Q: “We are planning to build a totally sustainable home just outside Warkworth beginning end of this year when hopefully all plans are approved and the section is ready (on yet to be developed land), etc, and we are very keen on using biodegradable paint as almost everything else (all building materials) in the house will be eco orientated. Is Eco Paints only concerned with bio/eco paints or are you able to give us some tips or aspects on building completely ‘Eco’? Our architect has been very helpful with information from various web-sites about building sustainable/organic/eco and that sort of thing, even as far as compost toilets and straw-bale building which we had never heard of but we were just wondering if you had some other info about an eco product that we may not have read about yet”.

A: In an ‘urban environment’ development, a completely ‘eco’ home might not be practical - you don’t have to go all out eco, but every little bit helps that’s for sure!

Sustainability principals can be developed quite easily without denting the budget when building brand new. I don’t know about compost toilets though when the sewer that’s provided for the section may be more practical and convenient to plug into for that, they may be more suited on a life style block where an extra acre or two means plenty of room for composting, sectioning off, etc. Straw bale walls and earth brick walls are very good, no doubt about it, from what I have read about them over the years, I would definitely do it myself if the opportunity arose in the near future! If you are looking for excellent information along those lines then go no further than Sydney and Joan Bagg’s book ‘The Healthy Home’, it is full of eco related building products for interior and exterior living and references to many others.

The domestic home dweller and the environment benefit in the long run by using green building paper and having wool insulation or using non-toxic oils and paints (as you intend to) are just a few examples. It’s not necessarily “all” to do with building materials either; energy is a massive factor to be taken into consideration before you go into construction.

It can be much less expensive initially to hook up to your new sub-division’s
electrical system when building your home but to install solar heating and get that up and running in the short term puts you a step ahead in the ‘saving energy’ stakes with the costs of installing solar heating justified in comparison to the benefits enjoyed by those living there and savings in the pocket over the longer term. Wet-backs and under floor heating are two other good energy savers that are well worth considering.

Approx 42% of New Zealand’s energy is used in the construction and running of homes & buildings. Any improvements home owners can make to reduce this figure is good; (again) every little bit helps! Enjoy your new home.