Home Style Green

107 Green Tomato Energy

23 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Green Tomato Energy, based in Hammersmith London, is another example of a company fulfilling a fantastic need. They help people get set up with renewa...

106 How to prevent water damage with Wally

16 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Wally is a wireless water leak detector, and temperature and humidity sensor for your home. As CEO of SNUPI Technologies, Jeremy Jaech told me, this ...

105: What is a Blower Door?

09 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

What is a blower door and why would you want to use one? We've discussed the benefits of airtightness previously. In this episode, we're jumping stra...

104: Architecture in Harmony with the Earth

03 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Net zero homes, tiny Houses, 'Cargotecture', pocket neighbourhoods and straw bale homes. Matthew Swett likes to experiment with design. He's also an i...

103: It's All About Airtightness

24 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Derek Ward's strength is the science that connects good design with good performance. Clioma House specialises in 'airtightness and effective insulati...

102: The Technical Side of Building Green

17 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Matthew Vande and partner Amy Musser created Vandemussser Design to help with 'the technical side of building green'. They found a great problem when...

101: Vernacular Construction with Paul Testa

09 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Testa lives in beautiful Sheffield in the UK. He introduced me to the concept of 'vernacular construction' - designing and building to the local ...

100: 17 ideas about how to make a better place to live

02 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It's episode 100! In this week's special show, I turned the microphone around to hear from past (and future) guests, listeners answering the question ...

99 Prefab, Passive House & Passion!

26 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

As a founding member of PassivHaus Main, I should have guessed that Chris Corson would be pretty passionate about why and how we should build better h...

98 How 475 can help you achieve a high performance home

20 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

So, you've decided you'd like a really good home. One that's comfortable, healthy and energy efficient. That's great, but unfortunately it's not (yet)...

97: Te Huia Sustainable Building with Logs

12 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Three years ago, John Donovan built a demonstration log house on his property in Waitakere. The images in a recent newspaper article caught my att...

96 Back to Earth - From Cob to Phase Change Material with Chris Brookman

21 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Phase change materials and how to add thermal mass to light weight buildings. After learning to build cob houses, Chris Brookman now supplies some ve...

95: Homestar Mandatory Minimums

16 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The Homestar Mandatory minimums are a series of benchmarks that have to be achieved in order to progress up the Homestar scale. They're important beca...

94: AURO Eco Paints

10 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

There are eco labelled paints, and then there are eco paints. What's the difference?

93: Where to Start a Sustainable House

02 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

So, you know you want a sustainable (healthy, efficient, affordable and desirable) home, but where do you start? I've covered the fundamentals  of w...

92: How to get a good home from a group builder

24 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Group or volume builders get a bad rap sometimes for perpetuating bad building practise. But it is possible to get a good home from a group builder. T...

91: Start with Why

17 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Glenn Murdoch was a regular house designer until he watched Simon Sinek's TED talk. Then Glenn asked 'why'? In this week's show we talk Passive House ...

90: Designing Environmentally Functional Homes with Solarei

10 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Duncan Firth feels 'compelled' to do what he does - designing environmentally functional homes. How can architecture truly respond to the environment?

89: How much does Homestar cost?

03 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Homestar is New Zealand's comprehensive environmental rating tool for homes. It's Green Star for the residential sector and is not some crazy Kiwi sta...

88: Homestar, thermal mass, heating & cooling and small, affordable homes

29 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Something a little different this week. I’ve had some excellent questions sitting in my inbox for a while and I thought that many could benefit from...

87: Project Management for Design & Construction

20 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Do you need a professional project manager for either the design stage or the construction stage of your building project? I discuss the basics of goo...

86: Eaves. How big should they be?

14 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Eaves are the classic case of form following function. In this podcast I lay out my three key reasons for having them, but a key question is, 'how big...

85: Sustainability vs Resilience

07 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Resilience and sustainability are different. Sustainability feels more long term to me. It's about using resources wisely with future generations in m...

84: How Design a Good Home - Map, Wrap, Gaps, Taps & Apps

30 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few years, I've developed this model for good home design: Map, wrap, gaps, taps and apps.  Find out more at: http://homestylegreen.co...

83: Leaky Buildings 2.0

23 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us are familiar with leaky buildings - the perfect storm of poor design, poor cladding systems and poor workmanship, culminating in allowing r...

82: Getting Started with Social Media

15 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Natalie Cutler-Welsh spends some of her time helping small business owners who are just getting started with social media. This can be a daunting task...

81: Getting the Right Clients & Designing for a Changing Climate

08 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ian McHugh's specialisations include Code for Sustainable Homes Assessor, and 'Eco-Refurbisher'. I want to know how good designers and architects can ...

