Building A Passive House

Back in December 2021, we demolished our house in preparation for building a new one.

Three months into the build and a lot have happened.

After clearing all the debris we used an alternative to concrete stumps, Mega Anchors.

People have asked us why we haven’t gone concrete. Simply put, concrete is not a sustainable material. Mega Anchors are a great alternative for stumping a house.

Another question we get asked is why is the house orientated this particular way (true north).

It’s for multiple reasons.

1. The size of our block is an odd shape
2. Placing the house in this manner not only utilises the shape of the block, but it means that the house faces true north.
3. Why True North? Because then we get the most direct sunlight all year round.

Once the bearers were in place, we could begin the laying of the structural insulated panels (aka SIPS).

The easiest way to describe the house built to people is that the SIPS acts similarly to LEGO. They click together to create a space.

What are SIPS I hear you ask?

SIPS are an alternative way to the traditional timber frame. They consist of two outer layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB) sandwiched around an Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) core.

Essentially we are building an Esky (cooler box or icebox).

Not only will our house be extremely insulated, but it also means that it constructs incredibly quickly.

The latest space we have been working on is the loft. Which is going to be a great retreat for the kids.

In the next few weeks, the SIP roof panels will go on.

Once that is completed we will be able to do the (roof) plumbing.

Then the windows, to get it to lock up!

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