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hone 15 5 for details. o part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, recording or stored in any information retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in The Selfbuilder, the publisher can accept no responsibility for the claims or opinions made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. Editorial contributors to this journal may have made a payment towards the reproduction costs of material used to illustrate their products. The manufacturer of the paper used within our publication is a Chain-of-Custody certifi ed supplier operating within environmental systems certifi ed to both IS 11 and EMAS in order to ensure sustainable production. rinted in England.


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Update your registration here: Design fi rst


Naimh & John took a design-led approach to the renovation of their Irish cottage


Plan like a pro


The NSBRC’s latest Masterclass installment explains everything you need to know about planning permission


Better safe than sorry


ON THE COVER... © MARTIN GARDNER (PAGE 28)


Self-Build Zone’s Jake Fitness tells James Parker why self-build insurance is a must for your project


FROM THE EDITOR...


After a long wait the overnment has fi nally released its full response to the uture Homes Standard HS consultation. After the initial implementation target of 5 came and went with no news, developers and self-builders alike now fi nally know where they  and their projects  stand moving forward.


The standard will offi cially come into force in March  and applies to all new homes built in the U, though there will be a year-long transition period, making it fully mandatory from March .


hat this means for self-builders is that your home must be built with a fabric fi rst approach. Mains gas connection will no longer be allowed, making heat pumps the likely heating option. Target U-values will be low meaning high insulation levels will be necessary, as will triple glaing. The use of renewable technologies such as solar  and E charging will be non-negotiable, ventilation will be essential, and waste water heat recovery systems will be reuired in order to meet hot water effi ciency targets.


f course many of you will already be building to high sustainability standards, so these changes are more likely to impact large-scale developers. ut not all self-builders are on the same page, so to truly gauge where they currently stand on sustainability, weve focused the fi rst of our Selfbuilder Surveys on uilding a reener Home  you can see the results of the research and read the full report on page .


hile our survey fi ndings were mixed, two of our case studies are proof that sustainability and low carbon building were high on the agenda for many self- builders long before the introduction of the HS. ane and eil took a low-key and natural approach, focusing on a fabric fi rst strategy to support sustainability long-term on page . Meanwhile seasoned self-builders rank and erry were motivated to build their fi rst assivhaus-certifi ed home by the dream of minimum maintenance and running costs in ess Unwins case study on page .


Enjoy the issue ROSEANNE FIELD


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