92 | Energy efficient homes that breathe Virginia Wright Marty Murchison wants to build homes that are environmentally conscious and that will also benefit the occupants by having a better indoor air quality. BUILDING Canterbury- Murchison Homes INTERIOR PLASTERING & FOREVER BREATHE SYSTEMS PLASTER&MORELTD Paul Shatford - Master Plasterer Ph: 027 560 6782 E: plastermoreltd@gmai l.com 0800 722 098 PARAMOUNTPLUMBING.CO.NZ It was through renovating the different homes he lived in that Marty Murchison discovered a passion for housing. He built his own home, then another, then others asked him to build one for them and in 2016 he set up his company Murchison Homes. His vision was clear in its simplicity, he wanted to be building homes in Amberley, his hometown. Since then he’s expanded to building houses more widely in North Canterbury, with four crews currently working on 14 houses in various stages of construction with 30 homes due to be completed this year. “I was interested in the whole process of building a house and creating homes,” says Marty. “Then it developed mid last year into I don’t want to create just any home, I want to build homes that are more environmentally conscious and then also that will benefit the occupants by having a better indoor air quality.” Marty’s research into ways to off-set the emissions created by the building process led him to “Foreverbreathe”, a set of building components designed to help the environment and human health at the same time, which he is adopting. “For example petrochemical products result in a negative impact on the air quality within a home,” says Marty, “but when you use an environmentally sustainable product the likes of a magnum board (instead of Gib Board), which is within the Foreverbreathe Specification, together with a Foreverbreathe paint, it allows the house to breathe and improves the air quality.” On the most basic level simply replacing synthetic products, such as solution-dyed nylon carpets and fibre-glass insulation, with natural wool products, at the same time avoids potentially harmful chemicals and furthers sustainable development. The net result of the Foreverbreathe Specification building system is to create an energy efficient house that breathes, with improved indoor air quality. It’s been certified by New Zealand’s Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, but it was something that Marty verified for himself. “I put Uhoo Air Quality monitors (backed by the World Health Organisation) into traditionally built homes and Foreverbreathe Specification homes and looked at humidity, temperature, and TVOC levels (Total Volatile Organic compounds). TVOC’s are essentially the toxins in the air released by the different building products we’re using and items within our homes which can create long term health issues, something most people aren’t aware of. “Foreverbreathe building systems avoid those TVOC’s and offer less humidity and energy consumption as well.” New Zealand’s older houses tend to breathe really well as they’re often not airtight, but the other side of that is that they can be cold. Modern houses are built to stay warm but along the way they’ve become airtight to the point that nothing escapes. Part of the Foreverbreathe Specification is to build walls 140mm thick rather than the more traditional framework of 90mm thick, packed with woollen insulation. “You want to have houses that can be airtight to keep in the warmth but given that in your average four person home we produce 20 litres of vapour daily it should be able to escape,” Marty says. MIDLANDBRICK.CO.NZ 0800 MIDLAND NZ FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS WHO SPECIALISE IN FINDING THE PERFECT BRICK FOR YOUR NEXT PROJECT
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