The house that JEZ built
An eco-friendly family home in Plymouth has won its owner a prestigious award from Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (N&P), and a cheque for £5,000!For Jez Lavers the win is the perfect end to a project that has seen him both design and then build his first property, which is now a wonderful family home for him, his wife Rachel and their baby son, John.
The couple were awarded the title from N&P for the fact their five-bedroomed, three-storey, detached home incorporates some great design principles that make the most of its plot, as well as some innovative green features.
N&P holds its Eco Self-Build competition every year to raise awareness of how homes can be built in a more environmentally-responsible way. As a green mortgage lender, and a carbon neutral business itself, the Society has long been championing the need for more people to make eco features a priority in the construction of their new home.
Jez, who is a senior architect with Plymouth-based The Architect's Design Group, bought the plot with his twin brother Chris so that the pair could continue the family tradition of self-building, started by their parents back in 1972.
The brothers set about demolishing the derelict cottage on the site in order to build two homes - one for them each in which to start their married lives. Rather than simply disposing of the rubble this created, Jez chose to reclaim and re-use much of the materials. For example, stonework and rubble was carefully cleaned and re-used in the build and also to create a rock garden.
He was also able to recycle lime/sand render and mortar. Items such as roof slates, floor joists, a staircase and floor boards from the derelict property were carefully dismantled and sold to generate extra funds for the build.
Jez was able to make full use of his architectural skills to incorporate a passive solar design, which, coupled with its super-insulated construction and thermally massive walls, means the house makes the most of heating itself through sunlight and retaining that warmth efficiently. This helps the house achieve its impressive SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) energy rating of 111.
Other environmentally-friendly features include a wood-burning stove, individual room insulation, zoned heating controls, a thermal store to further improve energy efficiency and AAA rated appliances fitted throughout.
Jez said: "Building a property from scratch presents a wonderful opportunity to incorporate sustainability and get the main passive design features right, such as location, orientation and insulation. In these days of financial instability, the additional costs of ‘eco-friendliness' and sustainable features can often fall victim to budget cuts. But our house, built on a tight budget, shows that good, simple, well-chosen eco measures are a wise financial investment."
Competition judge, Richard Lloyd, regional manager for the Energy Saving Trust said: "The basic build principles of this property were right from the start, which means that further green innovation can be added in with ease when time and money allows. I was impressed with how Mr Lavers made full use of the site and the positioning of trees which border one side of the plot, as they now play a vital role in his passively heating the house. Interestingly, Mr Lavers has not opted for headline ‘green' products, such as a wind turbine for example, instead he has created a property that will evolve and easily embrace new technology as and when he is ready to install it. For example, the installation of a thermal store will allow him to fulfil his future plan of fitting a solar hot water system.
"Mr Lavers and his wife have created such a liveable home which is proof that you can have eco principles without compromising your lifestyle."
