An article today in the financial review where they stated they're still taking on a high volume of clients and are financially stable. Believe what you will.

There's a big difference between what we currently construct and passive house. A lot of the gains are low cost. No one here is suggesting we all get triple glazing…

You should be able to specify to have the eaves finish at the same height as your internal ceiling (2.7m). This will increase the roof height if leaving the pitch…

On the pipe again

Another sweeping generalisation above.
You're likely looking at about 10-20% extra to go from a minimum standard house to a low energy use house (that doesn't go to the extreme).…

Agree there's a lot of wasted space. A huge amount of tiles for nothing. To be honest the WIR, master and kitchen are also very big so not sure if…

If you've got the money then I would always use someone with a proven record of designing and building high performance homes (no need to go to passive house levels…

I would try really hard to find people who have or are currently building with someone you're looking at. If you can find people then see if they are willing…

Sorry to hear about your experience. I was working with a smaller and fairly reputable builder last year and they were also very slow in responding. I gave them the…

I'm in Adelaide. It's very hard to get accurate estimations without knowing exactly what changes or inclusions you will have. Still, getting info from builders is hard so I hope…

So it's not under the main roof? Do you have a drawing?
Poly sheets are not effective at bringing in light through windows from an undercover area. It can also get…

I don't really understand the question then? If the roof is permanent then you have no options for bringing light into the living room

I would consider a retractable roof if you're able to change the roof line so the area is not under the main roof. Blocking winter sun (when you're lucky to…

"potential inflation"
Costs have already increased by 30%. A $400,000 house in 2020 could now cost $520,000.
I've heard opinions that the largest increases have already happened but who really knows with…

Where are you building if it's costing $570k for a volume builder? That's a lot of money if you have a constrained budget.

Yes we've been informed of a 20-30% price increase (since pre-covid) with a builder in SA and have heard this is fairly consistent with other builders. I've heard from a…

Your roof could be so much simpler if you aligned the living room/bed 4 exterior wall and also the kitchen/dining exterior wall. This could remove two valleys and make it…

I probably won't ever post anything here that's public, but happy to share privately or keep you posted on how I go.
They normally do waffle, but will depend on the…

Hi there,
Yeah I looked into rossdale as they were the only volume builder who were willing to sit down with me after I showed them my brief. I quickly found…

You may already know this but there is also a rule of thumb about glazing amount e.g in Adelaide the total glazed area (windows and glass doors) ideally should…

Was that in the 1800s?

I have built. I went with custom who specialises and hence there is a premium, which we decided to spend more time saving for. We didn't have to and could…

Of course it can cost zero. The core fundamentals are easy to learn. Of course it will only get you so far without engaging an expert, but even shifting rooms…

Good points.
You could get a better performance for $0 just by getting the design right.
Good orientation, rooms in the right locations, appropriate external shading, correct window sizing/location in…

Hi there. Great that you have north to the rear. What are the distances to the east/north/west boundaries? Can you swap the garage to the west or are you restricted…

I know 2 builds in Adelaide that started in February and finished in September. Smaller custom builder. Not sure about larger builders here or if the delays are only in…

FWIW in Adelaide you'd be looking at $500k+ for a certified passivhaus and that's for a very modest sized home. You will also need to engage an architect who specialises…

Lucky to get north to the rear and I think it makes pretty good use of the smallish block. You'll love the living room in the winter when the sun…

2x2 is a shrub anyway. You don't want any vegetation?

What will it be heating? No concrete?