House Planning Help Podcast

Until fairly recently Paul Buckingham was carrying out airtightness tests on volume built houses. He explains how his role was to make the house pass the test, not about making the house energy efficient. Check out the show notes for more information.

Dean Scott and his wife Hannah have never found anywhere they liked enough to buy and have long had a dream to self build instead. With the release of plots at the Graven Hill development in Oxfordshire, they are now looking to start the process and get building! Check out the show notes for more information.

As part of Ben Adam-Smith's video work, podcasts and meeting with other self builders, he is often asked questions about the Passivhaus standard that he doesn't know how to answer. He recently took the opportunity to put those questions to Elrond Burrell, as well as finding out about Elrond’s future plans as he gets ready to move back to New Zealand.  Check out the show notes for more information.

It can be difficult to know who to approach at your local authority, other than the planning department, if you’re looking to self build. And if you get a knockback where do you take it from there? Emma Osmundsen from Exeter City Council explains who you should be talking to and how working co-operatively and collaboratively could help with your plans to self build. Check out the show notes for more information.

Building a 94m² Passivhaus with no south-facing glazing, on an infill plot in a conservation area posed many challenges! However architect Bernard Tulken’s Lansdowne Drive Passivhaus won a 2016 UK Passivhaus Trust Award. In this case study he talks us through the constraints and decision making involved. Check out the show notes for more information.

Three self builders explain their next steps after struggling to find land upon which to build their new homes. Check out the show notes for more information.

Ben Adam-Smith reviews the key decisions that may have led to failing to build an energy-efficient home within his desired 4-year timeframe. Check out the show notes for more information.

Marine Sanchez is a building physics engineer and a Passivhaus Designer. She helps explain what a Passivhaus Designer does, when you might need one and how they work within a design team. Check out the show notes for more information.

Andrew Collinson explains what the role of structural engineer entails. He also runs through his most frequent tasks on housing projects, outlines how he might interact within a team and gives tips for how to find good structural engineers. Check out the show notes for more information.

A quantity surveyor can add far more value to a project than just working out how much your project is likely to cost. Jerry Thomas explains the role of a quantity surveyor, when you should employ one and how it could benefit your self build. Check out the show notes for more information.