House Planning Help Podcast

HPH056 : Which Build System is Best to Create a Low Energy Home? - with Piers Taylor from Invisible Studio Architects

June 04, 2014 17:18 - 30 minutes - 29.4 MB

Piers Taylor from Invisible Studio Architects explains what a build system is, why you would use one over another and whether any are preferable when it comes to creating low energy houses.

HPH055 : Homes That Are Resistant to Extreme Weather (Hurricanes) - with Steve Mouzon from Original Green

May 28, 2014 19:57 - 29 minutes - 28.8 MB

Steve Mouzon from Original Green helps answer a question (from Frank Wiley) about what houses we should be building in areas that are prone to hurricanes or other extreme weather.

HPH054 : Building an Autonomous House - with Mike Coe

May 21, 2014 20:02 - 33 minutes - 32.2 MB

Mike Coe lives in an autonomous house with his partner Lizzie Stoodley. He shares the story behind this self-build project and why it’s ultimately left them with a deeper connection to their environment.

HPH053 : An Introduction to the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) - with Mark Tiramani

May 14, 2014 19:53 - 32 minutes - 31.3 MB

Mark Tiramani, the self-builder behind the UK’s first certified Passivhaus, shares his experience of building Y Foel and how this got him interested in the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP). He explains what PHPP is and why it’s a valuable tool.

HPH052 : Identifying Construction Defects by Using Thermal Imaging Cameras - with Lisa Ann Pasquale from Six Cylinder Limited

May 07, 2014 14:47 - 28 minutes - 27.8 MB

Lisa Ann Pasquale from Six Cylinder Limited explains what thermal imaging is and how it can be used in quality assuring the construction of low energy buildings.

HPH051 : Crowd-Funding a Documentary on 'The Future of Housing' - with Ben Adam-Smith

May 01, 2014 16:02 - 15 minutes - 16.1 MB

In this special episode Ben Adam-Smith explains why he wants to crowd-fund a documentary about airtightness, what it will entail and how you can help.

HPH050 : Hiring Contractors and Subcontractors - with David Snell, Author of Building Your Own Home

April 30, 2014 10:18 - 27 minutes - 27.1 MB

David Snell, author of Building Your Own Home, shares advice on acquiring land, building up a skilled and reliable team, and keeping contracts simple. He is currently building his 14th house!

HPH049 : Collective Custom Build - with David Rudlin from Urbed

April 23, 2014 10:45 - 25 minutes - 25.1 MB

David Rudlin from Urbed explains what collective custom build is and why it would be beneficial to build more houses this way.

HPH048 : Making Incremental Improvements to Your House - with Sarah Lonsdale

April 15, 2014 12:01 - 27 minutes - 26.8 MB

Sarah Lonsdale, an eco columnist for The Telegraph, shares a list of 30 home improvements she has made to reduce energy bills, and save energy and water. Ultimately Sarah would like to build a new home (such as a Huf Haus or Passivhaus) but in the meantime she explains the benefits of incremental upgrades.

HPH047 : Choosing a Suitable Property to Eco Retrofit - with Ian McKay from BBM Sustainable Design

April 07, 2014 17:09 - 28 minutes - 27.5 MB

Ian McKay from BBM Sustainable Design shares how to find a property that will lend itself well to an eco retrofit. He also contrasts two very different projects, the retrofit of a 1960s terraced house and the upgrade of a Victorian villa from the 1890s.

HPH046 : Manufacturing a House On-Site Using a Mobile Production Facility - with Diana Woodward

April 02, 2014 07:54 - 25 minutes - 25.3 MB

Diana Woodward explains how her house was first modelled on a computer and then the 3D digital information was transformed into exact physical replicas. The components were fabricated out of WISA board on-site using a mobile manufacturing facility.

HPH045 : Why Are More People Not Retrofitting Their Homes?

March 26, 2014 08:46 - 28 minutes - 28.1 MB

Upgrading your property so that it is more comfortable and costs less to run makes sense. If we're serious about tackling climate change then retrofitting has to be undertaken on a huge scale. So if it looks good on paper, why are very few people doing it? In this discussion (which was one of our Google+ Hangouts) we consider some of the barriers that may be putting people off.

