as possible.”
There is underfloor heating downstairs and in the bathrooms but no heating in the bedrooms, as these areas benefit from the heat distributed across the property by the heat recovery system. Richard worked closely with the Cammeghs to address the house’s overall energy needs. “He was always talking about how to reduce the amount of energy we need before looking at which technologies to use, so we know we’ve got one foot thick timber-framed walls stuffed with insulation and triple-glazed windows everywhere,” says Bill.
“The ventilation system transfers heat from the old air and uses it to warm up the fresh air. The air in the house always just feels right. It never gets stuffy like our old house did. We don’t feel compelled to open all the windows to air the house out anymore.”
That said, the energy-efficient aspects of the house did require some adjustments to the Cammeghs’ interior design ideas. Their original plan for solid wood floors had to bow to the demands of underfloor heating and solar gain. “Richard insisted that timber flooring wouldn’t work so well with underfloor heating or for soaking up the sun’s heat from the windows,” says Barbara. “We weren’t too sure about the timber-effect porcelain tiles at first, but we love them now. They’re easy to clean and they stay nice and warm when the underfloor heating is on.”
Richard says that Bill and Barbara wished their house to be light, airy and easy to live with and get around, but with separation and cosiness where they wanted it; he feels that together, they have achieved their aim.
“The requirements of any home will vary at different stages of life so for a house to be a
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“Having been able to tailor a home so much to suit our own lifestyle is wonderful.
Everything is just where we want it”
genuine lifetime home it needs to work well in all seasons of life,” he says. “The same is true of how well it functions through the seasons of the year. We’re delighted with how Bill and Barbara have embraced the Passivhaus model. It took a while for them to get their head around living in an airtight building but now they’ve lived in it they get it completely.”
And what do Bill and Barbara think? “It’s all nice,” says Barbara, “And it makes us feel very relaxed. Having been able to tailor a home so much to suit our own lifestyle is wonderful. Everything is just where we want it, so it makes the house so easy to be in and live with.”
Bill thinks for a moment and looks around his comfortable, stylish, and above all practical new ‘lifetime home’. “We just wish we’d done it sooner,” he says.
november/december 2019
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