Couple open up on new eco-friendly home
A Timaru couple is opening up their new eco-friendly home to the public today before they settle in.
‘‘It’s been a long time coming,’’ designer Dr Matt Savage said. ‘‘We’re very happy with it.’’ Savage and his wife, Sarah, have spent about four years researching and designing the house and eight to nine months building it.
‘‘Since we’ve done it, there’s no point in other people reinventing the wheel,’’ Savage said.
Savage, a doctor of environmental engineering, has a history of designing environmental systems for big companies and received his doctorate while working for a manufacturing company in Timaru.
Sarah’s experience included designing a house for her parents when they relocated to Timaru after their home was destroyed during the Christchurch earthquake.
‘‘That house incorporated a basic level of environmental design,’’ Savage said.
‘‘For our own house we went a bit crazy.’’
Savage said the main reason for the project was a desire to lower his effect on the environment.
‘‘We’d like to show how things can be done better.
‘‘It would be one thing to build a house for ourselves but an open home enables us to make an even bigger impact.’’
Some of their friends already had similar projects in the works and he hoped to introduce more people to the idea today.
The benefits of the new home included reducing electricity and heating use.
‘‘The health of us and our children was another major factor.’’
Culture, climate, and the age of homes in South Canterbury meant they were often damp and susceptible to mould, contributing to a high rate of asthma.
Savage thought eco-friendly homes should be the standard.
‘‘I think it should be in the building code.’’
Savage said the expense of building an eco-home is only five to 10 per cent more than the average build, and made up for the slight increase in the long-term.
‘‘Anyone who is in the market of building a house can do it.’’
The couple gave the project to a fairly new building company.
‘‘We wanted to show that a regional, provincial builder could do this.
‘‘There was a bit of learning but nothing they couldn’t handle. It will be a lot easier a second time around.’’
He estimated building a similar house would take less than six months.
The couple will be available to answer questions at the open home, 9am-12 noon at 5 Fisher Place in Glenwood.