HPH044 : Avoiding the Risks of Poor Ventilation - with Mark Siddall from LEAP

March 17, 2014 18:25 - 32 minutes - 31.7 MB

Mark Siddall from LEAP (Low Energy Architectural Practice) explains the circumstances under which poor ventilation can occur and why the control strategy becomes increasingly important the more airtight the building is.

HPH043 : Building an Energy-Efficient Home on a Tight Budget - with David and Penny Learmonth

February 28, 2014 11:42 - 35 minutes - 34.1 MB

David and Penny Learmonth share their experience of building an ultra low energy home on a budget. They also project managed this themselves.

HPH042 : Can a Straw Bale House Reach Passivhaus Standard? - with Fran Bradshaw from Anne Thorne Architects

February 10, 2014 16:55 - 29 minutes - 28.1 MB

Fran Bradshaw from Anne Thorne Architects shares her experience of building an ultra low energy home using natural materials such as straw bales, lime render and clay plaster. The house is also aiming for the Passivhaus standard.

HPH041 : 5 Fundamentals to Creating a Better House - with Ben Adam-Smith

February 05, 2014 15:31 - 23 minutes - 23.1 MB

Ben Adam-Smith looks at some of the essentials that you need to understand if you are going to create an energy-efficient house. There is more detail in Ben's new e-book: Why Most People Don't Build Energy-Efficient Homes.

HPH040 : Is the Passivhaus Standard a World Standard? - with Martin Holladay from Green Building Advisor (Passive House)

January 22, 2014 15:23 - 30 minutes - 29.2 MB

Martin Holladay from Green Building Advisor talks about the pros and cons of the Passivhaus standard. He also explains why he believes the German standard is not the best approach for the North American climate.

HPH039 : Planning a Phased Retrofit - with Mark Elton from Sustainable BY Design

January 01, 2014 11:07 - 32 minutes - 31.6 MB

Mark Elton from Sustainable BY Design explains what a phased retrofit of a house entails and the steps necessary to make it a comprehensive set of measures. He also shares his views of which properties make the simplest and most cost effective retrofits.

HPH038 : What Type of Windows Do You Need in a Passivhaus? with Bronwyn Barry from One Sky Homes

December 17, 2013 13:29 - 30 minutes - 29.7 MB

Bronwyn Barry from One Sky Homes explains the evolution of windows and why modern windows are really pieces of equipment. She also shares what's involved when it comes to choosing high performance windows for a project.

HPH037 : Overcoming the Challenges of Self Build - with Jason Orme from Homebuilding & Renovating

December 02, 2013 18:52 - 34 minutes - 32.7 MB

Jason Orme, editor of Homebuilding & Renovating, shares some of the key challenges that self-builders face and what can be done to make sure they don't become pitfalls. He also explains how custom build might be a good option to explore for those who want a bespoke home but without the same level of risk.

HPH036 : How to Save Water in Your Home - with Cath Hassell from ech2o consultants

November 18, 2013 16:08 - 38 minutes - 36.6 MB

Cath Hassell from ech2o consultants shares why saving water - particularly hot water - is something we should all be doing. She also explains how we can achieve this in our houses through a mixture of technical solutions and behaviour change. *A lot of the information in this episode is specific to the UK. This is because it became difficult to keep answering in general world terms because in each country it would be slightly different.*

HPH035 : Worldwide Trends in Green Design - with Lloyd Alter from TreeHugger

November 05, 2013 18:32 - 28 minutes - 27.4 MB

Lloyd Alter, Managing Editor of TreeHugger, explains how worldwide trends in green building have developed. He also shares his tips for self build success as well as some pitfalls to avoid.

HPH034 : Balancing Environmental Design and Low Energy Design - with Wilf Meynell

October 23, 2013 09:40 - 26 minutes - 25.9 MB

Architectural designer Wilf Meynell explains the concept of environmental design and why it is not the same thing as low energy design. He also shares how he has tried to balance these two approaches in one of his upcoming projects, Springfield House.

