The Build
The Build Philosophy
The best building in the world is just a box full of uncomfortable people until you can control the environment! Without effective building services to condition the space to a habitable state of warm or cool, light or shade, airflow etc., it’s no better than a cave ...more
The Structure
Foundations: The bungalow was built on piles which went 12m into the ground. I did a lot of research to try and find the right company to do the job. We wanted a fixed price as there are so many uncertainties underground and, before you know it, the costs can spiral out of control ...more
The Heating and Cooling
"Heating and Cooling" should probably be combined with lighting and ventillation and thrown under some other banner heading, like "environment management" or "living space control". Basically, the best building in the world is nothing more than a cave - and a dark one at that - unless you can manipulate the environment to make it more comfortable to be in ...more
The Internal details
some content here ...more
Home automation
This is one aspect of the build that deserves detailed treatment - which we just don't have the time for now - so please be patient and check back for the full story. Basically the intent is to automate as many aspects of the building as reasonably practical, within budget and timeframe constraints ...more
Lighting
Lighting - one of the greatest consumers of energy - is so important to the look and feel of the building. It needs to provide for the essential requirements, like finding the door handle in the dark and being able to see to read a book. But, it has the potential to be and do, so much more ...more