How to choose the right architect or desginer
More and more clients are contacting us before they engage an architect. Through social media, clients can scope out potential builders and get a clear idea of how they operate, providing a certain level of comfort that we will build their homes correctly and to a high-performing level. Those who are now engaging architects to begin their adventure of designing their homes are at least 12 months away before starting onsite. We find that the average project takes 18 months from when an architect is engaged to when demolition begins. The reality is that good things take time, and this process shouldn't be rushed.
Passive House vs NatHERs
Energy modelling is crucial in designing sustainable buildings that consume less energy and produce fewer carbon emissions. In Melbourne, there are two popular methods for energy modelling: NatHERS and PHPP. While both ways aim to achieve energy efficiency, there are significant differences in their approach and accuracy. This blog will explore these differences and explain why PHPP is a better option than NatHERS.
Passive House and the cost of living crisis
Australia is currently facing a cost of living crisis, with a significant proportion of the population struggling to keep up with the increasing costs of housing, energy, and other essential expenses. This issue affects people from all walks of life, including low-income earners, retirees, and even middle-class families. Unfortunately, the average house being built will still cost a small fortune to run, but building or renovating your new home to Passive House standards could be a potential solution.
We are almost wrapped up
How many times in the next few weeks will we hear the phrase, "oh, this year went so quickly"? It's that time of year when everyone goes crazy trying to beat the Christmas rush. Several years ago, we decided not to hurry clients into their homes before Christmas as we felt that Christmas had become more of a deadline than a holiday.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BUILDING PASSIVE HOUSES?
It's no secret that we have shifted our business to building only high-performance homes or Passive House projects. It's a decision we made nearly two years ago, jumping into it head first (probably a little too quickly), but one that we do not regret for one second.
TIPS FOR BUILDING A MORE SUSTAINABLE HOME
Green, Environmentally Friendly, Carbon Neutral, Energy Efficient
These are the buzzwords that every company and product are attaching themselves to as they want to be seen as sustainable. Most are doing it for the right reasons, others because they have either been forced to or it looks great from a marketing perspective, whilst some are just greenwashing and misleading the average person.
We constantly get asked by potential clients, current clients, and even friends "how can we build more sustainably?" It's a really hard question to answer because everyone has different needs and budgets. Sometimes it does require deep pockets and can be time-consuming as you can go as far as having a crack at the Living Building Challenge, which is one deep rabbit hole!
However, it doesn't need to be this way. We have identified 10 items that we will list over two blogs that you can implement in your build to ensure you are creating a home that has a positive environmental impact along with one that is healthy and comfortable.
Why are we steel talking about this crap?
If for some reason you have been living under a rock, it will be news to you that there has been a huge spike in the supply and demand of timber. It has become so hard to get your hands on, that we have been told there is a minimum wait of 5 months for certain timber products! This leaves the building industry in a bit of a sticky situation where projects are being put on hold or severely delayed due to a lack of timber.
A pine in the butt
Timber, it's a hot commodity at the moment. You have more chance of watching Carlton win than being able to get your hands on it!! For decades timber has been the bones of our house and it's the major material that we use in Australia for residential construction. At the moment there is a huge timber shortage in the country and it’s causing some problems for many builders. For years we could just call up and put in our order, but now we face a lead time of more than eight weeks. It’s forcing us to be extremely organised, however, it does create some problems along the way.
Why you should ditch gas on your build
We all want a place that isn't too expensive to run, but that is starting to seem like a fantasy when our energy prices have increased sharply in recent years. As a result, we have seen a push to electrify homes and remove the need for gas in a home. Now, we understand that people loving cooking on gas. They are tied to it and just won't change. People get concerned when change is suggested. They often become confused and stubborn because it's not what they are used to. However, if you're renovating or building new, we highly advise you to build an all-electric home. Not only is this great for the environment, but it's also going to cost you a lot less to run your home! We thought we would run you through the most common gas sources in a home and explain why it makes more sense to be fully electric and remove the need for gas in your home.
