Larch House Wales and the UKs First Certified Zero Carbon Home
I remember the first time I heard about a truly zero carbon house in the UK. This was back in 2010, and honestly, I thought it was marketing nonsense. Zero…
The 10 Best Off Grid and Self Sufficient Homes You Can Learn From
# The Definitive Ranking: Britain’s Most Important Off-Grid Projects and What They Actually Achieved Right, so we finally sat down and hashed this out. Took us three sessions, several heated…
Earthship Biotecture Taos and How Mike Reynolds Built Homes From Rubbish
I’ve been fascinated by off-grid living for about as long as I’ve been trying to make my own place more sustainable, and honestly, nothing prepared me for my first visit…
The Real Cost of a Green Roof vs a Standard Roof Over 20 Years
# The Real Cost of a Green Roof vs a Standard Roof Over 20 Years I’ll be honest with you – I spent about three years going back and forth…
How Long Does a Passive House Take to Build Compared to a Standard Home
# How Long Does a Passive House Take to Build Compared to a Standard Home Building a Passivhaus doesn’t just mean thicker insulation and triple-glazed windows. It means accepting that…
Why Recycled Steel Is One of the Most Sustainable Structural Materials
# Why Recycled Steel Is One of the Most Sustainable Structural Materials I’ve been in countless meetings where the architect presents their “sustainable” design featuring timber from questionable sources, exotic…
Rammed Earth Walls and the Ancient Technique Making a Comeback
I first encountered rammed earth walls on a project in Devon three years ago. The client had this gorgeous 18th century cottage with a crumbling stone extension that needed replacing,…
What Building Regulations Apply to Straw Bale Construction in the UK
# What Building Regulations Apply to Straw Bale Construction in the UK I’ll be honest, when I first started looking into straw bale construction about eight years ago, I assumed…
How Mycelium Insulation Is Grown From Mushrooms Not Manufactured
I bought my first house in 2004 and immediately started ripping out walls to add proper insulation. Standard stuff, you know? Fibreglass rolls, rigid foam boards, the usual suspects. Spent…
How to Design a Biophilic Home on Any Budget
# How to Design a Biophilic Home on Any Budget ## TL;DR: Start Here > **Three foundational steps to get started:** > 1. **Maximise your natural light** by cleaning windows,…