House Planning Help Podcast

Janna and Seb Laan Lomas explain the ethos behind their self build which blends low energy design and natural building while reducing plastics in the construction and also minimising waste. The level of detail, the decisions made and the careful use of the budget have been instrumental in delivering this fantastic project, which makes a great home for them as well as a site that encourages wildlife. Check out the show notes for more information.

Mark Lynn from Eden Renewable Innovations explains how sheep's wool insulation is made, outlines the pros and cons, and suggests how it is best specified and installed. He also shares some common traits of natural fibre insulation as a category. Check out the show notes for more information.

Mark Doodes from Mark Doodes Planning explains what we mean by applying for planning permission to demolish and rebuild a house, how it is done, what some of the challenges might be and how to do as much as possible to improve your chances of a successful outcome. Check out the show notes for more information.

Dr. James Glockling explains how insurance works and outlines some of the challenges of insuring a natural building. Check out the show notes for more information

Hugh Franklin from Aeroseal UK explains how the airtightness of a building can be improved using a water-based, low VOC atomised polymer which is delivered when the building is pressurised. This simpler approach speeds up the process of air sealing and gives real-time feedback on the airtightness score. Check out the show notes for more information

Elly Deacon Smith and Kirk Rushby from Arbor Architects explain why they consider the embodied carbon of their projects, how they do it and how it is balanced with competing factors. Check out the show notes for more information.

Marion Baeli, author of "Residential Retrofit," offers hands-on experience of designing and retrofitting high performance homes. As well as drawing on her personal retrofit she shares the lessons learnt from revisiting properties that took part in the Retrofit for the Future competition over a decade ago. Check out the show notes for more information.

Jeffrey Hart from the Earthen Floor Company gives us the lowdown on natural earth floors, explaining what the components are, how they are mixed and the process of installing them. He also outlines the benefits and limitations, and highlights what makes them a great choice for an eco home. Check out the show notes for more information.

Ben Adam-Smith shares a few thoughts about what to look for in a plot of land for a low energy house build. Check out the show notes for more information

Es Tresidder from Highland Passive explains what an air-to-air mini split heat pump is, why he believes it's a good choice for heating a high performance home and the various pros and cons of going down this route. He also reflects on one of the toughest stages of his retrofit when they took the roof off the existing dwelling and then faced torrential rain. Check out the show notes for more information.

Having spent the last few years working within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, John Palmer explains how building regulations are made and what their role is within the construction industry. Check out the show notes for more information.

Will South from Etude takes us step-by-step through the retrofit of his Victorian terrace house in Brighton, which has improved the health, comfort and energy efficiency of the property. Check out the show notes for more information.

Joshua English, co-founder of Okom wrks labs shares his journey into the creation of a mycelium-based composite material, which has structural and load-bearing properties. Check out the show notes for more information.

Architect Kirsty Maguire shares her experience of designing and building her own Passivhaus on a challenging sloping site in Newport-on-Tay, Scotland. Check out the show notes for more information.

Sally Godber, a Director at WARM consultancy explains why reducing the risks on her own Passivhaus project was so important, what that entailed and how it enabled her to deliver a healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient home on budget. Check out the show notes for more information.

Andy Mitchell, Managing Director of 21 Degrees, explains what factors influence human comfort and how we have tried to make our homes more comfortable through the years. Embracing building physics has been a turning point and while we have the knowledge and skills to create healthy and comfortable homes today, it's still not the default approach. So Andy outlines the options available to get yourself into a better home. Check out the show notes for more information.

Ben Nother, a Director at Hawkland Group, explains the two different roles of Principal Designer in meeting building regulations and addressing CDM health and safety. He also reflects on how this has been integrated into their processes. Check out the show notes for more information.

Phil Neve explains what Passivhaus Premium is and why he chose to target the standard for his own self build in Somerset. He also talks through his biggest project challenge, which was obtaining planning permission to build in open countryside. Check out the show notes for more information.

Heather Johnson from AD Practice explains what Passivhaus Plus is, how it differs from Passivhaus Classic accreditation and what benefits achieving the standard will afford. She also reveals why most of her clients target 'Plus' and outlines the steps to achieve this on a project. Check out the show notes for more information.

Stephanie Kyle from Floyd Slaski Architects explains how we can design for disability, gender, religion, and anything that's considered a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. She also highlights the biggest challenge of inclusive design which is people's differing needs, and suggests how we best go about designing spaces. Check out the show notes for more information.

Guy Harris from AccessiblePRS explains why accessible housing is important, what the key considerations are and how to deliver it well. He also shares his experience of designing his own house as a wheelchair user. Check out the show notes for more information.

Toby Cambray talks about the experience of working on his own retrofit project, and the lessons learnt in the process. Check out the show notes for more information.