HPH033 : Are Conservation Techniques Becoming More Energy Efficient? with Douglas Kent from SPAB

October 09, 2013 10:56 - 26 minutes - 25.8 MB

Douglas Kent from The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings explains how to look after period properties and what advances are being made with conservation techniques in order to achieve greater energy efficiency.

HPH032 : Insulating a Period Property - with Tim Hulse from Ecovert Solutions

September 25, 2013 16:11 - 33 minutes - 32.6 MB

Tim Hulse from EcoVert Solutions explains what insulation is and why there are often trade-offs to be made when selecting insulation.

HPH031 : Is There an Optimum Housing Density When We Consider Sustainability? With Graham Towers

September 10, 2013 14:54 - 28 minutes - 28.1 MB

Architect, planner and author Graham Towers explains the fundamentals of housing density and why we really need to get it right in future developments.

HPH030 : How Do You Specify Sustainable Materials? - with Mark Wilson from BuildingDesignExpert.com

August 27, 2013 15:53 - 28 minutes - 27.4 MB

Mark Wilson from BuildingDesignExpert.com shares why he believes there is no such thing as a sustainable material and why it is our environment we are really hoping to sustain.

HPH029 : The Benefits of Scaling Down Your Build - with Sarah Susanka, Author of The Not So Big House

August 12, 2013 16:59 - 30 minutes - 29.4 MB

Architect and author Sarah Susanka shares why scale is such an important aspect to consider when building a house. She also explains how a 'not so big' philosophy can be applied in many areas of our lives.

HPH028 : How Cohousing Helps Build a Community - with Mark Westcombe from Lancaster Cohousing

July 29, 2013 11:06 - 34 minutes - 33.1 MB

Mark Westcombe, one of the founding members of Lancaster Cohousing, explains the cohousing concept and why creating an intentional community like this has many benefits.

HPH027 : Does Hiring a Project Manager Save Money? - with Mike Jacob from Trunk Low Energy Building

July 17, 2013 13:04 - 28 minutes - 27.4 MB

Mike Jacob from Trunk Low Energy Building provides an insight into the benefits of hiring a project manager for a house build. Also Ben Adam-Smith reflects on the UK Passivhaus Awards 2013.

HPH026 : Achieving Airtightness in Low Energy Buildings - with Paul Jennings from Aldas

July 03, 2013 10:59 - 26 minutes - 26.2 MB

Paul Jennings from Aldas explains why airtightness is an important factor to grasp when constructing an energy efficient home. He also shares how forward planning, attention to detail and teamwork are imperative for achieving good airtightness results.

HPH025 : The Myths of Passivhaus (Passive House) - with Elrond Burrell from Architype

June 12, 2013 17:25 - 34 minutes - 33 MB

Elrond Burrell from Architype helps bust some of the common myths that surround the Passivhaus standard.

HPH024 : Designing Buildings That Are Radically Sustainable Yet Elegantly Simple - with Jonathan Hines from Architype

June 03, 2013 13:31 - 23 minutes - 23.1 MB

Jonathan Hines from Architype explains the concept of eco-minimalism and also the very different approach that guides them as a business. We discover how this design philosophy has helped shape an exciting new scheme of 150 Passivhaus homes for the village of Kingstone, Herefordshire. One the day this podcast was published the development - in conjunction with ArchiHaus - was granted planning approval! N.B. Our interview with Jonathan was recorded on 20th March 2013.

HPH023 : A Cottage Built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) - with Kingsley Barraclough (Client Case Study)

May 20, 2013 20:00 - 29 minutes - 30.7 MB

Kingsley Barraclough shares his experience of building a house and explains why he decided to use structural insulated panels (SIPs).

HPH022 : Why Build a House with Straw Bales? - with Mark Saich from Green Building Solutions

May 04, 2013 14:38 - 25 minutes - 24.1 MB

Mark Saich from Green Building Solutions gives an insight into why straw bale building is becoming popular. He also addresses some of the issues that we may harbour around the safety and durability of this low impact and low carbon material.

