low energy high performance
For 25 years my partner Shane Loader and I lived in Island Bay, Wellington, where we brought up our three daughters in an old 1927 house up a steep path. When we bought (cheaply) this almost derelict house, it was advertised as ‘worst house scenario’.
We laboured on that house for years, and yes, it became a beautiful and much-loved home with a gorgeous garden, a place full of happiness and good memories. But we were ready to leave, to leave the city, to leave a house that had a roof that needed replacing, and the endless cycle of painting, a house that was still chilly, and constantly emitting dust.
DESIGNING FOR OUR NEEDS
Two years ago, Shane and I moved to Dunedin, and in July we moved into our new and permanent 68m2 one-bedroom home near Middlemarch. At the time we were experiencing regular -8 degree frosts (and even a couple of -12 degrees). Our new home was designed using reliable energy modelling tools, with the intention of delivering a high-performance project. It arrived on site, complete, on the
