homes, Rodney. 

https://www.platinumhomes.co.nz/our-homes/house-and-land-packages/99-waiwai-drive-milldale/

https://formance.co.nz/

Dan Heyworth is on a mission to improve the range and quality of houses available to New Zealanders. 

After returning to New Zealand from UK a few years ago, Dan realised there are really only two main options for getting a house built, either going to a building company for a cheaper, mainstream house; or going to an architect for an expensive one. 

Box Living is both an architectural firm and a building company. Dan and his team are passionate about bringing the benefits of architecturally designed homes, to everyone. 

www.boxliving.co.nz

After insulation, heating is the next thing most people look at when improving the comfort and warmth of their home. 

In this episode of Home Style Green, I discuss room heaters:

• Standared electric heating: electric fan heaters, bar radiators, oil column, wall panel etc
• Gas unflued heating: And why you should never use it!
• Flued gas heating
• Heat pumps or reverse cycle air conditioning

In the episode I refer to the 'carnot cycle'. This is the awesome thermodynamic principle behind air conditioning and refrigeration. Refer again to our trusty Wikipedia for a good article about the detailed physics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_cycle

Of course the best form of heating is free from the sun. But making the most of passive solar heating is a design challenge and there's usually not a lot that can be done to improve this once a house is built.

So if you're trying to heat an existing, cold home, what's the best option?

How do you make eco, affordable?

As project manager for the proposed Lotus Eco Village in Paraparaumu near Wellington, Simon Wallace has some good ideas.

In 1971, Eric Doornekamp led a group of yoga enthusiasts to establish the Lotus Yoga Centre and Retreat in Aro Street, Wellington. Almost half a century on, the Lotus Yoga Centre Charitable Trust is branching out and developing an Eco-Village.

The Lotus Eco Village will be built in on a 3 hectare site purchased by the Trust back in 1985. Project Manager Simon Wallace shared with me how he plans to create affordable, healthy houses alongside a yoga and community centre in a great location.

http://homestylegreen.com/172

Peter Olorenshaw has been developing his passion for passive solar design for over 21 in Nelson, one of New Zealand's sunniest spots. While has does practise architecture elsewhere, like his designs, he prefers to keep it local.

http://homestylegreen.com/114

http://www.peteroarchitect.co.nz/

Michelle Rohrer-Lauer is an interior designer and business owner with nearly four decades of experience. She works with discerning clients out of her studio in Chicago, but her approach to sustainable design is applicable everywhere.

Sue co-founded Bioregional in 1994 because she wanted to develop and implement more sustainable ways of producing the products we need and of living our lives to reduce our human impact on the natural world.

http://www.bioregional.com/

http://homestylegreen.com/134

After studying Japanese and international business, Daniel Gudsell's plan was to go to Japan and sell New Zealand produced milk, but he ended up selling wood in the South Pacific, an enterprise that led to the creation of Abode Wood.

There are eco labelled paints, and then there are eco paints. What's the difference?

After he won the Inaugural Passive House Slam during the Heidelberg Passive House Conference in March this year, I sat down with Marius Şoflete to talk about how he's inspiring people to build better places to live. Marius has a contagious enthusiasm which he's using to make Passive House fun!

Steve Penny is the founder and director at Honoris, a building services consultancy in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is also the host of his own podcast, A Penny for Your Thoughts.

Susan Inglis has always been a conscious consumer. In 2007 she helped set up the Sustainable Furnishings Council to promote awareness of all the 'stuff' we bring into our buildings. From curtains to carpets, and fittings and furniture, the products we bring into our homes have a huge impact on the environment. The Sustainable Furnishings Council works with industry to help inspire designers and consumers to make better choices about all the products inside our buildings.

Ian Chamberlain learnt his craft as a cabinet maker and joiner in the UK. Nearly 40 years on, he's now crafting beautiful and high performing homes in Taupo, New Zealand.

What are the most important things to ensure you get the comfortable, energy-efficient home you deserve and can afford?

More at https://homestylegreen.com/212

Brought to you by Endurobuilders and LABDesign.

Music attribution: Carefree by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3476-carefree License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Do you need a professional project manager for either the design stage or the construction stage of your building project? I discuss the basics of good project management with podcaster, engineer, business owner and soon-to-be author, Cesar Abeid. 

