PRICING & AFFORDABILTY
Introduction
When writing a guide like this, the first thing any detractor will say is that Healthy Homes cost too much. Clearly the unenlightened are not thinking of the cost of hospital admissions during winter!
A healthy home should not cost more than an unhealthy one. A healthy home is one where more thought has gone into the design and greater consideration of the end user has taken place. After all, don’t we build homes for people to live in comfortably?
In the future we intend to have a housing affordability and performance app to communicate the value proposition for various attributes of a Healthy High-Performance Home. Refer to the New Technologies Section.
CASE STUDIES...
Case Study 1
Simon Fenwick – Nest Residential – 120sqm 2br, 2bth, single garage 2 storey townhouse
Costs of getting to a Better Superhome Level vs Cost of doing a Code Minimum
What does it actually cost to lift a home from code minimum to Superhome Better? Let’s start from the bottom up.
Case Study 2
Peter Marment – Design Base Architecture
The house is 171m2, which includes 4 x bedrooms, 2 x bathrooms, open plan living and a 25m2 garage.
Peter has designed this house for his family with the aim of striking a balance between Design, Energy Efficiency, Sustainability, Health and Affordability.
This direction is born from a frustration with the divide between often poor performing spec homes and the high cost of bespoke architecturally designed homes.
The house has been designed to HomeStar 7 and we’re currently awaiting the built assessment.
Specs and Features
● Thermally broken aluminium doors and windows with low e, argon filled IGU’s.
● Balanced heat recovery ventilation system.
● Passive solar design, with large amounts of north facing glazing and an exposed slab. Large eaves to the north and west to prevent overheating.
● PV panels (being installed shortly).
● Pre-plumbed for rainwater collection and re-use for exterior taps, washing machine and toilets.
● Clad in macrocarpa and plywood, all NZ sourced timber and stained with Abodo exterior wood oil.
● All natural interior paints from the Natural Paint Company.
● Non-formaldehyde plywood used for the kitchen and bathroom joinery.
● All LED lights.
● All taps rated to WELS 3 star or better.
● 90mm framed walls and Knauf earthwool insulation, with Mason’s Uni Fab wall underlay. (this was a cost driven decision).
● The roof structure is trussed for 3 /4 of the house with 2 x layers of Knauf Earthwool, the remainder is skillion construction with Knauf Earthwool. (again cost driven decisions) .
Construction Cost Breakdown
Base Build* = $473,660 incl GST
House Area 171m2 m2 Rate = $2,770 per m2.
*Excludes driveway, fencing and appliances, but includes a 25m2 deck.
Also excludes consultant and council fees.
Case Study 3
Gary Todd – Gary Todd Architecture
Plan size developed to become a 100m2 footprint with 40m2 upper mezzanine to offer flexibility for future use by the current and any future owners
This project is the successful collaboration by the Owner who is an experienced carpenter and his father an experienced architect who sought to use the core values of affordable sustainability to create a healthy home together as an exemplar model.
The original design inspiration was from the ‘tiny house movement’ of recent times with the plan size developed to become a 100m2 footprint with 40m2 upper mezzanine to offer flexibility for future use by the current and any future owners. The focus has always been on a small house and after further eco/green research the scope of the project was developed to embrace a ‘quality over quantity’ approach in comparison to the trend of larger homes that have continued to increase in size but not necessarily in quality. This healthy home is for a young couple that can host guests or family as future demands may require.
The home is being built for a budget of $420,000 including GST, so this works out to be $3,000m2.
Case Study 4
Joe Lyth – Respond Architects
Joe is building himself a Certified Passive House; a three bedroom, one bathroom home on a rural section, 50 mins north of Auckland. The rural location means additional services are required – septic system, rainwater system, fire water tanks; and the interior has minimal, robust finishes with basic fittings.
In New Zealand, Passive House certified homes are currently seen as the realm of the wealthy – only applicable to one-off houses with big budgets. With New Zealand already one of the most expensive countries in the world in which to build, the thought of paying an added premium can be daunting to say the least.
But the thinking is certainly changing. In other parts of the world the cost of building a Passive House is almost the same as a standard house, and there are even Passive House Certified social housing developments. In New Zealand, the more Passive House certified buildings that are built, the more the prices will come down and the more attainable having a warm, healthy home will become for Kiwis. It’s already happening, with the first Passive House certified multi-unit housing development currently being built in Dunedin.
Right now, while there may be a cost premium involved with Passive House builds (due in part to lack of experience and a limited choice of available products), it’s not as big as you think. The premium can also be reduced through careful design and modelling, and offset in various ways, with studies showing that the extra costs can be recouped in under 10 years through things such as lower energy bills, less time off work and even fewer doctor’s bills!
There is also the additional value of a Passive House vs standard building – with the former being more robust, healthier and definitely never mouldy. Auckland Council has recently agreed to recognise buildings built to Passive House standard on LIM reports, and banks such as ANZ are starting to offer lower rates on mortgages for Passive Houses.
Joe Lyth is currently trying to resolve the question of cost as he designs a Passive House certified home for his own family. Together with Respond, he’s looking at how a Passive House can be produced within a tighter budget, using simple, functional interiors which can then be upgraded by the inhabitants over time, as bank accounts allow. His goal is to show that designing a Passive House certified home isn’t as restrictive as you might think – both in terms of cost or design innovation.
Current Passive House project costs*:
*Prices based on the contract price prior to construction.
● 100m2 ground floor
● 50m2 covered deck
● 69m2 loft/ mezzanine
Total contract cost – $436,935 + GST
House minus additional site services – $382,288 + GST
House cost/ m2 = $382,288/169m2 = $2,262/m2 + GST
Tips for keeping Passive House costs down
1. Bigger isn’t always better
Many New Zealanders see housing as an investment, thinking the bigger and flashier the better! Kiwis build the third largest houses in the world, behind the US and Australia, but they are typically lower quality – and the added size makes them expensive to heat and maintain. The first step to a more affordable Passive House is to reduce the size of the property, allowing you to raise the quality of the resulting slightly smaller building. With clever design, a smaller home can feel just as (if not more) spacious and functional.
2. Prioritise
Another way to mitigate cost is to think about what’s most important to you. A kitchen or bathroom can be easily upgraded in a couple of years, so why not initially focus your money on a high performance building that will be healthier and last longer? A warm, healthy envelope is the important bit, the rest can come later!
3. Keep it simple
When it comes to creating a high performance building, the thing to remember is that the simpler the form, the easier it is to achieve. While achieving certification is possible for a more detailed design, the added complexity makes it more costly. A simple box has far less surface area for heat to be lost than a multifaceted building with lots of surfaces and steps. And keeping it simple doesn’t mean your home has to look boring. You can design a building envelope with simple, clean lines, while adding interest through detailing and form.
4. Think long term
While Passive House certified buildings are currently more expensive than standard construction, the end result is a home or office that costs next to nothing to heat, will last a lot longer than a typical New Zealand building, and will keep its inhabitants healthier and happier.
Quantity Surveyors View
Michael Daly from Suckling & Stringer has kindly put together some approximate material rates, including builder’s margin but excluding GST. These have been augmented by window suppliers.
Rates as an example only, these vary based on location and contractor variability.
