Here are some previous ultra low energy homes we have designed and built for clients. The range of styles shown here emphasises our ability to create completely bespoke designs to suit your project. If you would like further information on the these projects, and the incredible amount of energy saved in heating and hot water please get in touch.
Living in a low energy, draught free home, often heated by biomass results in very low running costs. If you would like to experience living in a home like this for a long weekend or similar, there may be the opportunity to rent a home from us short term so you can experience the practicalities of having your hot water heated by the sun / logs etc. If interested please email sales@touchwoodhomes.co.uk
Please click on any of the thumbnail images below to jump to the build details of each home, or continue to scroll down to read them all.
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The Blackhouse |
Garden Workshop |
Duncombe |
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| Portland Place |
Post-Office Cottage |
Dyffryn |
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Cowley Dairy Farm |
Woodhouse |
Buxton Road |
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Kiwanja |
Hopground Cottage |
Russetts House |
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Touchwood |
Octagon |
Glen Cottage |
The Blackhouse
Blackhouse is a striking modern home designed to complement the boating heritage in the village of Pinmill which sits on the river Orwell in Suffolk.
The house timber frame was designed, supplied and erected by Touchwood homes, along with our triple glazed Optiwin windows to provide a superb low energy dwelling.
Internally the building has an ultra modern look, featuring a superb polished concrete floor with underfloor heating installed. Since this entire concrete floor is sitting on structural polystyrene, it acts as a huge thermal mass inside the thermal envelope of the building. Heat is supplied to this via the 10kW room sealed log boiler (which is an attractive room feature) and 500L thermal store. These two, along with the soon to be installed solar panels ensure the heating and hot water provision of the house are provided in a carbon neutral, very low cost and efficient method.
- Touchwood designed, supplied and installed PAUL MVHR system with heater battery
- Hot water supplied by 10kW log boiler and soon to be installed Solar Panel
- 500L thermal store – the vital engine room of these low carbon systems
- Heating supplied by log boiler linked to underfloor heating on ground floor
- Minimal running cost from locally cut logs (rather than the alternative Russian/ Middle Eastern imported gas/oil)
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: 96%
Glen Cottage
Glen Cottage is a very low energy family home built using our eco-frame construction technique with render cladding. Features of the design are a striking turret concealing the staircase, a first floor balcony providing an excellent location to enjoy the sea view and on the ground floor folding doors to really open up the house in the summer to enjoy the patio area.
Touchwood homes designed, supplied and erected the frame, along with supplying and installing the Optiwin passivhaus windows. The render finish provides a very modern crisp look to the build with fine lines around the windows.
Garden Workshop
The garden workshop consists of a single storey workshop building next to the clients home designed and built to meet local permitted development criteria. Featuring Touchwood supplied and installed Optiwin Passivhaus triple glazed windows and large sliding doors creates an opening 5 meters wide which brings the garden into the building for a stunning feel.
The large amount of glazing, combined with the roof overhang results in a building requiring minimal heating, without any risk of summer overheating. Built to be air tight, the building also has a Touchwood installed PAUL HRV system to provide constant filtered fresh air, without any heat loss.
Touchwood also installed the Passivhaus foundation for this project, with the building sitting on an exposed concrete raft with 400mm of polystyrene under, resulting in minimal heat loss to ground.
The building would actually make a great studio apartment.
Duncombe Cottage
The Sweeney’s came to us looking for a dwelling on their woodland site to replace the existing structurally unsafe house. The stunning looking house was designed and supplied by Touchwood and put up by our team, on top of the basement garage.
This house is unusual being off grid, and in a woodland setting – so a log burning stove, solar panels and high levels of insulation were critical components to the family home. The unusual mansard roof was chosen so the building complemented some local cottages of a similar design.
- Hot water supplied by: 2 Solarpanel circuits east and west + LPG
- Heating supplied by: Logs + plus LPG towel rail
- Running Costs: (new build)
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: Estimated at 90%
Portland Place
Portland Place is a high specification low energy development built on a town centre brownfield site to provide modern open plan accommodation. The building is timber frame, with the front facade being brick clad to match the Victorian street.
The 3 storey timber frame structure was built over a full size basement to provide two, three bed roomed apartments with a shared heating and hot water system. The apartments were designed to produce minimal carbon emissions - so passivhaus levels of airtightness, cold bridging and solar gain were incorporated followed by the remaining energy requirements for hot water and space heating being delivered in a low carbon manner – solar thermal in conjunction with a wood pellet boiler.
The shared heating system features a 1000 litre thermal store heated initially by the large 8 panel solar array, backed up by a wood pellet Ökofen boiler with autofeed auger so providing an automated system with very low carbon emissions.
For summer when hot water is provided by solar there are minimal associated carbon emissions. In winter wood pellets will be used which provide a 93% saving on carbon emissions over gas. Since the building meets the passivhaus scheme in terms of energy loss, there is a 90% energy saving present for internal heating, along with the remaining 10% being delivered in a low carbon manner (pellets 93% less CO2 emissions than gas).
