jonM

Modelling the performance of the house whilst it is still a drawing and easy to change, together with insulation, air-tightness and MVHR will go a long way to producing a comfortable house to live in. Keep things as simple as possible and bear in mind that anything Technology related is likely to dated in 5 yrs and obsolete in 10 years. Have a clear understanding of what your house requirements and budget are before you start.

Hi all, I self build 20 years ago in Milton Keynes in the glorious days when the Commission for New Towns were knocking out building plots left, right and centre. The house has been a great family home but having read about Passivhaus and visited one, I know have itchy feet to build a Passivhaus all over again in a more rural setting. Following up on a couple of leads at the moment but realise this is going to be a long game. The forum is a great source of information and inspiration particularly as the building technology has moved on so much since I last self built.

A very interesting and thought provoking thread. I think a lot of it comes down to a business culture in the UK that is not prepared to invest in training and are unwilling to move on from legacy methods. It is I guess one of the reasons why the UK companies have some of the longest working hours but lowest productivity. Where we are competing internationally, British owned companies end up becoming niche players with the car industry being a case in point. The house-building industry is however dominated by domestic companies, so they just carry on doing what they have always done. A good quality home seems to be as much about good design and attention to detail and I feel sure that if the volume house-builders put the same effort in these areas as they do in marketing, they could make significant improvements in quality and use their scale to minimise any additional costs.