Hobsonville: Save your energy - go eco-chic

Sophie and Dan Heyworth and Kate and Nat Holloway have learnt a lot in their first project to build an eco-chic home. "You have to keep a lid on costs, and if you make changes along the way you still have to be able to contain the costs," says Kate.

Two couples from the UK are doing their bit to protect the planet by building energy-efficient homes that are healthy to live in.

The house that Nat and Kate and Dan and Sophie built doesn't look too different from many other modern New Zealand houses - but it's what's on the inside that counts.

The team behind this eco-chic house is made up of four enterprising young Brits who've formed a design-and-build company specialising in homes that are energy-efficient, use sustainable materials and are healthy to live in.

Nat and Kate Holloway and Dan and Sophie Heyworth are related by marriage, and just over a year ago they decided to toss in their corporate jobs and a harried commuter lifestyle and come to this side of the world for a whole new life.

Kate and Dan are brother and sister, and the four arrived on the same plane with the vision of starting a company in the building field. All had bought and renovated homes, and the eco-chic idea appealed - a fashion trend in America that means going green but without ditching life's luxuries.

What they were up against, they decided, was the widespread view that eco-friendly was the preserve of hippies, and that it cost a whole lot more than other houses. Nat is keen to point out that their company, Arhaus, is no "beard and sandals brigade".

"We want to design and build houses that are simply better to live in - it's to do with a better quality of life and a more comfortable home. And we wanted to do our bit for the planet. We want to see these standards become mainstream, and when you've put all these features in, the house doesn't have to look any different."

The house, at 55 Bannings Way, Hobsonville, is their first project - it'll be finished at the end of the month and is on the market for $800,000. It's much the same as any other new house, says Dan, but the energy-saving features add up to savings of 50 per cent on the running costs of a conventional home.

"It's all in the way you design in the beginning. If you get it right at that stage then you can save yourself a lot of money in the long run."

The four all brought different skills to the company but commissioned a team of architects and builders to deliver the project.

The house has great views of the upper Waitemata and the city - but those views proved something of a challenge in designing an eco-friendly home.

"When we bought the site there was an existing plan for a house that took full advantage of the view to the south, but ignored the northern aspect, which obviously collects all the sun. We thought 'great views - yes, we've got to flaunt that but we have to use the sun'."

Architect John Durkin came up with a design that meets the challenge. Then it was case of sourcing the right materials for the job. The house has been built using kiln-dried pine rather than wood treated with formaldehyde. The floors will be coloured concrete, which creates a large thermal mass in the house, and some areas will be bamboo tongue-and-groove, which looks much like any other hardwood flooring but is a renewable resource. The walls are insulated with wool rather than glass fibre, which causes a lot of dust, and the windows are double glazed.

"A lot of Kiwis think you don't need it here but a single pane of glass is a terrible insulator and we're really trying to keep those house temperatures stable, which saves energy. With good insulation you can hold humidity levels to below 50 per cent, which greatly reduces dust mites and the growth of moulds," says Dan.

Even small details make a difference. This house uses compact fluorescent lighting instead of conventional light bulbs, which use a quarter of the energy for the equivalent brightness.

The foursome have learnt a lot in this first project. " What we've learnt in doing this is that you have to keep a lid on costs, and if you make changes along the way you still have to be able to contain the costs," says Kate.

Already things have started to happen for the Arhaus team. They have five commissions on the books and are working with a developer on a large housing project planned for Franklin - which could result in an entire community of eco-chic homes.

"Doing one house at a time is good, but the way we're really going to make a difference here is by getting on board with developers, and then we can build an entire community and make a real difference to the way people live," says Nat.

The business is not the only thing expanding either - Sophie and Dan have had their first child since they arrived in New Zealand, and Kate is now pregnant. After thirteen months in New Zealand they're still delighted with their good fortune.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 55 Bannings Way, Hobsonville.

FEATURES: Four-bedroom, two-level home with a number of eco-friendly features, including Hebel block cladding, wool insulation, double glazing, concrete floors for passive solar heating, First Flush Diverter roof, bio-paints. Views of upper Waitemata harbour and city.

SIZE: Floor Area 235sq m, land area 850sq m.

PRICE: $800,000.

CONTACT: Kate Holloway 021 179 4228 or 0800 717 717, or visit www.Arhaus.co.nz