Get It Right With Undercover Architect

Is Passive House necessary in Australia? This is a question many ask, because they believe our climate is too mild to necessitate the Passive House approach. Yet, Clare Parry disagrees. She is a Director and Principal at Grun Consulting, and is a Certified Passive House Certifier and Trainer. Clare was also one of the founding members of the Australian Passive House Association. Its vision is to lead change by educating, promoting, and supporting the delivery of Certified Passive House buildings in Australia. Clare is the Certifier for the Owl Woods Passive House project - so it’ll be her job to provide the tick of approval that everyone else has done their jobs, and the home can actually be certified as a Passive House. Clare however, fulfills many roles when it comes to sustainable design in Australia, and whenever I researched or talked about Passive House - it was Clare Parry’s name that came up. I’m really excited you’re going to meet her through this episode, and hear about her e

How do you build a Passive House? The construction of a Passive House requires specific processes and knowledge. Learn what it takes to build the Owl Woods Passive House Project in my interview with Stuart Lee. SHOW NOTES: In this episode, we meet Stuart Lee of Craftsmen Quality Builders. Stuart is the builder for the Owl Woods Passive House, and if you listened to my interview with David Rhind, the client and owner, you may recall that it was when they met Stuart, that they got interested in making this home a Passive House, and dived into this whole process. Stuart is a fantastic advocate for the building industry, as he really demonstrates what quality building, client collaboration and teamwork looks like. Even if you don’t want to build or renovate a Passive House, I really encourage you to listen to this episode and learn what to look for when choosing your own builder. Stuart provides some great advice to support you in your selection. Introducing Stuart Lee, Craftsmen Quality Builders Stuart is

So you want to build or renovate a Passive House? Your specialist team may need to include a Certified Passive House Consultant to help test and measure your Passive House design. Let me introduce to you Luc Plowman, of Detail Green. Luc is a Passive House Certified Consultant and Certifier. In fact, he’s only one of 2 Passive House certified building certifiers in the country, and there’s only about 50 world-wide. Luc was brought in on the Owl Woods Passive House project as Talina wasn’t certified yet. He assisted with reviewing and auditing the design, running it through the Passive House modelling tool, and providing feedback and advice on what needed to be included and amended in order for the home to reach required benchmarks. SHOW NOTES: Meet Luc Plowman, from Detail Green. Detail Green has a wealth of building design, engineering, construction and sustainability performance experience.  This includes both local and international projects in residential, commercial, industrial and

Talina Edwards, of Talina Edwards Architecture, is the architect on the Owl Woods Passive House project. This project didn’t start out as a Passive House, and Talina didn’t start the project as a Passive House Certified Designer … but that’s what she is now, and that’s what the house is now. I think you’ll learn a lot from hearing how Talina talks about the process of working with a client, understanding their wants, needs and aspirations for their home and her responsibility in bringing that to life … and how she’s worked collaboratively with the client and other team members to deliver this family their forever home. SHOW NOTES: Let me introduce Talina Edwards to you, and Talina Edwards Architecture. Talina Edwards Architecture: elemental design studio is passionate about creating healthy, beautiful, functional, comfortable and sustainable architecture. The practice has a passion for design that improves people’s lives – for residential, communit

What happens when you decide you want to build your forever family home as a Passive House? This is the story of a homeowner who did just that. I’m really excited to be introducing you to the Owl Woods Passive House Project. SHOW NOTES: The Owl Woods Passive House is a new home being built Victoria. Its design meets the Passive House requirements and will be certified as a Passive House when complete. This home is David and Yvonne’s forever home, and we’re going to hear from David about what their journey has been like as the clients in this project - and the future owners of this home. At the time of recording this, the project was nearing completion, and due to be finished right about now actually!   We’re going to be meeting the whole team over the upcoming episodes, and you’ll get a great insight into this project from various viewpoints. In this episode, David Rhind, the client, tells us what it’s been like to be the client in this project. Everything from how th

What is Passive House? Or Passivhaus (as the Germans say!) Passive House offers an opportunity to create a home that is comfortable, improves your health and well-being, and lowers the energy use of your home. This episode is an introduction to what Passive House is. As a building system, it involves a range of measures to have your home performing the way it needs to, to be deemed a Passive House. SHOW NOTES: What’s Passive House? Well, you may be familiar with it when it’s spelt the German way - Passivehaus. Let me say upfront … Passive House is not to be confused with Passive Design or Passive solar design. Passive House is a specific way of designing and building a new or renovated home so it meets certain requirements that lower its energy use and improves the health and wellbeing for its occupants. It creates energy efficient homes. It gives a system to design, test and audit the home’s performance overall. And I actually think it’s going to get some serious traction in Au

In this episode, I’m going to be sharing with you how to really get yourself ready for your renovation or building project if that’s on the cards for you in 2019. NOW is the time to prepare properly, and so I want to help you get really well set up for a successful project so you can save time, money and stress, and get it right in your future home. Sound good? So, let’s dive in. SHOW NOTES: In my experience, when homeowners start thinking about building or renovating, this is commonly what they do: they jump online, perhaps set up a Pinterest Board or Houzz Ideabook, and start gathering gorgeous images of kitchens, living rooms, alfresco areas … a lot of aspirational photos of finished projects that look like what they hope they’ll have in their dream home They really do try to nail and define their ‘style’ and put a name on how to describe it … be it Hamptons, or Coastal, or Scandi or something similar They may get a builder around and throw a bunch of idea