80: Why is Earth Building Still Relevant?

01 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What's earth building and why is it just as relevant today as it has been for centuries? Can you get it wet, and can you get a consent for it? These a...

79: Concrete Slab Edge Insulation Update

26 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The BRANZ House Insulation Guide Fifth Edition includes waffle pod slab systems, and a concrete slab edge insulation update. I review the options.

78: How to Design Eco Friendly Homes

18 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Lesley England knows how to design eco friendly homes and importantly for her, she knows how to attract the right clients who want her to design eco f...

77: What are uPVC windows and do they suit our climate?

11 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly is uPVC and is it a good option for window frames? I speak with Oleg Tolmachev of www.warmwindows.co.nz to find out if uPVC windows are a...

76: Building Guide & Design Guide with Mark Graham

05 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Mark experienced his own building project as a client in 2004 and recognised the need for better information. He was handed a copy of the Building Gui...

75: Self-Help Housing with Steve Hoey

28 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What's self-help housing and why is it important? Canopy Housing Project is a self-help housing organisation based in Leeds, U.K., creating decent ho...

74: Ecotech Homes Modular Building Solutions

21 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Would you buy a prefabricated, modular home made in China? Ecotech Homes are versatile, modular housing solutions. I caught up with their Major Proje...

73: Affordable Housing & Prefab with Daiman Otto

13 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

'Affordable housing' is a term that's often misused to describe only the purchase price of a house. But to be truly affordable, the total cost of liv...

72: Green Home Design with Jessica Eyers

08 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica Eyers is a passionate advocate for sustainable, green design. As I discovered during this interview, Jessica is also really interested in the ...

71: Our New Homecoach with Jennifer Crawford

30 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer Crawford used to sell houses, now she helps people to buy the house that they really want. What's the difference? Listen in to find out! If ...

70: Black Pine with Duncan Sinclair

20 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

How to do the type of design work you want, from where you want. Duncan Sinclair is the founder of Black Pine Architects. His practice and his home ar...

69: Box Living with Dan Heyworth

09 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Heyworth is on a mission to improve the range and quality of houses available to New Zealanders.  After returning to New Zealand from UK a few y...

68: Sustainable Home Success Story

21 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

An article about a couple of energy efficient homes in New Zealand caught my attention recently. I decided to look up the owners of one and Ron was v...

67: Nudura Insulated Concrete Forms

16 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Nudura is a brand of Insulated Concrete Forms, which as CEO Murray Snider describes, is like giant Lego blocks. When the polystyrene pieces are slotte...

66: Sustainability Options with Phil Gregg

08 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Sustainability Options is an 'altruistic business'. Find out how they contribute 85% of their profit back to the community, provide free home assessme...

65: The Value of a Home Rating

23 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

In this weeks show, I discuss the evidence that there is monetary value in getting a rating for your home.  References: http://www.usgbc.org/site...

64: 'Co-Housing' Doesn't Mean 'Commune'

09 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘cohousing’. For many, there many be some negative connotations. The reality though is that there are so...

63: Ground Source Heat Pumps with Huw Williams

27 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What other form of heating provides a coefficient of performance, around 5 - 7? That’s the promise, and the reality of ground source heat pump techn...

62: Zero Energy House

19 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

The key characteristics that Jo and Shay were after when they designed and built the Zero Energy House were: Comfort and Health Affordability - of...

61: EcoBuild 2014 & Research from Year 1 with Ben Adam-Smith

12 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Adam-Smith discusses EcoBuild 2014, what makes an energy efficient house, constraints versus compromise, new versus retrofit, why houses don't use...

60: Kaipatiki & EcoFest with Louisa Chase

04 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Louisa Chase is the Project Manager for EcoFest 2014. The festival runs from March 15th through to April 13th and has everything from films, to garden...

59: Starting a Home Renovation with Adrian Feasey

27 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Adrian Feasey is a solar consultant, so he knows a thing or two about energy efficiency. Why then would he purchase a 1960s, weatherboard house with n...

58: Collaborative Construction with James L Salmon

18 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

James L. Salmon is the President of Collaborative Construction, an organisation created to encourage a better way of building. After spending much o...

57: Building a Better New Zealand with Lois Easton

13 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

I caught up this week with Lois Easton from Beacon Pathway. Lois is one of the organisers for the 'Building a Better New Zealand' conference coming up...

56: IDEAL House with Murray Durbin

29 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

What is the IDEAL House, and how will everyone soon be able to see it? I talk with owner, Murray Durbin and he shares his inspiration and discusses so...

55: A DIY Project and Welcome 2014!

