Author: Matthew Cutler-Welsh
-
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…
-
Eco Designer Advisor Conference 2017
—
by
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
5 Hidden Invaders in Your Home – Monitor and Keep Them Out!
A few episodes, I was privileged to have Caroline Blazovsky, the Healthy Home Expert, on the show. Caroline has kindly followed up with this list of top 5 hidden home invaders and some handy hints about what to do about them using a Canary.
-
166: How to Upgrade Your Thermal Envelope Above the Building Code
When you’re designing a new home, or getting one built, you should invest as much as you can to upgrade the thermal envelope. Put in as much insulation as you can, and invest in the best windows you can afford. In this episode, I walk through the minimum requirements of the New Zealand building code…
-
165: NZ Builders
I usually interview designers and builders about what’s going on overseas, with a focus on what the New Zealand industry could learn from them. In this episode, I speak with Damon Gray and Andrew Chapman of NZ Builders. They’ve turned this idea on it’s head and have taken some NZ techniques to British Columbia, with…
-
164: Nook Low Energy Homes
I love it when I find new companies that are looking at the design and building process a bit differently and who want to provide healthy, energy efficient homes. That’s what Nook is all about – low energy homes. I caught up with their designer, Warren Clarke recently and asked him why he does what…
-
163: The Facts About Airtightness
Walls (and roofs and floors) of buildings have become complicated. As we’ve increased the level of insulation, we’ve created some new problems, like condensation. This has been aggravated by the addition of layers into the wall that reduce air movement. So how do you create a wall that keeps you warm but will also stay dry? I…