JANE’S TOP TIPS
* Design the house for how you want to live
* To futureproof your home, design should
allow for changes in personal circumstances, such as the challenges that come with age and health issues
* If something doesn’t seem quite right with
your drawings or design at the planning stage, revise your plans – you could really regret it later if you don’t
* As project manager, whenever the build
insulation and high-performance windows and doors to make buildings more airtight to prevent heat loss.
Another component is mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems that continuously extract stale air from a building, replacing it with fresh outdoor air while simultaneously recovering heat from the outgoing air to pre-heat the incoming fresh air. Building design that optimises passive solar heat gain while also avoiding solar overheating is also important in Passivhaus homes. To achieve these targets, the couple relied on their Passivhaus contractor and the expertise of other professionals they brought in to work on their self-build. Jane says: “Expert input was important – for example, the technical detail needed around keeping everything airtight meant taking our standard planning drawing and turning it into a Passivhaus drawing, two things that are miles apart.”
Maintaining the airtight seal at a Passivhaus has a big impact. “You’ve got to consider early on, before the plaster board goes up, where you’re putting anything that’s going to puncture your walls,” says Jane. “That’s everything from wall mountings to the TV aerial and utilities like water, drainage, electricity and even cabling for the internet. This is to ensure that all these points are sealed.”
The couple chose a timber frame and a closed panel system that was prefabricated offsite. The panels can be customised to fi t various architectural designs and fl oorplans, be assembled very quickly onsite and provide excellent insulation.
Construction of Jane and Paul’s new home 24
“We realised the potential that a Passivhaus self- build had for us and our needs.”
fi nally began in 3, with ane taking on the role of project manager. She says: “I enjoyed project management but inevitably I sometimes found it frustrating – what you think you’re telling somebody and what they think they’re hearing are not necessarily the same thing! So, it’s important to be onsite as much as possible to monitor what’s happening.” Fast forward around 18 months to the summer of and the couple were able to fully move into their new abode (following the completion of a bespoke kitchen. n the ground fl oor, the entrance lobby area gives access to a lavatory and a utility room, but a third door takes you into an impressive L-shaped open space that comprises the kitchen and dining area, plus a lounge with south-facing sliding patio doors that lead to a veranda. Through another door in the lounge you
fi nd the staircase and a generous-sied snug, which also has south-facing windows. The stairs feature a deep half landing midway up that can accommodate seats, and the stairway also has space, top and bottom, for the installation of a stair lift, should one be needed.
team wanted a decision on something I could tell them what was needed or we could talk it through because I’ve got that background in construction. However, if you’re not construction-savvy it’s worth considering employing someone who knows how to oversee a self-build project
* Use a quality contractor. Get recommendations
and perhaps even look at examples of their work
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