Your Reno Roadmap, my renovation and building course and membership can provide the 1:1 support and advice to save you time, money and stress in your project. How would it feel that, as you navigate the journey of building you new home or renovating your existing one … that you had a professional to check in with, get a second opinion from, and ask for advice at each step of the way. Right from figuring out if you can afford what you want to do, to choosing your designer, getting your floor plan and home design right, making budget savings along the way, selecting your materials and fixtures, and then going through the construction of your project. Someone who you could ask all your questions, and get a response, or get a review of your floor plans, or get help with making decisions? And what if that someone was me, on tap, to help guide and support you at a 1:1 level? Well, it’s possible, and that’s what this episode is all about. WANT TO JOIN YOUR RENO ROADMAP? Head here >>> http

Are you starting the build of your new home or renovation soon and worried about it not going well? So many homeowners walk blindly into signing contracts, not realising how significantly they obligate themselves ... in time, money and by law. They don't protect themselves or understand what should happen next. To be frank, it's where things begin to go seriously wrong in projects. This, followed by not having an understanding about the sequence of construction, and working with a builder who doesn’t have systems in place, or shows any accountability to timelines and budget, or keeps communication open and regular … well, it’s not long before things go pear-shaped during the build or your new home or renovation. So, in this episode, I’ll be talking about how to avoid that when overseeing construction of your new home or renovation. WANT TO JOIN MANAGE YOUR BUILD? Head here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/manageyourbuild/ SHOW NOTES: Manage Your Build is a self-study, onli

If you’re a US resident, and planning a remodel or a new home, you might be worried about ... Being taken advantage of because you don't really know what you're doing, or what you might be missing along the way Wasting money and time on design ideas, products and choices you're not sure will work, or that you'll regret Unknowingly choosing a terrible contractor who, in the end, leaves you with a defective house and thousands of dollars out of pocket What if instead, remodeling or building your family home meant ... Finding a reliable, great quality team of professionals who will support and guide you through the whole process and a contractor you trust, who will keep your project on budget and time Being armed with the tools you need to spot red flags before they turn into massive cost and time overruns, or cause big headaches Moving into a beautiful quality home that feels great, and you feel great in - that truly works for you and your family! What if you could actually know, BEFORE you invest tim

Do you want to make low tox choices for your interior finishes and fixtures when renovating or building your family home? Melissa Wittig from Healthy Interiors is a ‘health-focused’ Interior Designer. In this episode, she shares some fantastic knowledge and insight into what you need to know about low tox choices for your home. SHOW NOTES: Melissa has over 15 years industry experience, and her work not only focuses on Interior Design, but also in helping homeowners understand how to make low tox choices that create healthy interiors. And she’ll explain more about what this means in this interview. Melissa’s work and knowledge has been published in various publications including, Sanctuary and House & Garden Magazines. She is also the author of several award recognised design resources including a book called The Smart Living Handbook, which she co-authored with Danielle King - and we’ll be talking more about that book in this episode. So, in this episode, Melissa and I talk a

Want to know whether solar power is worthwhile for your new home or renovation? This is part 2 of an interview with Lucy Best. Listen to last week’s episode for Part 1. SHOW NOTES: In the last episode, Lucy and I began our conversation about solar energy and solar systems for your home. Lucy Best is the Community Engagement Lead for the Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd, and they run a programme called Positive Charge. Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd (MEFL) is an independent not-for-profit organisation. They are dedicated to tackling climate change and committed to accelerating the energy transition by empowering communities to take action. They work hard to ensure communities play a meaningful part in this transition and that no one gets left behind. The MEFL are a trusted educator, partner, advisor and service provider. They see their job is to build partnerships that demonstrate what’s possible; to give the right advice; and make sure people have access to the information and technology they need t

One of the big conversation topics that comes up when talking about how to create a sustainable home is solar energy … and whether it’s worthwhile to install a solar system on your home. And so that’s what this episode - and the next - is all about. What you need to know about solar energy, and how to know a solar system will be worthwhile for your renovation or building project. SHOW NOTES: In this episode, I have the great pleasure of talking with Lucy Best, who is the Community Engagement Lead for the Moreland Energy Foundation Ltd, or MEFL. Lucy started with MEFL as a Community Outreach Worker on the Moreland Solar City Project. As part of this role Lucy worked directly with the community in engagement, education and strategy. Lucy manages community engagement and communications for MEFL including the Positive Charge and Our Energy Future programs, which provide advice on renewable energy and energy efficiency products to community members and councils. I found Positive Charge when I wa

