If you’re not sick of seeing us talk about our house, you can watch another interview that was filmed on the same day as the Renovate or Rebuild interview (see previous post). This one is for a case study on the YourHome website and we talk in a bit more detail about some of theContinue reading “Case Study”
Author Archives: passivenotmassive
As seen on TV
Our (not even) fifteen minutes of fame. Gav and I were delighted to meet the team from Renovate or Rebuild when they interviewed for us a segment in the final episode of Season 1. The new TV show works with home owners who need to decide if they should renovate or rebuild. The team bringContinue reading “As seen on TV”
Artist impression vs reality.
When we purchased our land and the house plans it came with some fancy artists impressions of the final design. We loved them. How did we go with the final outcome?
How compact is compact? And how are we getting away with it?
I’ve posted a lot about the ‘passive’ part of our ‘Passive Not Massive’ moniker, now it’s time to talk about the ‘not massive’ part. Many of our visitors are surprised, that our house isn’t as small as they expected. In the beginning we joked about it being a tiny house, but then we switched toContinue reading “How compact is compact? And how are we getting away with it?”
To certify or not to certify?
We know certification is an essential component of passive house and we fully understand why. We are passionate about passive house (PH), and what it means for a healthy, comfortable, high performing and energy efficient home; however, sadly, our house won’t achieve passive house certification. Why aren’t we going to be certified? A lot ofContinue reading “To certify or not to certify?”
“In by Christmas” doesn’t mean done by Christmas
We were very lucky to be able to move into our new home 4 weeks before Christmas. The holy grail! It prompted many comments of “oh, you’re in by Christmas!”. Although we’re in, we aren’t ready for Kevin McCloud to swing by just yet. There’s still a few things to be done; some cosmetic, someContinue reading ““In by Christmas” doesn’t mean done by Christmas”
Building site bin chickens
Building a house is expensive, building a passive house possibly even more so (even if it is compact). We’ve made every attempt to reduce costs where possible. One place we’ve attempted to save money is in waste removal, rather than have it included in the building contract we agreed to keep the site tidy andContinue reading “Building site bin chickens”
Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV).
The passive house pillar that raises the most eyebrows is probably the HRV system, the heat recovery ventilation system. It’s needed due to the house being super airtight (thanks to the membrane and double glazed windows) meaning we need a system to ensure fresh air inside the house. The HRV will swap fresh air fromContinue reading “Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV).”
Getting clear on windows
It’s been an exciting two weeks with the window installation making our house feel more like a home. Thermally broken double (or sometimes triple) glazed windows are the third pillar of passive house currently being incorporated into our house. Window selection and installation in passive house combines consideration of thermal properties and air tightness. TheContinue reading “Getting clear on windows”
It’s gotta be tight. Airtight!
The next passive house principle being realised in our house is airtightness. Say whaaaat? Or at least that is the reaction we get when we tell people we need to make the house airtight. People often think it is a given, but it’s not. When we say airtight, we mean Tupperware-tight! Airtightness is important toContinue reading “It’s gotta be tight. Airtight!”
Passive Not Massive 