David Snell is author of ‘Building Your Own Home’ and writes regularly for ‘Homebuilding & Renovating’. The last time we spoke to David he was working on his 14th and ‘final’ self build project. He has since decided to return to Gloucestershire and is now working on his 15th! With so much experience to draw upon he is able to give examples of what to look for when selecting a plot of land, and how you can tell whether it’s the right one for you. Check out the show notes for more information....
Feb 24, 2016•33 min
Mike Whitfield, of Mike Whitfield Construction, has been focused on creating energy efficient houses in Herefordshire since the 1990s. He explains why building high quality, low energy buildings requires different skills and mind-set to traditional construction, and gives advice on how to find a builder who is up to the task. Check out the show notes for more information.
Feb 17, 2016•28 min
Freelance writer and author of Housebuilder’s Bible, Mark Brinkley, has been writing about how to build houses for over 20 years. Now embarking on a new self build project of his own he is aware of how terrifying the process can be! He shares with us some of his experience of how to create a budget, and what you can do to make sure you stick to it. Check out the show notes for more information.
Feb 10, 2016•40 min
David Olivier has over 30 years of experience working with architects and engineers, advising on energy conscious design. In 2012 he moved into his own passive solar self build house and shares with us some of what he has learnt professionally, and personally. Check out the show notes for more information.
Feb 03, 2016•33 min
Tara and Dimitri had allocated £350,000 for the purchase of land and costs for building their Gloucestershire home. They explain how they worked with their architect and builder to manage their budget and pass on tips for what they learnt along the way. Check out the show notes for more information.
Jan 27, 2016•38 min
Phill Skill is Lead Business Consultant at Stroud District Council, and for 10 years before that he was their Head of Planning. He talks us through the terminology and processes involved that might apply to a self build project. Check out the show notes for more information.
Jan 20, 2016•36 min
Nick Grant explains why his childhood “make do and mend” mentality has given him a lifelong passion for doing more with less. Combined with a background in engineering he demonstrates how value engineering can be applied to a house building project. Check out the show notes for more information.
Jan 13, 2016•31 min
Ben Adam-Smith reviews where he is in his own self-build process and discusses the reasons why there will be some changes to future podcasts. Check out the show notes for more information.
Jan 06, 2016•21 min
Cesar Abeid has recently written a book called ‘Project Management for You’. He explains how his simple steps approach to project management can help bring an idea into reality, whether in your personal or professional life, and how this methodology can be applied to organising a self-build project without being overwhelmed! Check out the show notes for more information.
Nov 25, 2015•33 min
Ben Adam-Smith has been frustrated by his lack of progress in finding a suitable building plot and has been wondering whether there is anything he can be doing in the meantime to help his project. Kirsty Maguire of Kirsty Maguire Architect Ltd explains the steps that he could be taking now to put him in a stronger position for when he has a site and the project goes live. Check out the show notes for more information....
Nov 18, 2015•34 min
Jon Broome from Jon Broome Architects explains how to create sustainable neighbourhoods and why they make better places to live. He also shares progress on a group self build scheme in Lewisham, London, which is embracing these principles. Check out the show notes for more information.
Nov 11, 2015•30 min
Professor Phil Jones from the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University explains how SOLCER House exports more energy to the grid than it uses and addresses fundamental issues relating to affordability, buildability and performance. With governments around the world committing to deliver zero carbon housing by 2019, this project has been designed from the outset as a practical solution. Check out the show notes for more information....
Nov 04, 2015•27 min
Prewett Bizley Architects specialises in low energy architecture and Bob has a particular interest in retrofit. He explains that housing is responsible for around 27% of the UK's carbon emissions, so buildings of all ages and styles have a part to play in terms of energy efficiency. Check out the show notes for more information.
Oct 28, 2015•32 min
Arun, Nicki, Donal, and Glen share their stories of how they successfully bought their plots of land. With four case studies to evaluate from three different countries, there’s lots to be learned from our guests today. Check out the show notes for more information.
