A reflection on living in a Passivhaus home after five years, discussing the benefits of passive house standards and the importance of experienced team members. Other topics include driveway design, skepticism about recirculating fans, incorporating a light within thermal mass, office storage transformation, unexpected costs during construction, and planning the garden.
The importance of having an experienced team and good communication in achieving a successful self-build project.
The comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor environment benefits of building a house to passive house standards.
Deep dives
Experienced team leads to successful self-build project
The speaker highlights the importance of having an experienced team when undertaking a self-build project. The speaker shares their positive experience with a team of experts who helped deliver their vision and ensured a smooth construction process. Good communication, a clear brief, and the ability to find middle ground with their partner were key factors in the project's success.
Passive house delivers on its promises
The speaker expresses satisfaction with building their house to passive house standards. They attest to the tried and tested nature of passive house principles and emphasize their belief in the comfort, energy efficiency, and overall performance of passive house buildings. The speaker praises the indoor environment, highlighting the elimination of cold spots, consistent temperatures, controlled humidity, and soundproofing as major benefits of passive house design.
Lessons learned and missed opportunities
The speaker reflects on lessons learned during the construction of their passive house. They discuss missed opportunities, such as not installing an air source heat pump and opting for a masonry cavity wall construction instead of a more sustainable timber build system. The speaker also mentions the impact of client intervention on design choices, the need for regular maintenance of the MVHR system, and the challenges and benefits of managing summer comfort and overheating in a passive house.
Miscellaneous observations and considerations
The speaker shares a series of miscellaneous observations and considerations from their experience living in a passive house. They mention issues with door and window functionality, the impact of client decisions on future needs, the advantages of having a designated storage room, the importance of researching garden costs, and the need for continuous learning and improvement in passive house design and technology.