Chatterton Builders Blog
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Since 1998, Chatterton Builders has been dedicated to healthy, energy-efficient, higher-performing homes! We have completed many passive houses and structural insulated panel projects, from architectural homes to social housing and new schools. Our blog inspires and offers tips, and secrets about the building process you might not know!
Chatterton Builders Blog
9h ago
Behind the headlines of climate change, MBIE have been hard at work developing a framework for the construction industry regarding building operational efficiencies. In fact, an important document was released in August 2020 but has not had the attention it deserves. For some in the industry it has come as a bit of a shock. For passionate advocates like us, this document was overdue…
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Chatterton Builders Blog
4M ago
Whilst our high performance building methods provide superior healthy energy efficient homes, we are going to delve deeper into the impact of the actual building materials on our health. Our design & construction methods already provide a much healthier home than those built to the minimum building code. A continual supply of fresh filtered air warmed by the stale air being expelled is just one…
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Chatterton Builders Blog
5M ago
At our mid builds, visitors see the SIPs panels installed, the roof on, the high performance windows in place, and heat recovery ventilation is showcased…..all before the features are hidden by gib. However, what happened before the mid build? How did the house get to the mid build stage? Let’s use the upcoming mid build at Leeston as a story board. The pictures are not fancy but its current and...
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Chatterton Builders Blog
6M ago
It’s upsetting as we see the excitement turn to sadness, frustration, and sometimes anger. It’s also confusing for the homeowner who may not have the expertise so when wildly different expectations are presented it raises concerns. Another builder may then be approached, and the emotional circle starts again. It’s not that the plans are bad, in fact some are downright sexy, but the homeowner just...
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Chatterton Builders Blog
10M ago
Increased insulation requirements are a major outcome of the most recent review of the minimum building code. This is the start of a significant move towards ensuring healthy and energy efficient homes for New Zealanders, with other amendments on the horizon. However, an important factor that should not be overlooked is that this current amendment narrows the gap between the cost of achieving a...
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Chatterton Builders Blog
1y ago
Homestar is an independent rating tool that measures a home’s performance and its environmental impact. It certifies the health, efficiency, and sustainability of New Zealand homes. A home is rated on a 1-10 scale: a rating of 1 Homestar means it needs significant work, and 10 Homestar indicates international best practice. Most existing New Zealand homes only achieve a 2-3 Homestar rating.
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Chatterton Builders Blog
1y ago
The Government has announced proposed amendments to the Building Act. This will introduce energy ratings for new buildings along with waste minimisation plans. These proposed amendments are intended to help support New Zealand’s climate change goal of reaching net zero carbon by 2050. The first proposed amendment will give building owners and occupants a new tool to understand energy use and...
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Chatterton Builders Blog
1y ago
Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). We are often asked how much more expensive they are than traditional timber framing and batts. The answer might surprise you, but we should also consider that there are several ways to look at this question. There is the raw material cost, but there is also the question of what you are trying to achieve using SIPs. If air tightness is important in your house...
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Chatterton Builders Blog
1y ago
There are several very reasonable designers and architects that cater for a market that wants a home for their unique needs, tastes and unique locations, but whose budgets are not quite so large. There is also the fear that an architects or designers plan may be completed and paid for, but later found that the plans are too expensive to build so all that money is wasted.
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