KEY FEATURES

The following is a summary of the key environmental features of the project.

The house is, of course, much more than this. To uncover the personal, aesthetic, local and architectural influences on the design, you will have to root around this website a little longer.

ENERGY

We aim to be energy self-sufficient, generating more power and heat on site than we consume across the year.

This is primarily achievable by radically reducing demand. The building fabric will be super-insulated and air-tight, with heat-recovery ventilation in the winter. All the appliances, lights and electronic goods will be the most energy efficient available. We are also maximising daylighting and taking special care to avoid the need for active cooling.

On the supply side, our power needs will be met by a 5kW (peak) photovoltaic array on our south pitched roof. Our heating and hot water needs will be met by a solar thermal panel on the roof and a ground source heat pump.

We aim to be self-sufficient, not autonomous. We will be connected to the grid in order to export our surplus power and buy it back when required.

MATERIALS

The house is being built predominantly with materials of very low environmental impact. Tree House is a timber frame building with extensive finishes in wood, complemented by Cumbrian slate and natural paints and finishes. All timber products have been sustainably sourced.

Reclaimed, recycled and second-hand materials and products have been widely used including teak floors, brick garden walls, salvaged sinks, a scrap metal fence, second-hand furniture, recycled plastic roof tiles and recycled newspaper insulation in the walls.

The principal exception is the considerable volume of concrete used in out ground works. This was necessary to ensure that the house endures - on a hill, next to a terrace, in the shadow of a mature tree.

WATER

Our strategy is to reduce demand for mains water within the house as far as possible without sacrificing quality of life, and to provide for exterior needs with rainwater.

Efficient taps and showers, ultra-low flush toilets and appliances with excellent water efficiency all play their part in reducing demand, as do details such as short pipe runs for hot taps.

Rainwater flows off our roof and into our pond, from where it overflows into a deep underground cistern. With the aid of a salvaged Victorian hand-pump, the water will be pumped out to replenish the pond and water the garden.

CONSUMABLE RESOURCES

The resources that flow through the house will be valued at every stage of their journey.

We aim to minimise the hidden costs of the resources coming in the front door by growing fruit and vegetables, sourcing and shopping locally and avoiding packaging excess.

As far as possible, we hope to recycle, reuse or compost all resources after their primary use is complete.

BIODIVERSITY

By the end of the build (and garden planting) we aim to restore to our small plot a level of biodiversity greater than we started with.

Our tree is a fabulous resource for flora and fauna, so we have worked hard to protect it. The tree will be complemented by a wildlife garden, a considerable pond and a courtyard garden planted for bees and butterflies.

DURABILITY AND CHANGE

We hope that the house will last for hundreds of years. It has certainly been well-built and maintenance should not be onerous.

It was a requirement of the planning approval that no extensions are ever made to the house. However, the interior rooms have been designed as large flexible spaces which should be adaptable to changing needs.

When we are no longer able to get up the stairs ourselves, we will still have everything essential to our needs on the ground floor.