HPH021 : Creating Healthier Homes For New Zealand - with Matthew Cutler-Welsh from Home Style Green

April 11, 2013 09:52 - 26 minutes - 24.8 MB

Matthew Cutler-Welsh from Home Style Green explains some of the challenges of creating sustainable urban systems. He also shares his goals as a podcaster, including championing healthier, better homes for New Zealand.

HPH020 : An Introduction to Ventilation in The Home - with Andy Simmonds from Simmonds Mills Architects

April 05, 2013 13:42 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB

Andy Simmonds from Simmonds Mills Architects explains ventilation in the home, why it's important and what the options are if you're looking to retrofit a property for energy efficiency.

HPH019 : How Does Self Build in the UK Compare to Germany? with Mark Brinkley, Author of The Housebuilder's Bible

March 23, 2013 13:12 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB

Mark Brinkley considers why the UK has the smallest proportion of self build across Europe and what changes might need to occur if we wanted to adjust the balance. Mark shares why Germany's system is more likely to lead to higher standards and communities that embrace development.

HPH018 : Ecobuild 2013

March 13, 2013 12:25 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MB

London's Ecobuild has just concluded for another year and Ben Adam-Smith shares his experience of the event. In this episode he chats to four people he met there - Janet Cotterell from Passivhaus Homes, Jon Bootland from the Passivhaus Trust, Jo Gooding from the UK Cohousing Network and Robert Stern from Litmus Films.

HPH017 : Can a Ground Source Heat Pump Make an Old House Energy Efficient? with Justin Broadbent from ISO Energy

February 26, 2013 11:24 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MB

Justin Broadbent from isoenergy explains what a ground source heat pump is and how it could be used as a solution to make a period property energy efficient.

HPH016 : Finding The Balance Between Heritage and Sustainable Design

February 20, 2013 18:04 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB

What's more important - preserving heritage architecture or retrofitting it to high energy efficiency? In our first forum on a Google+ Hangout we discuss some of the issues. The Panel Writer and blogger Roger Hunt (who appeared in our 10th podcast) Writer and Passivhaus consultant Adam Dadeby from Passivhaus Homes (who appeared in our 5th podcast) Homeowner Ross Atkin (who has recently retrofitted his Victorian house)

HPH015 : How Content Marketing Could Help to Promote Positive Actions Against Climate Change

February 12, 2013 12:25 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MB

Ben Adam-Smith shares an idea he has about using the Internet to communicate the need for incremental lifestyle change as an action to combat climate change. This one-off episode focusses on how you could use content marketing to get your message across. Cesar Abeid from The Construction Industry Podcast is Ben's guest and helps explain how content marketing works.

HPH014 : Low Energy Barn Conversions - with Bill Butcher from Green Building Store

January 29, 2013 13:42 - 30 minutes - 28.4 MB

Bill Butcher from Green Building Store shares his approach to creating a low energy barn conversion by building a box within a box. Stirley Community Farm will meet the EnerPHit standard.

HPH013 : What Preparation is Necessary Before Building a House? - with Jason and Lucy Reeve (Client Case Study)

January 16, 2013 07:27 - 33 minutes - 31.3 MB

Jason and Lucy Reeve share what preparation was necessary to commission their new-build home and Ben Adam-Smith considers what's more important in renovation, preserving the past or creating a sustainable future.

HPH012 : Should You Invest in Renewable Energy? - with Dr Derek Taylor from Altechnica

January 02, 2013 08:36 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MB

Dr Derek Taylor from Altechnica weighs up the pros and cons of various renewable energy sources and shares his thoughts on whether you should be generating at home. He also talks about his role in creating one of the UK's most energy-efficient homes.

HPH011 : Building Houses That Alleviate Fuel Poverty - with Dr Brenda Boardman from the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), Oxford University

December 17, 2012 17:29 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MB

Dr Brenda Boardman reflects on the world's energy situation, climate change and the growing problem of fuel poverty. She gives practical advice on how this affects building or renovating a property.

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