Danielle King moved into the sustainability field about fifteen years ago and has built up her consultancy Green Move Australia with a diverse range of services. We discuss some of the typical advice she provides to clients and Danielle shares some of her own advice for running a viable sustainability business.

Zola Rose has a vision for regenerative housing as a solution for improving communities and sustainability. She brings diverse and international experience to Aotearoa New Zealand where she now calls Nelson her home.

Real estate has long been used as an investment and a means of making a profit in New Zealand. Zola explains how this has tended to undermine the values that we should otherwise associate with where we live. Housing should protect, shelter and foster community, but we've tended towards the commoditisation of housing.

There are solutions that can help provide better housing and helping people implement these solutions is the basis for Zola's social enterprise.

https://www.commonground.net.nz

A first step in making a home healthier is to understand and quantify what might be making it unhealthy. Through her website, Caroline Blazovsky has made it very easy for homeowners to test indoor air quality and test for mould.

http://www.healthyhomeexpert.com/
http://homestylegreen.com/160

In part 2 of this insulation introduction, I discuss the main types of insulation used for ceilings, floors and wall. 

For more information about insulation materials, check out Level.org.nz from BRANZ:

http://www.level.org.nz/fileadmin/downloads/Materials/LevelMInsul.pdf

For more on the properties of wool, including great microscopic imagery, check out:

http://www.biotechlearn.org.nz/focus_stories/wool_innovations/wool_fibre_properties

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wool_insulation

What is the IDEAL House, and how will everyone soon be able to see it? I talk with owner, Murray Durbin and he shares his inspiration and discusses some of the features that make this house special. We also talk numbers!

For more, visit: http://idealhouse.org

Angus Crowe believes that you definitely can afford an architect. In fact, you can't afford not to have one.

Learning from design homes in the tropics, Angus now uses a combination of orientation, cross flow ventilation, thermal mass and above all - 3D modelling to produce healthy, comfortable homes.

http://homestylegreen.com/146
http://truenortharchitects.com.au/

Part 2 of our wrap of the NZGBC event in June. 

This week, Verney and I discuss LED lighting, ventilation, 3D thermal modelling in CAD, construction waste management and other highlights from the Master Class day that followed on from the NZGBC Sustainable Housing Summit.

Selected pdfs of some presentations are available on the NZGBC website. 

More is not always better, especially regarding the amount of timber in the frame of a house. The more timber there is, the less space there is for insulation. The way this is measured is called timber fraction.

Most homes in Aotearoa are designed using the assumption that timber will make up around 14% - 18% of the area in a wall. A 2020 BRANZ research study found that in reality, the average timber fraction is closer to 40%. This means there is considerably less space available for insulation.

Unfortunately, this is not always picked up during the consenting or pre-lining inspection process. H1 Energy Efficiency calculations are checked at the design stage, usually using the much lower default timber fraction assumption. The result of all this is that many consumers are effectively getting less insulation than they're paying for, and much more thermal bridging. 

PlaceMakers has recently launched a new service providing a detailed report of the actual timber content for any wall frame and roof truss they supply. This accurate figure can then be used to provide true H1 calculations. Alternatively, a designer might choose to adapt their plan to reduce the thermal bridging and increase the amount of insulation.

National Technical Resource Manager, Pete Hammond explains how Framology works. We also discuss the option of using external insulating products like RigidRAP-XT from IBS to eliminate thermal bridges.

Smart, Green and Beautiful Homes with Ronn Lepage. 

If these can be built in one of the harshest inhabited climates on Earth, then what would it take to build one where you live?

http://homestylegreen.com/132

https://verecohomesinc.wildapricot.org/

Jennifer Crawford used to sell houses, now she helps people to buy the house that they really want. What's the difference? Listen in to find out!

If you're in New Zealand, you can find a Homestar Homecoach here: http://www.homestar.org.nz/the-journey/homecoach

If you want help with your new home, get in touch and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction. 

What is a blower door and why would you want to use one?

We've discussed the benefits of airtightness previously. In this episode, we're jumping straight in to look at the blower door and airtightness testing.