Many homeowners know they want a lot of glass in their homes to enhance that indoor / outdoor connection, bring light and breezes into their home, and help it feel spacious. But do you know you could be making your home completely unsustainable in the process? That’s what this episode will help you avoid. SHOW NOTES: In this episode, I’m interviewing Tracey Gramlick. Tracey is Executive Director and CEO of the Australian Window Association (or AWA). Tracey Gramlick has a background in engineering, a Masters of Business Administration in Technology Management and over 30 years of expertise in various fenestration products and façade design, technical, production, education, materials and marketing roles prior to her current position as Executive Director and CEO of the Australian Window Association. And what’s the AWA? Well, Tracey will tell us more about that - and please make sure you head to the show notes or blog for this episode as the resources we share there will be hugely usefu

So, what is Building Biology? I find many homeowners aren’t aware of this field, and yet it’s been around for a while, and can be a really helpful resource if you’re trying to create a home that supports your health and wellbeing. There is a lot that is do-able in your existing home, new build or renovation, that often doesn’t cost anymore but simply requires some knowledge and desire to put into practice. SHOW NOTES: Narelle McDonald is a certified Building Biologist & Feng Shui Consultant the founder of Healthy Living Spaces, President of the Australian Society of Building Biologists, and advisor for Chemfree Community. Her focus is on environmental health for the home with a special interest in children’s wellbeing. There are many elements in a building that can affect quality of life, physical health and emotional wellbeing. Improving our health in all aspects of our life is important as everything is interrelated. Building Biologists have long been aware of this and cons

When you design your home to suit its climate, you can dramatically impact its long term energy costs. Not only this - achieving a specific level of energy efficiency is actually legislated in a lot of locations, and is required in order to achieve your necessary approvals. So, I’m bringing on an Energy Efficiency Consultant to share some fantastic information with us on this topic. SHOW NOTES: Tori Walker is the Principal Energy Rater at BERA, a company which seeks to “Provide Excellence in Building Energy Ratings and Advice”. She has been involved in the design and renovation of homes for over a decade, and has worked with Building Designers, Architects, Builders and Energy Assessors both privately and professionally during this time. BERA has completed the necessary qualifications and registrations to rate homes in all States of Australia. It’s worth understanding that the systems and requirements can vary across locations, and you need to work with someone certified for your region

Let’s dive into some super simple, impactful wins you can put into action in your project to create your Sustainable Home. These are the types of tips that, if you know them upfront, you can create a design that incorporates them and have it not cost anymore. Now, I have a few tips of my own, and I actually found a great list as well put together by the Department of Public Housing Queensland, called “Ten Tips for Smart and Sustainable Housing” which provides a great framework. So, this episode will be a combination of this information. And in future episodes, we’ll dive into some of these areas in much more detail as well. These 12 tips can be a great guide for where to start when considering how to design a sustainable home. They are: Know how the sun moves and design your home to respond to it. Keep it cool in Summer with shading, and warm in Winter by letting the sun’s warmth inside. Lower your home’s energy use overall through the selections you make and how you desig

Does designing a sustainable home really matter? Can we make that much of a difference with one home renovation or new build? The title of this episode is: terminology, the sustainability minefield, and why should we care? SHOW NOTES: Seriously, when it comes to building or renovating a sustainable home, it gets a whole new level of terminology. I sometimes feel that all this terminology does more to confuse us than help us. As soon as we feel we’ve got a handle on one part of the conversation, someone comes along with another criteria or term for sustainable design, and it unravels our understanding and confidence. I actually think confusion is one of the biggest barriers in homeowners creating sustainable homes, and it’s one of the reasons I’m calling this Season “A Simple Guide to a Sustainable Home”. I will be aiming to keep the information we share simple to understand, and simple to execute as well. This is about giving you the ability to choose in a more informed way - and

We’re kicking off a brand new season. We’re up to Season 8 and this season is called “A Simple Guide to a Sustainable Home”. In it, we’ll be diving into what a sustainable home is how you can achieve sustainability on any budget know-how you need to navigate the minefield of sustainability, and what to consider and target when you’re renovating or building if a sustainable home is something you’re seeking to create. SHOW NOTES: Sustainability and Sustainable design is a BIG topic. It’s a complex topic too … all the definitions, considerations, building science, technology and details … not to mention the greenwashing you need to avoid as well. And so, I’m calling this season “A Simple Guide to a Sustainable Home”. And that’s what I’m aiming to do - keep things simple. This is not only for the greenies and environmentalists in the Undercover Architect audience - this is great knowledge for everyone to access. Because

Want to learn about underfloor heating? This is a topic of much interest in the UA Community. Previously seen as a luxury item only used in high end homes, in recent years it’s become much more prevalent.   There’s still lots of confusion and misconceptions about how it works, where it can be installed and how to get the most from it – whether you’re building or renovating.   SHOW NOTES FOR THIS EPISODE:  In this episode, I’m bringing in an expert … Luke Chant, from Hotwire, who has 15 years industry experience, to help shed some light on how to get it right when it comes to underfloor heating. Luke and I met through a business networking group we’re part of. This is not sponsored content … it’s simply from talking with Luke, and seeing the reputation Hotwire has in the industry, and how many other brands trust them, that made me want to bring him to the UA Community –