18 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

54 Energy Efficient Homes & MagRoc with Dean Buckeridge

20 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Dean Buckeridge has been designing energy efficient, passive solar homes in Christchurch for as long as I’ve can remember. Along with Russell Devlin...

53: Metrapanel with Melissa Savage

06 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What's a fast, inexpensive way to build that can result in high performance homes?  It is of course, prefab. And this week I talk with Melissa Savage...

52: Doubt the Doubts with Paul Blais

30 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What could we learn from a creative entrepreneur who's looking at ways to inspire others to live to their highest potential? No, you haven't tuned int...

51: Who's Going to the Go Green Expo?

08 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Damien Hochberg is the Operations Manager at Go Green Expo. I caught up with him to find out what the Expo's all about, who's exhibiting and who shoul...

50 The Business of Architecture with EntreArchitect Mark R. LePage

03 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Why should all buildings designed for people, be designed by an architect, and how can architects be more influential? Architects, like all building p...

49: How to have no power bills in Christchurch, with Chris McKay

14 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Chris McKay has built what looks like a fairly regular home for his family on the outskirts of Christchurch. Like many residents, they were forced to ...

48: Is it Curtains for Good Quality Homes?

04 Sep 2013

Contributed by Lukas

How important are curtains when it comes to improving the performance of your home?  As Chad Keven from Heavy Duty Curtains explains, it's not just a...

47: Home is Where the Heart is

30 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Home is where the heart is. It's also where our lungs are, where our eyes and ears are, where our whole bodies, and where our minds are. In this week'...

46: How to Measure the Impact of Where Stuff Comes From with eTool

21 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What's the impact of where all the stuff comes from that you use when creating your dream home, and how do you measure it? That's what LCA (life cycle...

45 Houses People Can Afford with Sara Bierre from He Kainga Oranga

12 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities are hosting a launch event on 20th August 2013 in Wellington for the book 'Homes People Can Afford" The book...

44 How to Make Things Better with WikiHouse NZ

07 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Danny Squires and Martin Luff met on Twitter, were inspired by a TEDex video and have since co-founded WikiHouse NZ. With this project, they're settin...

43: Concrete slabs, solar hot water, windows, walls & LED lighting - A listener question

02 Aug 2013

Contributed by Lukas

In this short, sharp episode of Home Style Green, I answer a listener question about insulating the edges of a concrete floor slab, what to do if you...

42: How do you calculate building R value for free?

23 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Design Navigator is a great, online resource for calculating the thermal performance of your house plan. I spoke with developer, Albrecht Stoecklein a...

41. Save Time. Save Money. Save the Planet! Ecodeals with Lisa Madarasz

16 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Madarasz was frustrated by not being able to find good products for her home that were going to be good for her family and good for the planet. (...

40: Building Whisperer, David Bartlett

09 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What's a "Building Whisperer"? David Bartlett leads the IBM’s Smarter Buildings initiative, helping clients create more green, cost-efficient cities...

39: Factory-made houses, with Howard Koenig of ZETA Design + Build

04 Jul 2013

Contributed by Lukas

ZETA Design + Build produce modular buildings inside a factory. I spoke with CEO, Howard Koenig this week to talk about why anyone would want a factor...

38: Buildnz Designex - Highlights from NZ's largest building & construction trade event

26 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

I've just come back from three days at buildnz designex. This week I report back on some of the highlights from the show and some great new products t...

37: Aridon. A brand new kiwi product to keep your home warm and dry

19 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Aridon is a brand new product to keep your house warmer, dryer and to help build it quicker. And it's a Kiwi invention. Sound too good to be true? I s...

36 Whats so special about Vector's Home Solar Power System?.mp3

11 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Vector is the electricity distribution, or the 'lines' company for Auckland. Vector is not an electricity generator (in the traditional sense). Nor ar...

35: Why You Can't Rely on The Building Code

05 Jun 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The New Zealand Building Code is implementation of the Building Act 2004. It's a 'performanced-based' code, but don't let the name fool you. In this e...

34: eHaus the NZ Passive House Experts with Jon Iliffe

28 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Home Style Green is here to help people build homes that are good for people and good for the planet. In episode 30, I spoke with Elrond Burrell and a...

33: The Stretch & Grow House - Phil McLean

21 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

What would you do if you had 6 months to go away and study whatever you wanted?  Phil McLean is a secondary school teacher who's passionate about des...

32 PrefabNZ with CEO Pamela Bell

14 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Prefab, (short for prefabrication), offers significant advantages to buidling. House can be: Higher quality, with improved finishing and attention to...