Oct 21, 2015•30 min
Geoff and Kate Tunstall explain how they were able to create a fantastic Passivhaus in Denby Dale with a modest budget of around £150,000. They also share how they got caught by a 6-inch ransom strip and what options were open to them. Check out the show notes for more information.
Oct 14, 2015•29 min
The residents of Fintry, Scotland, were approached back in 2003 by a developer that was looking to set up a wind farm in the area and was seeking local support. After years of negotiations the community agreed to the wind farm on the proviso that they install an extra turbine on the site, for the Fintry community. The wind farm developer paid for the additional turbine, which the community are gradually buying back over 15 years, together with paying maintenance, interest and land rental costs. ...
Oct 07, 2015•27 min
Michaela Benson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has spent the last three years working on a research project called 'Self-Building - The Production and Consumption of New Homes From the Perspective of Households'. She wanted to understand the diversity of the houses people build, their motivations for doing it and their experiences of the process. Her interviews with twenty individual self-builders and five group projects during that t...
Sep 30, 2015•31 min
We catch up with Alex Baines, a Passivhaus consultant who you may remember from episode 74 . We spoke to him then about how gaining support for his semi earth-sheltered rural self-build from his local community helped him achieve the necessary planning permissions. Almost a year on we spoke with him again to see what progress he has made on the build so far. Check out the show notes to see some pictures of the progress....
Sep 22, 2015•44 min
It has been almost a year since Luke Mahon took ownership of a new-build developer house, which he soon discovered lacked insulation! He talks us through his experience and the ongoing battle to get the house completed. See the full show notes: http://www.houseplanninghelp.com/99.
Sep 16, 2015•37 min
Architect, builder and Passivhaus Consultant, Christina Snyder shares the story of the experimental zero-energy Passivhaus self-build that she and her husband have undertaken in Michigan, and explains why they are in no rush to complete it.
Sep 09, 2015•25 min
Peter Warm from WARM: Low Energy Building Practice explains why building to Passivhaus standard is desirable, how certification comes into the equation, and what steps will increase your chances of reaching certification.
Sep 02, 2015•34 min
Kara Rosemeier from Passive House Academy New Zealand looks at why natural ventilation leads to little control of ventilation. She also shares why the Passivhaus approach is the logical step forwards.
Aug 26, 2015•27 min
Harold Orr reflects on why the Saskatchewan Conservation House was a landmark on the road to high performance buildings.
Aug 19, 2015•40 min
Brian Murphy from Green Building Encyclopaedia runs through the most common types of insulation and explains why they each have strengths and weaknesses.
Aug 12, 2015•32 min
Tad Everhart, an energy adviser from Portland, Oregon, shares his story of building a house . . . which he retrofitted 10 years later after learning about Passivhaus. We find out why he was motivated to take on the challenge, how he went about it and whether all the hard work was worth it.
Jul 28, 2015•32 min
Professor Tom Woolley from Rachel Bevan Architects explains what hempcrete is, how it is mixed and applied, and what the pros and cons of using it are.
Jul 15, 2015•35 min
Tomás O’Leary from the Passive House Academy explains why he became an early adopter of the Passivhaus standard and also shares why we need to take every opportunity to retrofit existing buildings, even if it is a phased approach .
Jun 27, 2015•30 min
Darren Macri from Bleu Nest is a certified Passivhaus builder and consultant, and he explains what this means and how putting together a team who have had training is likely to benefit your low energy build. He also has insights into his own house build which is nearing completion.
May 29, 2015•28 min
Bjørn Kierulf from Createrra explains how you can have the best of both worlds, using almost entirely natural materials to create a house that reaches the Passivhaus Standard.
May 09, 2015•30 min
Jay Shafer from Four Lights Tiny House Company gives us the lowdown of tiny house living. He explains why he initially made the choice, how different life has been since and why he has never looked back. Jay also shares practical advice of what you need to know and do in order to transition to a smaller house.
Apr 25, 2015•26 min
