We’re back with Part 2 of our conversation with Damien, a listener of ours we brought on to answer some of the questions he had around passive house building. There was so much to cover during our chat, we knew we had to break it up into two valuable episodes for you. 

Last week, we got into the nitty gritty of the cost of passive house building vs traditional homes, the importance of working with the right design team, and gave our insights on insulation and membranes. 

Today, we share our experiences on how to effectively manage and educate your trade team, emphasising the importance of working with professionals who are ready to embrace new challenges. From our personal experiences, we discuss how some trades actually find passive house construction simpler than traditional building methods.

We explore practical construction tips, including our colour-coding system for external penetrations and the crucial aspects of planning ahead for solar installations and service routes. The discussion covers our insights on choosing the right windows and the critical importance of proper insulation installation. We also share a valuable lesson learnt from our own experience with Stuart Dawson from Thermaluxe about getting insulation right the first time.

We wrap up with our detailed advice on managing cash flow for high-performance homes, including our strategy of breaking payments into 10-15 stages. While initial labour costs might be higher, especially for first-time passive house projects, the investment in quality and sustainability pays off in the long run. Our conversation reinforces that successful passive house construction isn't just about technical expertise – it's about fostering a culture of innovation and sustainable building practices.

LINKS:

Connect with us on Instagram:  @themindfulbuilderpod

Connect with Hamish:

Instagram:  @sanctumhomes

Website:   www.yoursanctum.com.au/

Connect with Matt: 

Instagram: @carlandconstructions

Website:  www.carlandconstructions.com/