31: How to store stuff in your roof space with Attic Island

08 May 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Jonny Parker is a Homestar Homecoach, a home assessor at Home&Dry, and also runs Attic Island in Wellington. Listen in to find out what Attic Island i...

30: Is Passivhaus Relevant to New Zealand?

30 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Is it 'Passive House' or 'Passivhaus'? That was one question I put to expat Kiwi, and architect Elrond Burrell. The main question though, is Passivhau...

29: How to Heat Your Water

23 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Hot water is the second largest portion of energy use in New Zealand homes, accounting for around 30% of the average energy bill, that's equivalent to...

28: Ekokit - How to Build an Attractive, Efficient & Affordable Home

17 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

At the Prefab HIVE event a couple of weekends ago, I caught up with Jamie Harrington from Ekokit. I've had the pleasure of assessing some of Jamie's H...

27: House Planning Help with Ben Adam-Smith

09 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

A few weeks ago now, I got up at 5 am to interview Ben, who lives in Hertfordshire in the UK. Ben has a blog and podcast called HousePlanningHelp.com ...

26: Efficient Design and Airtightness - Home Show Highlights Part 2

05 Apr 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of my interviews from the Rebuild and Renovate Christchurch Home Show. This week I catch up again with Bob Burnett. Bob is Homestar trained Arc...

25: Portland, New Riccarton, Lifemark and Double Glazing

26 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Last week I had the priviledge to attend some of the sessions at the Green Property Summit, jointly hosted by NZGBC and the Property Council.  A high...

24 Pollinate Energy - Monique Alfris

20 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Monique Alfris and her team sell solar powered lights to people in India. She does this through an organisation called Pollinate Energy, which Monique...

23: Sian Taylor - Being a Green Architect

14 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Sian Taylor trained to be an architect in Cardiff, Wales. When she arrived here in New Zealand, like many others who have experienced homes in colder ...

22 Rebuild and Renovate Christchurch

07 Mar 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda Magnus is the Exhibition Director for Exhibitions & Events New Zealand, and is responsible for organising the inaugural Rebuild and Renovate Ch...

21 Upcoming Events Red Tape and the Value of Being Green

27 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

I'm a sustainable homes expert and I want to create healthy, efficient homes that don't cost the Earth. This week, I answer a couple of listener quest...

20: How to Insulate a Concrete Floor Slab

22 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Why should you insulate the edges of your concrete slab?  I was amazed when I discovered how much of the heat loss from a concrete floor can occur ou...

19: Riverhead passive solar design house

15 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Ingo Ratsdorf is a registered architect with Babbage Consultants based in Auckland.  Having grown up and been trained in Germany, Ingo is very aware...

18: How to build to Code 4 for the price of Code 3

05 Feb 2013

Contributed by Lukas

How do you build a code 4 house for the price of code 3? And how do you get industry to solve the problem themselves? Richard Buchanan is an Associat...

17 What you need to know about heating

28 Sep 2012

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most common questions I get asked is "what's the best form of heating?" Much to the frustration of most people, I usually answer "it depen...

16 That's not Rubbish!

22 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Throwing food scraps away is something that most of us do, because it's convenient.  But there are so many reasons why throwing nutrients away is a b...

15 Who do you call for free eco advice?

10 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Eion Scott is an Eco Design Advisor with the Auckland Council. Eco Design Advisors around the country offer free, in home, independent advice on how t...

14 What's an architectural designer and do you need one?

02 Aug 2012

Contributed by Lukas

An architectural designer sits somewhere between a draughter and an architect.  Bob Burnett is an experienced architectural designer in Christchurch ...

13 Do you need a ventilation system?

25 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

About 10% of New Zealand homes invest in some form of retrofitted ventilation system. But do you really need one, and if so, what for? In this cast I ...

12 NZGBC Master Class Day

16 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our wrap of the NZGBC event in June.  This week, Verney and I discuss LED lighting, ventilation, 3D thermal modelling in CAD, construction ...

11 Sustainable Housing Summit

08 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

The inaugural Sustainable Housing Summit, hosted by the New Zealand Green Building Council, took place at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre on June 2...

10 Carlin Archer co-founder of Ecobob.co.nz

03 Jul 2012

Contributed by Lukas

I was lucky enough to first meet Carlin Archer in Chrstchurch a few years ago. Carlin was interested in building an 'ecohome', but didn't know the fir...

9 Down To Earth Real Estate

25 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

Barb Cooper is a real estate agent with a difference.  In this interview, Barb shares some of the strategies she uses to build her network and how sh...

8 Introducing Verney Ryan.mp3

10 Jun 2012

Contributed by Lukas

It was my pleasure to interview Verney Ryan this week. Verney has been influential in the field of sustainable building and design bother here in New ...