Top award for an exceptional builder
David Ellis and his team at DLE Construction won an award for constructing this fabulous eco home in Yorkshire while battling issues caused by the pandemic. Sharon Dale reports.
THE building trade has more than its fair share of rogue operators and it is they who generally generate bad publicity that unfairly tarnishes the rest of the industry. That’s just one of the reasons why the Federation of Master Builders holds its annual national awards to give Britain’s best small to mediumsize builders the credit they deserve and they don’t come better than Halifax-based family firm DLE Construction, founded and headed by David Ellis over 25 years ago.
DLE has just won the 2023 National Master Builder Awards Sustainability Award sponsored by Jewson and Build Aviator for constructing and fitting out a superb eco-friendly family home that has a rare EPC A rating for energy efficiency. The qualityoftheirwork,their resourcefulness in getting the job done on budget and on time during lockdowns and against the challenges imposed by the pandemic impressed the judges.
The award-winning project began when Justine Ginley and her husband James, technical director of e.surv chartered surveyors, found a building plot in Halifax. Justine, who is from Belgium, says: “It’s quite common in Belgium to build your own house and it was a dream of mine to do that.”
The plot they found had outline planning permission for a bungalow but they managed to get the go ahead for a four bedroom house as long as it was constructed in traditional stone with a slate roof.
Determined to have an environmentally friendly, highly energy efficient home, they commissioned architect Sam Wilson of Micropolitan Architecture to design the property which they have appropriately christened ‘The Greenhouse’. They were delighted with Sam’s design, which embraces many of the principles of the Passivhaus movement, including an airtight, insulated structure with south-facing windows to make the most of solar heat.
A ground source heat pump, solar photovoltaic panels with battery storage, solar thermal panels for hot water, a mechanical heat recovery and ventilation system, underfloor heating, triple glazed Velfac windows and a rainwater harvesting system were also on the must-have list.
Finding a builder with the skills and desire to build an airtight home and fit the above systems was not easy but DLE stepped up undaunted. Pre-build meetings between the Ginleys, Sam and DLE Construction fine-tuned the design and they were all set to go when the pandemic hit and the first lockdown was announced.
David and his daughter and right hand woman Laura acted quickly.
“We created a small family bubble workforce, moving one of our employees into our house so we could continue to work on the site,” he says. “As the land was isolated from the rest of the community we were able to start the build.”
When it was clear that supply and cost of materials was set to be a major issue, David and Laura again sprang into action. He says: “We knew from local sources that supply chains were starting to collapse and building materials were starting to run out so we bought up everything we needed for the whole build, including all the plaster. That meant that as materials dried up and prices sky-rocketed we were able to start to bring the build out of the ground, with no delays to the schedule and without affecting the budget.”
James and Justine are delighted withtheendresultandoftheirecofriendly, energy generating home that costs very little to run. They say: “From the moment we received planning DLE were involved and helpful with getting the project started. The property design imposed heavy implications on the build but DLE used their skills and the necessary research to accomplish it. They were always on site managing the build, explaining the process and involving us in every aspect.
“Rain and shine they continued with a very difficult construction based upon maximum insulation and managed to foresee and accomplish things we worried would be impossible during the Covid lockdown and they created exactly what we wanted to a high standard and found creative solutions for what we wanted.”
It is not the first time David and his team have won a coveted FMB accolade. They also walked away with an award in 2009 for Best Small Renovation, which included an oak orangerie, handcrafted in their own workshop.
David says: “This is the award to win because going forward to the future, this is the way building is going and we like to be ahead of the game and set the standard for people to follow. Improving sustainability is becoming the new norm in building and we are especially proud that we achieved a double AA rating and have built to Passivhaus standard.”
Brian Berry, FMB chief executive adds: “DLE Construction is setting the standard high. Their delivery of top quality work, while making innovative use of the latest environmentally friendly technology, makes them a prime example of what it means to be a Master Builder.”
However, going forward, finding apprentices to carry on the good work is getting harder. David says: “Young people are encouraged to go to university now rather than learn a trade and so there is massive shortage of apprentices. That needs addressing.”