

House Planning Help Podcast
Ben Adam-Smith
If you want to build a house, where would you start?
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 8, 2025 • 43min
HPH388: How are building regulations made? – with John Palmer
Having spent the last few years working within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, John Palmer explains how building regulations are made and what their role is within the construction industry. Check out the show notes for more information.

Sep 24, 2025 • 48min
HPH387: How do you make a Victorian terrace home more comfortable? – with Will South
Will South from Etude takes us step-by-step through the retrofit of his Victorian terrace house in Brighton, which has improved the health, comfort and energy efficiency of the property. Check out the show notes for more information.

Sep 10, 2025 • 47min
HPH386: The potential of mycelium-based composites – with Joshua English
Joshua English, co-founder of Okom wrks labs shares his journey into the creation of a mycelium-based composite material, which has structural and load-bearing properties. Check out the show notes for more information.

17 snips
Aug 26, 2025 • 36min
HPH385: A stunning contemporary home on a sloping site – with Kirsty Maguire
Architect Kirsty Maguire takes listeners on her journey of designing a stunning Passivhaus on a steep sloping site in Newport-on-Tay, Scotland. She shares the trials of a 20-year search for the perfect plot and the unique design choices made in response to site challenges. Kirsty discusses construction techniques, including the use of timber framing and innovative insulation, while reflecting on the benefits of living in a Passivhaus. From comfort to community engagement, her insights are invaluable for aspiring self-builders.

Aug 13, 2025 • 57min
HPH384: De-risking a Passivhaus project – with Sally Godber
Sally Godber, a Director at WARM consultancy explains why reducing the risks on her own Passivhaus project was so important, what that entailed and how it enabled her to deliver a healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient home on budget. Check out the show notes for more information.

Jul 30, 2025 • 46min
HPH383: A beginner's guide to creating a comfortable home – with Andy Mitchell
Andy Mitchell, Managing Director of 21 Degrees, explains what factors influence human comfort and how we have tried to make our homes more comfortable through the years. Embracing building physics has been a turning point and while we have the knowledge and skills to create healthy and comfortable homes today, it's still not the default approach. So Andy outlines the options available to get yourself into a better home. Check out the show notes for more information.

Jul 16, 2025 • 51min
HPH382: What is a Principal Designer? – with Ben Nother
Ben Nother, a Director at Hawkland Group, explains the two different roles of Principal Designer in meeting building regulations and addressing CDM health and safety. He also reflects on how this has been integrated into their processes. Check out the show notes for more information.

Jul 2, 2025 • 54min
HPH381: What is Passivhaus Premium? – with Phil Neve
Phil Neve explains what Passivhaus Premium is and why he chose to target the standard for his own self build in Somerset. He also talks through his biggest project challenge, which was obtaining planning permission to build in open countryside. Check out the show notes for more information.

Jun 18, 2025 • 35min
HPH380: What is Passivhaus Plus? – with Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson from AD Practice explains what Passivhaus Plus is, how it differs from Passivhaus Classic accreditation and what benefits achieving the standard will afford. She also reveals why most of her clients target 'Plus' and outlines the steps to achieve this on a project. Check out the show notes for more information.

Jun 4, 2025 • 43min
HPH379: What is inclusive design? – with Stephanie Kyle
Stephanie Kyle from Floyd Slaski Architects explains how we can design for disability, gender, religion, and anything that’s considered a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. She also highlights the biggest challenge of inclusive design which is people’s differing needs, and suggests how we best go about designing spaces. Check out the show notes for more information.