Compared to a conventional house with a gas boiler, we have achieved:
- 96.0% reduction in CO2 for hot water provision
- 99.3% on heating.
The apartments have their own PAUL Heat Recovery Ventilation Units to provide continuous fresh air which have an integrated heater battery supplied by the thermal store to provide heating if required during a winter cold snap
Another important feature is low energy lighting throughout, featuring predominately LED fittings, reducing electricity demand by 90% when compared with conventional lighting. These lights also create a modern feel, offering many options for lighting the space.
- Hot water supplied by: solar and wood pellets charge the thermal store
- Heating supplied by: HRV with heater battery
- Running Costs: Zero for summer, estimate £200 for winter
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: 98% reduction.
Post Office Cottage
Post office cottage consists of an extension to a 2 bedroomed cottage to provide an extra bedroom and a large kitchen.
The existing structure was Oak frame, with the new extension provided by a modern I beam timber structure. All external walls have been fully insulated, along with substantial loft insulation to minimise heat loss. The new low carbon central heating / hot water system consists of solar panels backed up by a log boiler for the winter, all feeding into a large thermal store.
For in depth details of this project please click here
- Hot water supplied by: Solar panel plus log boiler
- Heating supplied by: log stove , Log boiler linked to underfloor heating
- Running Costs: Nearly zero – client cuts trees from own land
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: 96%
Dyffryn
Emma and Dan Holmes had been living in a bungalow at a superb location with great sea views for 8 years but always wished for a better house. They then made the decision to demolish the bungalow and build a new low energy house on the site. After gaining planning permission, the bungalow was demolished and Touchwood were awarded the contract to supply the pre-cut timber frame.
Once the frame arrived on site our team were there ready to advise the local builders on how to put the frame up and after two days training the local team were ready to get started. Putting the frame up was successfully achieved within a few weeks, and the Holmes are now very happy living in their new home
The Holmes benefit from having their own woodland where they cut logs for their heating and hot water provision, so it can be claimed the house is virtually carbon and cost free for these - quite an achievement!
The only running cost is electricity, which comes in at around 7,000kWh / year a typical amount for this size house.
- Hot water supplied by: solar panel + log boiler + immersion heater
- Heating supplied by: log rayburn stove
- Running costs: heating & hot water free (logs cut by client from own land)
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: estimated at 95%
Cowley Dairy Farm
The Cowley Dairy Farm project consisted of designing, supplying two farm worker’s cottages on Jersey. The client chose Touchwood since he was looking for a design that would result in minimal running costs for the houses and so save money for the farm workers.
Once delivered our team quickly put the two timber frames up, with local trades then following on for roofing, rendering and internals.
The project uses our passivhaus foundation system to completely thermally separate the dwellings from the ground - the entire structure is built on top of polystyrene, with a concrete slab on top. This will result in minimal heat loss to the ground, saving energy and reducing the heating demand further. This slab also means no screeding is necessary – the slab is the finished floor, so saving a process.
As is vital to all our air-tight buildings, the cottages both have Heat Recovery Ventilation units installed.
- Hot water supplied by: solar panels
- Heating supplied by: heater battery in HRV unit
- Running Costs: (data not yet available)
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: 90%+
Woodhouse
Woodhouse is a healthy contemporary family home achieving low energy usage by following Passivhaus principles:
- Well insulated, timber I beam construction, with 300mm Warmcel insulation in the wall, 350mm insulation in the roof, 150mm insulation in floor.
- The building has a compact shape which minimises the surface area to volume ratio.
- Orientated for solar gain, with few windows to the north, east and west but with extensive windows facing south. In addition to providing heat this minimises the need for artificial lighting during the winter.
- Windows triple glazed with glass tuned for insulation to north, east/west and for solar gain to south.
- To minimise overheating a pergola runs along the south of the building and supports fast growing deciduous vegetation, providing shade in summer but unobscured solar gain in winter.
- Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery provides constant fresh air during the heating season while retaining energy in the building.
- Heat delivery in Winter is by the ventilation air which allows a peak energy delivery of 2.2kW/h.
- Good airtightness, with 0.47m3/m2 certification, as a result the building is draught free no matter what the weather.
- Hot water supplied by: solar + gas backup for winter
- Heating supplied by: 2kW heater battery in HRV
- Running Costs: Estimated at £100
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas hot water and space heating: 90%
Buxton Road
The Buxton Road project consists of an impressive German style house, featuring large glazed gable ends.
The modern looking building constructed using a pre-cut Glulam frame is an impressive sight on the street. Due to the large Glulam beams involved in the build a mini crane was required, the images showing some construction phases.
The build was unusual for us being a full Glulam frame – we prefer to use I beams though for this project the Glulam frame provides an impressive look.
