Get It Right with Undercover Architect

Hello! This is Episode 431. This is Way #31 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re wrapping up Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

In this section of the ‘44 Ways’ series, I’ve been covering one specific criteria for choosing materials and products per episode. And so far, we’ve covered choosing for longevity and durability, a low carbon footprint, low VOCs...

Hello! This is Episode 430. This is Way #30 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

In this section, I’m covering one specific criteria for choosing materials and products per episode, providing you with six different criteria overall. This episode covers the fifth criteria you can use to choose materials, fixtures and fi...

Hello! This is Episode 429. This is Way #29 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

In this section of the ‘44 Ways’ series, I’m covering one specific criteria for choosing materials and products per episode. We’ve talked about choosing for longevity and durability in Episode 426, choosing for a low carb...

Hello! This is Episode 428. This is Way #28 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

In this section, I’m covering specific criteria for choosing materials and products for your home. We’ve talked about choosing for longevity and durability in Episode 426, and choosing for a low carbon footprint in Episode 427.

Way #...

Hello! This is Episode 427. This is Way #27 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

In this section, I’m covering specific criteria for choosing the products, materials, fixtures and finishes for your future home. Last episode, in Episode 426, Way #26, I talked about choosing for longevity and durability, and the five fin...

Hello! This is Episode 426. This is Way #26 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re beginning Section Six: Choosing Materials, Fixtures and Finishes.

Way #26 is: Choose for Longevity and Durability.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/426]

The last couple of sections have been detail-heavy and chunkier episodes, espe...

Hello! This is Episode 425. This is Way #25 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and it’s the last episode in Section Five: The Building Envelope.

Over this section we’ve worked through airtightness, windows, building wraps, and insulation. In this episode, we discuss something that can elevate the performance of your building envelope very simply.

Way #25 is: Include Eaves and Window Hoods in Your Fin...

Hello! This is Episode 424. This is Way #24 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re in the final stretch of Section Five: The Building Envelope.

In the last episode, we went through the types of insulation, what R-values mean, and how to think about products for your ceiling, walls, and floor. 

This episode is the follow-up to that: what happens when the product is specified, the quote is signed,...

Hello! This is Episode 423. This is Way #23 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Five: The Building Envelope.

Way #23 is: Choose Appropriate Insulation.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/423]

The things we’ve been discussing in Section Five are all about improving the energy eff...

Hello! This is Episode 422. This is Way #22 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Five: The Building Envelope.

In the last two episodes, we covered thermal mass and window selection. Before that, in Way #19, we talked about what building tight actually means: why you want a continuous air barrier, and why airtightness and ventilation have to be designed together. This epis...

Hello! This is Episode 421. This is Way #21 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Five: The Building Envelope.

Way #21 is: Review Your Window Selection.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/421]

In my experience, as people go to design their new build or renovation, it can be all about max...

Hello! This is Episode 420. This is Way #20 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we’re continuing through Section Five: The Building Envelope, A Sustainable Skin.

In the last episode, Way #19, we covered airtightness and ventilation. We talked about what it means to build tight, why homes don’t need to breathe, and what ‘ventilating right’ looks like in practice.

In this episode, we&rsq...

Hello! This is Episode 419. This is Way #19 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and it’s the first episode in Section Five: The Building Envelope.

We’ve spent four sections of the ‘44 Ways’ series covering a lot of information for your sustainable renovation or new build. Site, orientation, breezes, passive design, energy and water selections, renewables, and the tools that help you model ...

Hello! This is Episode 418. This is Way #18 of the ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’ series. And this episode completes Section Four: Modelling and Measuring Your Sustainability.

Across this series, we’ve talked a lot about energy efficiency, and how, as we improve energy efficiency, we reduce energy use, which in turn reduces the carbon emissions associated with energy production. 

At the same time, ...

Hello! This is Episode 417. This is Way #17 of the ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’ series, and we’re continuing through Section Four: Modelling and Measuring Your Sustainability.

If you’ve been following this series, you’ll know we’ve spent the last couple of episodes looking at energy modelling, and how you can use it during the design process so its data-based findings can inform your...

Hello! This is Episode 416. This is Way #16 of the ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’ series, and we’re continuing through Section Four: Modelling and Measuring Your Sustainability.

Way #16 is: Use Other Options to Model Your Design Before You Build.

In the last episode, I talked about NatHERS energy modelling and why it can be so valuable as a design tool rather than simply using it as a late-stage complia...

Hello! This is Episode 415. This is Way #15 of the ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’ series. And with this episode, we begin Section Four: Modelling and Measuring Your Sustainability.

In Section Four, we look at the ways you can access data to inform your decision-making, beginning with energy efficiency assessments and modelling of your home’s energy use.

We’re beginning Section Four with Way #15: U...

Hello! This is Episode 414. This is Way #14 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series. And this episode completes Section Three: Sustainable Services and Infrastructure.

It may seem strange that we’ve taken a while to get here, given this is where many homeowners will start in their sustainability choices for their project. ‘Let’s make sure we put solar on the house when we renovate or build new’...

Hello! This is Episode 413. This is Way #13 of the ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’ series. And we’re still in Section Three: Sustainable Services and Infrastructure, and reviewing our hot water supply.

For many homeowners, their decisions about their hot water unit can come in a flurry, and simply be based on what they know. Sometimes it can be handed to the plumber, as they recommend a system, you go wi...