Author: Matthew Cutler-Welsh
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How to Reduce Mould in the Home
Mould Mould comes from fungi naturally occurring in the air. Fungi can be our friends. It includes mushrooms and the yeasts we use for making bread. But mould in our homes makes us sick. Just like activating yeast, fungi needs a food source and moisture to grow. This a clue as to how we can…
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168: When is it Okay to Have a Hole in your Roof?
A roof window might be an okay hole to have in your roof. Marc Van de Loo is a Sales Manager at VELUX New Zealand. I chatted with Marc about why you’d ever want a hole in your roof. We also discussed how a roof window can improve comfort without impacting energy efficiency. Windows are…
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Your House is Probably a Prototype
What does a new house in a subdivision, and a test car on a racetrack have in common? They’re both prototypes One of them goes through lots of iterations to discover imperfections and a whole team of designers and specialists work together to get it right before it’s finally made available to purchase. …The other…
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Health and Safety at Home
Most people think that occupational health and safety is a bit over-the-top in the workplace, with so many rules, policies and procedures, yet most homes go the other way and are very unsafe. Last year, over 45% of the total ACC claims were for injuries and accidents at home, costing New Zealand a staggering $950m. There…
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167: Should I buy this house?
A building surveyor is trained to investigate potential issues and provide a prioritised list of maintenance for a building as part of pre-purchase inspection. When looking to buy a property, don’t take the real estate agent’s word for it. Find your own, reputable building surveyor to get an honest assessment of the building. You’ll still…
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Why I Bought an SUV
Technically, I didn’t purchase my new SUV. It’s a work vehicle. But I did get to choose the make and model, and I’m still slightly surprised as to why I selected an SUV. How did my search for the best electric vehicle come to this? I’d always considered ‘sport utility vehicles’ as the worst environmental…
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Eco Designer Advisor Conference 2017
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in Blog, Design, Draughts, Health, Heating, Housing, Industry, Insulation, Prefab, Renovating, Society, Sustainability, VentilationPrefabrication, high performance homes, indoor air quality, Homestar, sustainable concrete and airtightness are just some of the topics presented at this year’s Eco Design Advisor (EDA) Conference in Wellington, May 1st – 2nd. Some fortuitous free time allowed me to attend this small conference once again. And once again, I was impressed. Eco Design Advisors…
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Earth Day 2017
April 22nd is Earth Day and Earth Day 2017 seems like a very appropriate day to start writing on Home Style Green again. I’ve been away from writing and podcasting for a little while. I’ve been working full time in the construction and building industry, and the experience of the commercial realities of traditional business has…
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Sustainable Building Against Climate Change
Stemming the Tide – Sustainable Building Against Climate Change Sustainable building is the key to ensuring that America’s cities are prepared for the future. In an article on the top climate change news of 2016, The New York Times stated that this year was following the trends of previous years. The world was getting warmer…
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12 Steps to Planning a Dream Bathroom
When you’ve designed more than 200 bathrooms, you know a thing or two about the ins and outs of layout, fittings and features. Interior designer Sam Elliot works at Box Living, a combined design, architecture, and construction company, and is adept at fitting oodles of convenience into a compact floor plan. Sam teams practical thinking…