A cold, draughty new build was the last straw
Ann and David Tocker moved from a cold, 120-year-old farmhouse to a surprisingly cold, new build. They decided they wanted something better, Joanna Davis writes.
Retirees Ann and David Tocker were used to old, cold houses – they lived for 43 years in a 120-year-old farmhouse . But when their brand-new ‘‘spec’’ home proved to be cold and draughty, they decided they wanted something better.
The Tockers have now moved to their forever home in Lincoln, Canterbury. The house is half Passive House, making it super-energy efficient, and half a regular, if well insulated, new build.
Ann Tocker, 71, says their former 220-square-metre building company home was ‘‘freezing cold in the winter, even with heat pumps on’’, and they also found the heat pumps draughty.
The experience encouraged them to go ahead with their plans to build an energy-efficient home.
David Tocker, 75, says their new home has twice the wall insulation, better flooring (an insulated slab) and three times the standard insulation in the roof required in the Building Code.
‘‘It makes for such a warm house. You just don’t believe how good it is.’’
Passive houses are typically airtight, with mechanical heat recovery ventilation and high specification doors and windows. It means they should stay a comfortable temperature without extra heating or cooling.
Passive heat gain (from sunshine) and loss is controlled through window size and
placement and careful design of the eaves to provide just the right amount of shade without overheating.
But David says they did not want to compromise by having tiny windows in their home.
‘‘Because we live right next to the cycleway, we wanted a good view,’’ he says. ‘‘We wanted normal New Zealand windows, which are big.’’
One of the ways they achieved
this without too much heat gain in summer was through internal blinds.
‘‘We pull them as the sun goes around,’’ Ann says. ‘‘They’re automated roller blinds, so they’re easy to operate.’’
The house is in two parts: The 97-square-metre part, which includes the main bedroom, a spare bedroom (or office), kitchen, bathroom, and living is a full Passive House.
The other wing, at 70 square metres, has a guest bedroom, bathroom, laundry, and internal access to the garage. It is still well insulated but not to the certified Passive standard (which can be expensive).
David says they also ensured the home has features that mean they should be able to stay there as they age.
‘‘We’ve built the house with the idea that this is our last
move,’’ he says. The couple specified wide doorways, no steps, and concrete or decking surrounding the house for easy access.
Ann says they wanted to be able to get around with Zimmer frame or wheelchair if necessary.
The main part of the home passed Passive House
accreditation, which is tested independently. Ann credits the builder, Liam Edwards, from Edwards and Co Builders, for going the extra mile.
Edwards himself says he upskilled in Passive House construction after a client inquiry in 2018.
He says he has priced Passive House builds for other clients, who often end up not wanting to pay the extra 10 to 40 per cent cost.
As a result, he often scales back the extra-energy-efficient features, still building a green home, but not meeting the Passive House certification standard.
‘‘The key element is being able to provide something based on performance rather than aesthetics – to make the house
comfortable and affordable to run.’’
Ann says it was worth it to her and David, who feels the cold, to pay extra for Passive House design and construction. They love living in a home that is constantly at 23 or 24 degrees Celsius.
She says she feels completely happy with the home they have been in since mid-winter 2021.
‘‘Just the other day I was thinking, ‘what would I change?’ And there’s not one thing I’d change. That’s how good it is.’’
Project team
Passive House design: Sustainable Engineering Architecture and Design Workshop Architecture. Builder: Edwards & Co Builders. Certifier: Detail Green