Toby Cambray talks about the risks associated with moisture in buildings, and the modelling techniques – like WUFI® – that can be used to assess those risks. Check out the show notes for more information.

Mike Whitfield shares his experience of running a local construction company that specialises in Passivhaus. He explains how the business is structured, and what tasks are tackled on a daily and weekly basis. Check out the show notes for more information.

Mike Eliason talks about his book, Building for People, and the massive opportunity we have to create better places through being more intentional and thoughtful. Check out the show notes for more information.

Laila Dudhill explains some of the challenges she faced when planning her new build home at the bottom of a sloping field. Not only did she have to deal with drainage across the site, diverting the natural flow of water away from the house, but also come up with a foul drainage strategy that would off-set phosphate discharge into the local watercourses. Check out the show notes for more information.

Katherine Adams and Connie Spoor talk about the circular economy and construction, and practical strategies for making reuse a priority on housing projects and self-builds. Check out the show notes for more information.

Chris Brookman from Back to Earth explains what wood fibre insulation is, how it could be used on a project and why careful specification is required. Check out the show notes for more information.

Florence Collier, founder of Humblebee, takes us step-by-step through the deep retrofit of her 1970s home. She explains the costs relating to each measure and the cumulative total as the project advances. Check out the show notes for more information.

Toby Diggens explains what it takes to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge, and working to the standard when renovating an existing building. Check out the show notes for more information.

Toby Diggens, founder and co-director of Digg and Co outlines how we can all contribute to creating ecologically diverse and resilient landscapes to combat climate change and biodiversity loss. Check out the show notes for more information.

Furniture maker Lucinda Leech shares her story of building a modest, but beautiful eco home. Check out the show notes for more information.

Howard Johns, founder of One Zero, outlines their home energy transformation service which includes topping up insulation and adding solar PV, battery storage and a heat pump. Check out the show notes for more information.

Cypren Edmonds, a housing activist and advocate for bio-based building materials, describes the challenges he has faced living in social housing in London, and the health benefits and energy efficiency that can be achieved through building with straw. Check out the show notes for more information.

Kareem Dayes, co-founder of RUSS in Lewisham, explains why setting up a Community Land Trust was a route to deliver genuinely affordable housing and create a better neighbourhood. Check out the show notes for more information.

Greg Byrne from RB Asbestos Consultants explains what asbestos is, why it was used so widely in construction, its potential impact on health, and how you go about identifying and removing asbestos products. Check out the show notes for more information.

Clare and Ross Booth from Coldwells Build share details of their prefabricated, turnkey Passivhaus designs that aim to simplify the delivery of high performance homes in Scotland. Check out the show notes for more information.

Paul Testa from HEM Architects explains the difference between renovation and retrofit, using his own home as an example of a deep retrofit. Check out the show notes for more information.

Richard Hollas from 21 Degrees explains why regular MVHR maintenance and servicing is essential, what it entails, and we accompany him step-by-step as he services a unit. Check out the show notes for more information.

Paul Morris from Solar-Shield explains how external shading can help control solar gains and reduce internal temperatures, keeping your home cool as temperatures rise. Check out the show notes for more information.

Tom McSherry from BuildStore explains the importance of cashflow when it comes to building a house and why a big part of selecting the right mortgage product is about planning your project around your budget and making sure you have accurate costings. Check out the show notes for more information.

Judith Leary-Joyce shares her experience of retrofitting a Victorian end-terrace house to reduce energy consumption, make it more healthy and comfortable, and leave a sustainable legacy for future generations. Check out the show notes for more information.

Kym Mead from Mead Consulting explains what Passivhaus certification is, how the process works and why there is a difference between certified Passivhaus buildings and those that just adopt a 'Passivhaus principles' approach. Check out the show notes for more information.

Lloyd Alter explains the term upfront carbon, its relevance to us all as consumers, and why he felt compelled to write a book on the topic. Check out the show notes for more information.

Tilmann Kramolisch from natureplus explains why their eco label was established, how materials and products are assessed, and what it means to use a natureplus certified product on your project. Check out the show notes for more information.

Speakers from the Passivhaus workshop event at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre in Swindon each share a top tip. Check out the show notes for more information.

Neighbours Wookey and Rob Leedham explain why they were motivated to retrofit their homes, how they built up knowledge and why engaging with others on a similar path has been extremely useful. Check out the show notes for more information.

Linda Farrow from Agile Homes explains how their prefabricated panelised system can deliver high quality and truly affordable homes that are good for the planet. Check out the show notes for more information.

Ben Adam-Smith explains what value engineering is and how it can help us to do more with less. He reflects on a short video about Slate House in Herefordshire that includes some great examples of value engineering. Check out the show notes for more information.

Meredith Bowles from Mole Architects shares his experience working with timber as a construction material and explains the benefits and drawbacks of the different build approaches. Check out the show notes for more information.