It’s time to create change
As a builder, we are forever making decisions - all day, every day. We are constantly put on the spot with our trades and clients seeking answers to what may seem like an impossible task ahead. Over time you learn to think on your feet and become decisive as well as relying on those around you to also make tactical decisions. Sometimes, not everyone agrees with the decisions we make, however, we always have a good reason for making them.
What you can’t see WILL hurt you!
If you’re familiar with the building industry, you may have heard the phrase - "Once the plaster is on, no one will see it". For years this phrase has been thrown around on building sites and for too long we have sat back and allowed the ‘minimum standard’ to become acceptable. Since when has it ever been ok to do something just to get by? Do you think cars are built to a minimum standard where they might run the risk of something being ‘just ok’? The answer is no. Every component of a car is thought through and optimised for safety. But why are we not doing this with our homes? Why do we allow our greatest asset and the place we live become such an unsafe place to be?
What Is Comfort?
I recently mentioned comfort a fair bit in my Passive House Series. What I probably failed to address is, what does comfort actually mean?
To me, comfort in a home can be broken down into four categories. All of these are just as important as the other and excluding one could have a major impact on the way you live. It's also something that I feel needs to be spoken about in the early stages of design with your Architect and Building Designer.
6 Myths About Passive House Busted
When you talk or read about Passive House, you’ll most likely come across arguments against this relatively new concept. There are people who try to discredit this form of building because they either don't fully understand it, or they are not open to change. On platforms such as Facebook groups and online forums, everyone is an expert and false pieces of information are thrown around with no evidence backing them up – which can get confusing. Some of these statements can gain traction, with the potential to deter people from deciding to build a Passive House. So we thought we’d get one step ahead and dispel the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding Passive House.
An Insight Into Insulation
We all know what insulation is and those who have homes that are not insulated, tend to find the winters extremely cold and the summers unbearably hot. As told by our year nine science teacher, hot air always moves towards cold air – so in winter, the warm air will try to escape out of your home and in summer it will weasel its way in. The indoor comfort levels become so poor that you have to crank up either the heater or aircon, resulting in your energy bills going through the roof. So how do we make the most of our insulation?
From the Window to the Wall
One of the big-ticket items in any build is the external windows and doors – often defining the character of the home, providing natural light and ventilation. Windows are typically the weakest link in a building from a thermal performance perspective and it’s common to see condensation on the inside of the window frame or water entering through the openings around old existing windows. Being one of the five key principles of Passive House, we thought we would dive a bit deeper into this topic as it’s something every build can relate to.
Build Tight, Ventilate Right
At Carland Constructions we want to take a proactive approach to building, especially when it comes to your home’s performance and ecological footprint. With continual professional development and having recently become Passive House Certified, we plan to implement new processes that challenge the status quo of our industry and improve the future of residential construction.
What is Passive House?
Last year I was fortunate enough to undertake studies and become a certified Passive House Tradesperson. I had been interested in this particular course for several years and had done quite a bit of reading up on this style of building. It caught my attention as everything I was reading made sense, but couldn't understand why it had not gained much traction in Australia. I finally enrolled and went back to school. It was a very intense week of training with a few moments of information overload, but it was hands down the best course that I have undertaken. It completely opened my eyes about the building industry and the urgent need for change in Australia. Over the next few weeks, I will take you on a journey of what I learnt and go into more detail about Passive House.
Let’s Talk About Performance - Chatfield Project
Early in 2019, we were engaged by the amazing team from Altereco Design in Seddon to work through their pre-tender and negotiated tender phase. This process was completely new to us, but in the end, it made the project a lot easier to tender for. We were happy adapting to the plans and balancing items to keep within the client’s budget. It gave us a chance to discuss any potential issues we may face onsite and iron them out early. We felt there was a higher level of trust going into the construction phase between the Builder, Client and Designer - which also made the job run a lot smoother.
The Pre-Construction Process
As a builder, I get a lot of calls from potential clients who are excited to get started on their renovation as soon as possible and think that they are all ready to go. After a quick chat, I ask them to send through any documentation my way so I can look over their plans and see what's involved in the project.
"Oh, we don't have any plans yet" is a common response I get as most potential clients are new to the building process and are not aware of what is required before any construction begins.