House Planning Help Podcast

In 2012 Cambridge City Council advertised for potential members for a new cohousing scheme on a plot of land within an existing development. Chris Wilson was struck by the idea of building a consensus based community and is now Chair of the K1 cohousing group. He talks to us about the processes they have gone through to get the scheme to its current stage. Check out the show notes for more information.

Helen Brown heads up the building physics department at Encraft. Her main area of interest is in low energy construction in new build housing, with a particular focus on Passivhaus. Based on various research and monitoring methods she is able to explain the differences between actual energy consumption compared with their designed intent.   Check out the show notes for more information.

Ben Adam-Smith, self build expert, outlines 5 strategies for taking your land search into your own hands, including spreading the word to friends and family, utilizing social media, and seeking out connectors. They discuss the process of designing and printing flyers to target specific areas for land acquisition and explore different strategies for finding and purchasing land, such as checking notice boards and contacting big landowners. They also touch on the concept of sweat equity in self-building and introduce a quarterly progress call for community members.

Simon Sturgis has been studying carbon emissions in the building industry for the last 8 or 9 years. He uses his experience to look at the scenarios of when it might be best to demolish and rebuild, or whether retrofit might be a better option. He also explains how new buildings should be created with their ‘circular economy’ in mind.   Check out the show notes for more information.

Andrew Michler has been living off grid in the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over 20 years. He has had a long interest in sustainable design and as well as completing a book about how sustainable architecture around the world responds to its conditions, he has also created Colorado’s first certified Passivhaus home. Check out the show notes for more information.

Potton have a history of serving the self build market and are currently building a Passivhaus show home. They are making the details of the build available through their Self Build Live events and are running courses through their Self Build Academy to help people through the self build journey. Paul Newman explains why they’re doing this, and also what lessons they’ve learned from the construction of their Passivhaus show house. Check out the show notes for more information.

Like Ben Adam-Smith, Michelle is a podcaster who is keen to build her own home and is sharing the information she learns along the way with her audience. In this episode she and Ben discuss how some of the challenges of the self build market compare in the UK and the US, and also some of the best things about their respective housing industries. Check out the show notes for more information.

With Ben Adam-Smith struggling to find a plot of land in his town, he has decided to try a new approach and dedicate a full day trying to tap in to local knowledge. He shares the tips he was given and concludes with how successful his day was in progressing his self build plans. Check out the show notes for more information.

Together with her team at Passivhaus Homes, Janet Cotterell has been developing their PH15 system for building houses to Passivhaus standard. She explains the differences between kit and system approaches and why there should be more available on the UK market. Check out the show notes for more information.

Thomas Honour is a mortgage adviser for BuildStore, who are mortgage brokers specialising in projects such as self builds. Self build mortgages differ from traditional ones, and Thomas explains some of the products available and what you are likely to need to secure finance for your project. Check out the show notes for more information.