Kiwanja
Chris and Sharon Brown approached us at the Ecobuild 07 show in Earls Court looking for an Ecohome that they could easily self build and would offer them a high quality structure with very low running costs, as well as a fantastic place to live - their dream home.
They had already been granted planning permission to remove an existing bungalow on their land and replace it with a modern timber frame dwelling. Working from their plans our designer created a 3D computer model of the house structure which was then sent to them for approval. The structure was designed using 300mm I beams to create thick, very well insulated walls.
Once they had approved the design and decided on the specification for the windows and doors, they placed the order for their new home with Touchwood Homes and five weeks later the complete pre-cut house was delivered to their site, with the windows, doors and claddings included in the package. Touchwood Homes were there to advise them on how they needed to set about putting the structure together and so Chris and Sharon were easily able to erect their home and install an air-tight membrane around the building before completing the rest of the build, mainly working weekends.
They were able to move in on the autumn of 2008 although they had yet to install their wood pellet boiler. The winter of 2008 / 2009 has proved to be the most severe in 18 years and yet still without any heating installed, the Brown's told us how amazingly warm their Touchwood Home was – even though at times the outside temperature dropped to -8 degrees, the internal temperature was maintained at around 18 degrees.
This occurs because the house is super insulated and has minimal cold bridging in the design as well as being of an air-tight construction. The only heat provided in the building is the minimal heat produced by the low energy lighting, appliances, computer equipment and body heat (a body emits roughly 100W of heat into a room) along with solar gain through the windows. These features are the key aspects to the Passivhaus approach to building – minimising heat loss through the building envelope to such a degree that a heating system is not required. All Touchwood houses are designed with the Passivhaus principles in mind, meaning very low running costs throughout the year.
Chris and Sharon are very happy in their new home and recently invited the Touchwood Homes team to visit and told us that their friends have been amazed to be told that there is no heating system in the house because it is always so warm.
- Hot water supplied by: solar panel plus pellet boiler
- Heating supplied by: pellet boiler
- Running Costs: unavailable
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: pellets 93% less carbon emissions than gas
Hopground Cottage
Hopground Cottage is located in a small Hertfordshire village so the planning department required the styling to fit in with the local vernacular.
This was achieved along with constructing an air-tight very well insulated modern building. The house features 250mm thick walls insulated with Warmcel, house wrap for an air-tight build, heat recovery ventilation, rainwater harvesting and solar hot water heating. Our client explained that the solar panel has provided all the hot water needs for her own use over the summer periods - an impressive saving over conventional fossil fuel powered hot water heating systems. The 5000L rainwater harvesting tank provides most of her water needs - the previous 6 months water bill was only £4.03 for water used (plus £13.50 standing charge) clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of rainwater harvesting systems.
- Hot water supplied by: solar panel plus immersion heater in winter
- Heating supplied by: log stove + HRV
- Running Costs: unavailable
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: 90%
Russetts House
This is a more traditional style home with all the benefits of a modern eco house. There is no heating system except for 4kW of electric underfloor heating in case of very cold weather which is rarely used. A heat recovery ventilation system is installed to provide constant fresh air and solar hot water for virtually free hot water.
The building was air pressure tested and had an air leakage rate of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals, with building regs standing at 10.
The occupiers inform us the over the winter the internal temperature remains comfortable with no heating applied.
- Hot water supplied by: Solar + immersion heater
- Heating supplied by: None required but 4kW electric underfloor installed
- Running Costs: minimal
- Carbon emissions saving cf gas: 95%
Touchwood
Touchwood is our own Eco house development in Hertfordshire. The timber frame house has a full size basement and a large attic room which would make an excellent office or playroom. The house features excellent levels of insulation, low energy lighting throughout including the latest in LED technology. Other features include a 2.88kW grid connected PV system, rainwater harvesting, solar water heating and a heat recovery ventilation system.
The house is a good example of what is possible with an Eco home and shows that a modern open plan interior with high specification bathrooms and kitchens is consistent with the low energy ethos. During the summer 2007 the house was used by East Herts District Council as a venue to educate the general public about environmental issues such as recycling, insulating your home and ways to reduce our impact on the environment.
- Hot water supplied by: Solar panel plus immersion heater
- Heating supplied by: Log stove + HRV
- Running Costs: logs from your local supplier
- Carbon emission saving cf gas: 95%
- Extras: 2.88kW grid connected PV supplying 60% on site demand
Octagon
The Octagon house is a Touchwood concept design looking for a suitable building plot! The shape should work well with solar gain since it will receive sun from the southeast, south and southwest as the sun moves across the sky.
The house could be constructed using bespoke Glulam beams with I-beam infill panels filled with Warmcel to provide super insulation along with excellent air-tightness. PVs could be present on the three roof surfaces to provide a more even PV output throughout the day than conventional south-facing-only PV installations.