Case Study of Trevor & Mary’s home, with links to many suppliers and contractors used
Meet your hosts, Trevor and Mary
When Trevor and Mary briefed their architects in 2016 they were busy professionals looking to build a flexible and adaptable home that they’d be able to enjoy living in for years to come. In September 2020 they achieved it, after much flexibility on their part, as they adapted their plans in response to planning constraints and delays due to Covid-19 and supply chain issues. Together with their architect, they’ve created a beautiful home, with well-proportioned living spaces, and a wealth of energy saving features. They love their new home, finding it incredibly comfortable and a great space for entertaining and hosting guests.
Trevor says: “We thought that if we were going to build a new home it must be made from the most modern and thermally efficient materials possible. The extra cost of upgrading insulation and paying attention to thermal bridges will save considerable amounts of energy in the future.”
Key Features of this home
Highly airtight (close to Passivhaus standard)
High levels of kingspan insulation throughout
PV panels and battery storage
Air source heat pump
Zoned underfloor heating
Mechanical ventilation & heat recovery (MVHR) system
Velux opening skylights, electrically controlled
Triple-glazed Internorm windows & skylight
RAKO smart lighting system
Wildlife friendly and drought tolerant garden
Trevor’s top tips for being more energy efficient at home
Invest in the performance of the structure. I was disappointed how far behind most of the building trade is in energy efficiency.
Control very, very carefully all the trades wanting to puncture the airtight shell of the house. I minimised this and only had breaches through the plant room and I supervised every hole made and its back filling.
Set up a well thought out paperwork system – you very quickly get inundated with paper and electronic invoices, amendments, drawings and quotes. If you can have a thought through system in place ahead of the project start, you will not regret it.
