Building an Energy Efficient Home (Home Builders Perth WA)

Have you ever wanted to build a home that helps minimise your energy bills? Want to help the environment? Want to save some money? If you have answered yes to all of the above it sounds like you need to build an energy efficient home.

There are many house designs Perth has to offer, but you need to choose the right design and the right builder to build an energy efficient home. Here are 10 top tips to building an energy efficient home. 

1)     Save the water!

There are so many products now that have been designed to save water, e.g. taps, shower heads. Use them throughout the house. You could also install a rainwater tank for your washing machine, toilet, or for watering the garden. 

2)     Insulation revelation

Both Perth builders and Mandurah builders will offer insulation for your new home, but don’t just take their word for it, do some research and consider upgrading to high quality insulation. It is the thing which keeps your house warm in winter and cool in summer.

3)     Direct your home right

Orientation is a big one. In the summer there can be cool breezes (e.g. sea breeze) and in the winter you want to grab as much sun as possible.
We suggest orientate your house to capture these natural cooling and warming elements. A good tip is design so your living areas face north.

 4)     Shading

Eaves are a great way to shade your house, when you look over your design look at the placement of the eaves. Also consider patios, pergolas and awnings; all of these are great options for keeping the direct sun out in the summer and provide some cover in the winter rain.

 5)     Glaze those windows

Windows can be both heat absorbers and heat deflectors, when building an energy efficient home it is advised to reduce the number, and the size of the windows on the west and east walls.

Double glazed windows can also help, but it is best to ask for window professional advice when it comes to double glazed windows.

 6)     Landscaping

The grass out the front and the plants in your garden can be large water wasters. If you have the budget get yourself some nice artificial turf, it is quite nice and realistic these days and is comfortable for kids to play on.

Also when it comes to your garden, plant drought-tolerant plants in the garden to reduce that water waste, you could also use some native plants to add some Australian flair.

Ultimately there are quite a few ways you can build an energy efficient home. Some that we did not cover explicitly are; thermal mass, lighting and appliances. Majority of home builders perth wa will have a good idea about how to minimise your energy consumption.

Is your New Home A Quality Built Home?

In the housing industry and amongst Perth and Mandurah Builders there are common issues that can arise in terms of quality and it is important for any new home buyer to be aware of them. The reason for this is because there is a constant tension within any building company between quality and profit. The old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is very true in house building. Therefore quality must come at a cost. When you see an advert that seems too good to be true for a new home, you will basically be looking at a new home which lacks quality, and within a short period, you will see some of the following issues arise with your new home.

●       Cornice Cracking – This type of cracking happens for reasons such as ground movement and building settling which in turn causes expansion and shrinkage. Minor cornice cracking is not of structural concern but should be regularly observed. Great Living Homes have had some cornice cracking, but it is unavoidable with brick homes and some custom design homes. This cracking is due to the different materials moving differently with temperature and moisture changes.

●       Ceiling Collapsing - “Causes of ceiling collapse may include incorrect access and use of the roof space; the use of inappropriate materials; or poor workmanship.” Building Commissioner Peter Gow said (https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/announcements/causes-and-warning-signs-spontaneous-ceiling-collapse).

●       Wall Cracking – Wall cracking can occur both inside and outside. This can be caused by many things. A major one in Australia is our hot weather and lack of rainfall. Restricted moisture in the soil has a considerable impact on the structure of your home. Cracking can also be caused by sun exposure or plant root systems tasking moisture from the soil.

●       Leaking Claddings – Just recently we saw a large amount of apartment buildings in Melbourne have water leaking problems. It was said that Shoddy materials (a certain form of cladding) and poor workmanship were the causes faulty homes.

●       Leaking Windows – Generally caused by a lack of over hangs and poorly installed or missing flashing. If a tradesman is rushed or maybe runs out of materials the mind set of ‘it will be ok’ can sometimes arise. But when it comes to flashing around windows this is a must.

●       European house borer - European house borer (EHB) is a pest of timber including pine, fir and spruce. If allowed to become established it can cause major structural damage to buildings that have been built with untreated pinewood or substandard products. EHB (also known as Old house borer) is found in Europe, Middle East, South and North Africa, South and North America, China and Asia Minor. The EHB was first discovered in Western Australia in 2004. The pest is suspected to have come into Western Australia in imported pine timber as larvae.

All of these and more issues have arisen within Western Australian housing recently and amongst home builders Perth, other than unavoidable cornice cracking none of these issues have been found in a Great Living Homes build. Why? Because the owners are directly involved in the build and at Great Living Homes the highest priority is not profit at any cost. We use high quality materials and good trades to see great houses being built all around the Perth and Mandurah areas.