Polly Bart loves to get muddy. Despite having an undergraduate degree in architecture and a doctorate in city planning, Poly is not an architect. She's a builder and founder of Greenbuilders, Inc. She loves creating, lifting rock and building things.

http://homestylegreen.com/133

http://greenbuilders.com/

Ben Ingledew has a background in teaching, but following the Canterbury Earthquakes in 2010 and 2011, he took a new path which eventually lead to Livewel Construction.

Livewel Construction focusses on energy-efficient, comfortable homes and renovations. Ben in Certified Passive House Tradesperson and a member of the Superhome Movement.

Glenn Murdoch was a regular house designer until he watched Simon Sinek's TED talk. Then Glenn asked 'why'? In this week's show we talk Passive House and how to architecture can create a better society.

What's a fast, inexpensive way to build that can result in high performance homes? 

It is of course, prefab. And this week I talk with Melissa Savage from Metrapanel.

http://www.metrapanel.co.nz/

I'd love to get your questions, comments and feedback:

http://www.homestylegreen.com

https://twitter.com/mcutlerwelsh

https://www.facebook.com/HomeStyleGreen

http://www.pinterest.com/homestylegreen/

https://plus.google.com/101260690494539970922/posts

email: matthew@homestylegreen.com

I wanted to have Dolores Davis on the show because she's running a company that values the art, the privilege and the responsibility of building. Here in New Zealand, the evidence that a building boom doesn't guarantee success in the industry, is all too common.

Just as we can learn building methodologies from around the world, we can also learn successful business practices so we can continue to enjoy not what we have to do, but what we get to do.

Scott Fisher is the CEO of Offsite NZ. I caught up with him to discuss the history, current practice and future opportunities of offsite manufacturing in the building industry in Aotearoa. 

https://www.offsitenz.com/

What's the difference between HRV and ERV? Grant Anderson is the National MVHR Manager at Fantech. (What's MVHR? Listen in to find out!)

Please feel free to contact me if you'd any help with choosing a ventilation system, matthew@homestylegreen.com

You can also find Grant and his team at Fantech, http://bit.ly/1FDK1PT

http://homestylegreen.com/115

How to do the type of design work you want, from where you want. Duncan Sinclair is the founder of Black Pine Architects. His practice and his home are in Whanganui, but thanks to the internet, his work can be anywhere.

http://www.blackpine.co.nz/

Scott Stewart used to fly in high performance aircraft with the Royal Australian Air Force. Now he helps architects, designers and builders with the high performance details of Passive House homes.

Living Shelter Architects is a design firm led by Terry Phelan in the Northwest of Washington State. The focus of their work is to provide healthy, resilient homes by combining natural materials with the "gifts of the site".

Elena Michel travelled to England to learn the art of sustainable architecture. Through her practice, Second Eden Studio, Elena now provides an alternative to the 'McMmansion' and is bringing a global perspective of sustainable design to North Carolina.

• http://HomeStyleGreen.com/122
• http://www.secondedenstudio.com

What's a "Building Whisperer"?

David Bartlett leads the IBM’s Smarter Buildings initiative, helping clients create more green, cost-efficient cities, campuses, corporate offices, commercial sites, casinos, hospitals and neighborhoods worldwide.  As IBM’s “Building Whisperer,” he is a vocal advocate at industry events and in media for using data analysis to better control buildings’ function and tame wasteful energy practices.

Links mentioned in today's show:

• Find more interesting people on Twitter with Vtricity: https://soapbox.vtricity.com/
• Biomimicry by Janine M. Benyus (Amazon Affiliate link): http://amzn.to/16lXaoY
• Dave's book recommendation, Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think (Amazon Affiliate link): http://amzn.to/10KjD0d
• Follow David on his own blog at: http://asmarterplanet.com/blog/2012/10/meet-david-bartlett.html

Three years ago, John Donovan built a demonstration log house on his property in Waitakere. The images in a recent newspaper article caught my attention, as did the mention of 'eco' and 'efficient'. So I tracked John down to get his thoughts on sustainable building with logs. And we talked about pyramids...

Richard Keech lives in a zero-carbon home in Melbourne. After some time in the Royal Australian Air Force and then as a software engineering and consultant in the private sector, Richard now helps people to understand energy. Specifically, renewable energy and energy efficiency. We discuss why it's a good idea to get rid of gas and electrify your home.

