Business South August 2021

88 | Passion for passive housing The barn style, low-energy house at Hanleys farm features 140mm external walls and uses Pro Clima Intello membrane system for creating airtightness and a vapour barrier in the building envelope. Kingsbury Construction BUILDING Russell Fredric A s the owner of Queenstown company Kingsbury Construction, Phil Kingsbury, is one of a new generation of builders passionate about energy efficient houses. Although Phil started his business just two years ago, he has considerable local experi- ence having been a sub-contractor to another firm for five years. This experience has been extremely valua- ble, he says. “It gives you a perspective on what people are expecting. I spent a lot of time at Millbrook which is quite high-end and now I’m out building for myself and aiming for that same quality but as efficiently as possible.” Kingsbury Construction is currently building a passive house at Kingston and a low energy house at Queenstown’s Hanley’s Farm subdi- vison. Phil considers himself fortunate to be in a market where he has the opportunity to undertake projects that fit perfectly with his passion for energy efficient design and con- struction. He also holds a trump card; he has a Bach- elor of Architecture qualification which means he can quickly materialise a client’s brief and achieve it more efficiently while aiming to bridge the gap between what they want and their budget. In building energy efficient houses, con- siderable care is taken from the ground up to eliminate thermal bridging to avoid the transmission of heat out of a house. “Any design can be up-spece’d with just a little bit of thought so it doesn’t really matter if a client comes to me with a design or without a design, I can tailor it to fit.” “For example someone came to me with a generic group home design and she’s wanting to up-spec it in terms of low energy and its just finding that balance between how far she wants to go with it and her budget.” The low energy house being built at Hanleys Farm is a perfect example of Kingsbury Con- struction’s extra attention to detail, especially where energy efficiency is concerned. The barn-style, 240 square metre design comprises a three bedroom house with a separate two bedroom unit. It is being built for a client whose focus is on an all-year-round comfortable ambient temperature and has a fully insulated MaxRaft concrete floor which has additional insulation over and above what is normally specified, including under the footings. It also features 140mm thick external walls and incorporates Pro Clima Intello membrane system for creating airtightness and a vapour barrier in the building envelope. Phils says some design features can make a big difference, but don’t cost the earth, such as changing the configuration of the wall framing within the building code regulations to allow the wall cavity to be insulated much more completely and to avoid thermal bridg- ing. Another example is that the garage, workshop and hobby room are built with conventional construction methods in order to maximise the benefits of the client’s budget while the living, dining and bedroom areas are prioritised with low energy construction methods. The Kingston house will include solar panels and underfloor heating which utilises grey water. “I think there is a general trend towards low energy and passive houses more and more. That’s really my passion, that’s the way forward.” Heat Recovery Ventilator NZ Made Since 1982 The best vent i lat ion solut ion for a dry heal thy home 0800 DRYAIR (379 247) www.cleanaire.co.nz Proud suppliers of Home Ventilation Systems to Kingsbury Construction ● HIGH EFFICIENCY EC FANS ● COMPACT CABINETS ● WASHABLE AIR FILTERS ● INTEGRAL CONDENSATE DRAIN ● EUROVENT CERTIFIED ALUMINIUM HEAT EXCHANGER Over a decade of Local Experience & Knowledge in: Plumbing, Gas Fitting, Drainlaying, Heating and Maintenance Cole Pewhairangi: 021430824 | 0279030824 | Queenstown, NZ Locally owned and operated