b'The house may look stunning but as Philip points out, the productsThe exterior of the house is finished in Resene Waterborne Woodsman used are considered mid-range in Europe and America. He estimatesCoolColour stain tinted to Resene Treehouse. Inside, Resene Zylone that to include passive house technologies and products costs justSheen VOC Free paint was chosen for better indoor air quality. 10-15% more than normal. My theory is that if you took 10% offA home ventilation system that is certified for use in a passive home the size of the house, then you could afford to build this way withoutcomes from Europe and is key to providing clean, pollen and dust having to increase your budget.free air and eliminating moisture and odours. It refreshes the air while Or you could just consider the payback on running costs. Despite thekeeping the internal temperature stable. 300sq m house having many floor-to-ceiling windows and an open- Keeping the house up off the ground is importantif the ground plan living area with a vaulted ceiling, the winter electricity bills aretemperature is 15OC and you want the inside of the house to be just $60 a month. There are no heating appliances in the house and20OC, youre effectively heating up the ground as well. The houses its design keeps the house at a comfortable 20OC all year round. concrete foundations and floor slab are therefore isolated from the Says Philip: We can get away with these big windows and largeground by continuous insulation made of high-density polystyrene. spaces here in Auckland but you might have to rethink the design ifThe beauty about passive house principles is that they can be applied you lived in Christchurch, for example. to any house designbe it a bespoke designer home like the Ivaniers The large sliding doors that face north and lead off the main livingor a modest off-the-shelf cottage. The couples dream is to influence area close with an airtight locking mechanism so that no warmthcentral government to use passive home principles in new social escapes. Some of the windows open inwards rather than out withhousing to not only reduce running costs for low-income occupants side hinges, but then also tilt from top to bottom for ventilationbut to keep their families healthy. and security. In summer, external electronic shutters glide across the windows to block the suns heat. The cladding is multi-layered including two air cavities, insulation, thewordsSharon Neweyexternal cedar weatherboard and an eco-ply with bracing properties.picturesMark Heasliprenovate the right wayThis popular five-part series details everything you need to renovate houses fromdifferenteras.Eachpublicationcontainscleardiagrams,detailsof construction materials used and modifications made.Purchase today from www.branz.co.nz or call 0800 80 80 85 (press 2).www.renovate.org.nz'