Design Basics has as unique point of difference. They value and promote the input of women in the design process. I discuss with Executive Vice President Natalie Wendling, and Vice President of Business Development, Paul Foresman; the concept of 'Women-Centric Home Design' and how it can benefit everyone.

Stärke has been in the window industry in New Zealand since the 80s. They were at the forefront of supplying aluminium frames to the building industry but have recently made some big changes. With a focus on building performance, Benjy Simmons describes the new direction of Stärke as a 'once-in-fifty-year' change. While the company has a long legacy, they've experienced rapid change over the last few years. 

Benjy credits some of the openness to change to him being from outside the industry. He's come in with a different perspective. "We're beginning to see ourselves as a building performance company not just a window and door company", says Benjy. 

Check out the full range of Stärke products along with their education pages and other resources.

Jeffrey Dinkle brings over two decades of experience in sustainable construction and renovation to his board service at the National Passive House Alliance. Founder and owner of Eco Custom Homes and its parent company ICON Development Corporation, Jeff has become a recognized leader in Atlanta’s green building scene. He holds degrees in economics and sociology from Emory University and has trained in EarthCraft principles at Southface. Through Eco Custom Homes, he builds and renovates incredibly efficient high performance structures that embrace comfortable and healthy living and function.

http://homestylegreen.com/137
http://ecocustomhomes.com/

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 also love it if you could write a quite review: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/podcast/home-style-green/id513213105

For comments and questions, write to me: comments@homestylegreen.com

Cheers,

Matthew Cutler-Welsh

In this episode of Home Style Green, I discuss the basic physics of insualation. I give an overview of the three main types of heat transfer, that is conduction, convection and radiation. Most bulk insulation products on the market rely almost entirely on reducing conduction. 

I discuss what 'R-Value' means and the common materials of household insulation products. 

For more information, visit our site at: 

http://www.homestylegreen.com

Also, for a more indepth discussion on insulation and 'R-Values', its hard to go past Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-value_(insulation)

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 you more about this in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out http://www.wufi-pro.com/

I was lucky enough to first meet Carlin Archer in Chrstchurch a few years ago.

Carlin was interested in building an 'ecohome', but didn't know the first thing about building houses. He did know a lot about building websites thought. So he and his brother sat down and reated Ecobob.co.nz

What other form of heating provides a coefficient of performance, around 5 - 7? That’s the promise, and the reality of ground source heat pump technology.

This week I spoke to Senior Hydrogeologist at Geoscience Consulting NZ, Huw Williams about this amazing technology. We discuss if it’s suitable for houses in New Zealand and why Huw is so interested in ground source heat pumps as a sustainable technology. 

Links:

• http://www.nzgeoscience.co.nz/
• http://www.nzgeothermal.org.nz/ghanz.html
• http://www.carbonwarroom.com/

When I first saw the LUNOS is didn't really believe it was a true heat recovery ventilation system, so I sought out some answers.

Wayne Delport is Sales and Technical Manager at The Heating Company International.

http://bit.ly/HSGLunos
http://homestylegreen.com/162

Denise Martin has been involved with many of Aotearoa's Passive House projects. As one of the most experienced blower door testers in the country, she's been involved with verifying a range of residential and commercial buildings both in New Zealand and Australia.

I caught up with Denise to chat about how she got into building science in the first place and some of the challenges and opportunities facing the building sector in New Zealand. We also discuss the building code, energy modelling, thermal performance and air tightness.

If you don't already, I highly recommend following Denise on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Group or volume builders get a bad rap sometimes for perpetuating bad building practise. But it is possible to get a good home from a group builder. This week I talk with someone who's doing just that and her explains how.

In Episode 145 I spoke with Dennis Dowling of DCD Construction. On the episode, I talk with Annabelle Numaguchi who has a PR and marketing background. Why has Annabelle recently become a Homestar Assessor and what is her vision for DCC Construction? Find out in this episode of Home Style Green. http://homestylegreen.com/177

Wao is a collective dedicated to a regenerative future.

I caught up with co-founder Monique Kelly to discuss why she does what she does, and their upcoming Summit. 

For more information check out https://www.wao.co.nz/summit2024