Sustainable Design

Only a short time ago, sustainable living or eco friendly construction was something that applied to a monority of individuals whom at best were more often than not accused of being 'tree huggers'.

Today, things have changed significantly, and it is more unusual not to be asked when designing to include some form of sustainable and energy saving elements to a project. We have extensive knowledge of mainstream, modern, environmentally responsible options when it comes to designing a home or commercial property.

Like everything in life, it is all about choices. That's where we can help you to make the right decisions for you, within your budget. Making the right choice now, can save you money in the long run with cheaper running costs and if you help to save the planets resources at the same time – great!

Here's our Top 10 Points for today's Sustainable Home ;

01Passive Solar Design – make the most of the sun to heat your home during the winter, provide you with shade to keep your home cool in the summer.

02High Levels of Insulation – Preferably using a natural product such as sheep's wool, or recycled paper.

03Double Glazed windows – now a requirement and if renovating we always recommend.

04Water Efficient - Rainwater tanks for watering the garden. Water efficient toilets and showers. Greywater recycling systems.

05Energy Efficient lighting plans.

06Timber framed buildings, preferably using well managed NZ grown timber.

07Heat Recovery Systems – ground source heat pumps, solar panels for hot water.

08Wood fire with wet back heating system.

09New paint technologies such as Resene CoolColour avoid too much heat absorbtion on roofs during the summer.

10Have a veggie box in your garden and grow your own!