This could be one of the best videos I have seen on RU-vid, in my opinion the most important for all new home builds. You have my undivided attention and appreciate the contact details on all the areas.
Excellent, very informative video I certainly learned more in that video than I have in many months and lots of viewing of other videos. Nice that it's all condensed into one easily digestible package.
IMPORTANT FOR ANYONE THINKING OF BUILDING A PASSIVE HOUSE: I built a passive house in the Chicago area in 1982, way before anyone was talking about it. My southern wall was two stories and I had a thermal mass setup. Problem: worked great for those super cold sunny days (remember most super cold days are sunny), unfortunately, in Chicago, winter days are mostly, fully, overcast. ZONING, ZONING, ZONING that's the secret! I had two furnaces, and now, after I took down my big two story wall in a remodel, I have three heat pumps and 5 zones. It's amazing how little energy you need if you zone properly. We put heat at 50 degrees in bedrooms during the day; main living at 50 degrees at night. My house office is a zone, so during the day if I'm alone, the main house is kept at 60 during winter. This house has that "open concept" DON'T DO IT; ZONE!
If people build to ‘passivhaus’ certified standard it WILL work. If people build with ‘passive solar design’ principles there can be problems like you mention. It needs to be designed properly.
Love everything except the plastic tanked worm farm septic. As a plumber who has maintained, serviced and installed septics for over 30 years, I can attest that they are inferior to any other system, be it traditional or a treatment plant. A static traditional system being my preference every time. Low ongoing maintenance costs and very hardy if installed correctly.
I do like broader approach on the term "sustainable" because it varies greatly according to the environment you live in, but if you used rammed earth for walls why didn't you do the same for a floor? (surely it has similar thermal quality and is more sustainable than concrete?) And the grass *loan*! They are not sustainable, especially in Australian climate imho~ Transforming your loan into food forest is.
I loved this video! My worry would also be the use of concrete in that floor due to the co2 footprint. Should be possible to use recycled demolition rubble bound together with a small amount of fresh concrete to achieve the thermal mass and choose the finish required?
This was so good up until the lawn part! The modern lawn is one of the most unsustainable things in existence! I will concede that kids ought to have a small mowed space for certain games and activities but it should be kept minimal AND should preferably be clover or a grass clover mix so it never needs to be watered or fertilized.
This is not a liveable house for me. Too much concrete and too many chemicals, no matter how it looks, I would not consider it to be sustainable. One of the benefits of real timber floors is that they isolate your feet. My feet would hurt walking on their flooring.
Hmm, what? Based on what criteria? Probably the apparent environmental cost. You think myopically and not with a 100-year perspective. The concrete does have several “costs” but extrapolate those over time? The cost over time makes the value of the benefit higher than the aged ‘expenses.’
@@fishhuntadventure Your not making sense. Mainly because you don't understand the MASSIVE amounts of CO2 concrete manufacturing expels into our atmosphere. One day we might have carbon negative concrete but it's not here yet. No, I'm afraid you're the myopic one who thinks they see the big picture. which is dangerous folly
I think you're both wrong and you're both right. Concrete construction is a pretty big contributor to co2 emissions; but the amount of concrete in a single "reasonably planned" home isn't going to be a drop in the bucket compared to massive high rise and industrial construction going on. I think individuals can feel fine about ICF construction given its ability to lower energy consumption, retain heat and yes its longevity. It can also be recycled, although historically it is a waste product or buried.
