Ethos Homes

Enhance Comfort
The average NZ home is 16 degrees inside during winter, the temperature at which the risk of respiratory illness increases. At less than 12 degrees, there is a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks. Ethos Homes are built airtight, with marginal air changes per hour. With an airtight home, it is easy to achieve and maintain 20-24 degrees throughout the entire home, no temperature variations from room to room and no cold drafts

Enhance Health
One in six New Zealanders are sick with respiratory illnesses, costing $6.16 billion a year.
Design elements of an Ethos home significantly reduce the indoor levels of dust, pollen and excess moisture that can affect the long term health of its occupants. Mechanical ventilation ensures stale, humid or otherwise polluted indoor air is continuously replaced with fresh filtered air.

Sustainability
Inefficient buildings contribute to climate change. Ethos homes are better for the environment. They have reduced energy use, less waste production, diminished environmental and emissions costs and lower operational and maintenance costs.

The NZ building code is woefully inadequate. At Ethos homes we provide you with various solutions to achieving an energy-efficient home. Our continuum begins with our standard Ethos build (well beyond NZS build requirements), advances through to the internationally recognised Certified Passive House, or take it a step further to be self-sufficient and 'off-grid.’ It’s up to you the level of energy efficiency you want to achieve.

Certified Passive House

Ethos Homes are qualified Certified Passive Housebuilders and have built two Certified Passive Houses in Christchurch.

Passive House is a building standard, that is energy efficient, comfortable, affordable and sustainable. Passive House buildings have heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical building stock and over 75% compared with average new builds. All Certified Passive Houses are modeled with the Passive House Planning Programme (PHPP) and Blower door tested to ensure they meet the standard.

High-performance Homes

Ethos Homes specialises in Passive House and high-performance homes, we build beautiful bespoke homes that perform exceptionally.

A high-performance home or low energy build is one where the home is designed and built smart. The home layout will be orientated for correct solar gain and appropriate shading to prevent overheating. It will have a well-insulated thermal envelope, with recessed, thermally broken windows. The home will be airtight with a mechanically ventilated heat recovery system. A high-performance home will perform exceptionally, with superior air quality, and low energy bills.

Eco and Superhome

All of Ethos Homes builds are super, our St Martins home is 8 Homestar certified.

A Superhome is built above code, to between Homestar 6 and 10. Homestar is an independent measure of your home using a 10-star system, it evaluates health, energy, water, waste and the building materials used. A Superhome is a warm, healthy and resilient home that is inexpensive to run and has minimal impact on the environment.

We started Ethos to help people like you, people like us, who want to live in a healthy sustainable home. The minimum we build or renovate to is the Ethos standard and it is our integrity on the line in every build. We blower door test our homes because as well as saying we build better we prove it. So whether you are a young family who want a healthier home, an early adopter wanting to make the right environmental choices or looking for certainty over energy bills as you head into retirement, give Ethos a call.

Ethos Homes are qualified, experienced and proven, we will deliver on the home you want.

• High Performance Build
• Low Energy Build
• Passive House Classic
• Passive House Plus Performance

Delivering the home you desire

Do you want a healthy sustainable home to raise your family in? to retire in comfort with predictable energy bills? Or are you an early adopter who wants to live better and do better for the environment?

At Ethos we work with you to design and build the home you desire. A signature Ethos home is airtight, well insulated, mechanically ventilated with a heat recovery system, and fitted with thermally broken double or triple glazed recessed joinery. Our homes improve you and your family's health and wellbeing with improved air quality, reducing the levels of dust, moisture and pollen; improved thermal comfort, no room to room temperature variation, no drafts, reduced seasonal and daily temperature variations; and all with lower running costs.

Communication
We build every home like it was our own. We work with you throughout the entire process from design to landscaping ensuring we deliver on your dream.
Over the years we have discovered that relationships are the key to successful builds. Our goal is to build a strong relationship with you our client, with clear lines of communication, transparency, regular site meetings, access to our online build portal with a detailed schedule, progress updates/reports and site photos, to make you feel at ease during the build process.

Quality Control
We ensure your home meets your expectations through rigorous in-house and third-party testing and inspections. We Blower door test before the linings are installed and at the end of the build to qualify the airtightness of your home so you know how it will perform.

Working together... getting it right from the start!
Our team at Ethos Homes knows what it takes to achieve high-performance outcomes. And it starts with working together with qualified, specialised people, committed to getting the detail right.

Here’s a brief overview of how we help make your dreams reality:

Exploring options
Talk to us about your building project, your section and your dreams.
We will introduce you to a high performance/Passive House Architect/Designer.
We can help you clarify your priorities and goals for your home, and then advise you on how to achieve this including appropriate components.

Adding Clarity
Work with a designer/architect to add design and detail to plans.
At this stage, we’ll work with you to balance your plans with your budget and desired outcomes.
Once your concept plans are established, there will be enough detail for a comprehensive estimate by an independent quantity surveyor.

Confirming details
Your home design and plans are submitted to the Council for permit and consent.
The build estimate is confirmed based on final detailing and client preferences and budget. A build contract is signed to commence the build of your high-performance home.

Construct & Build
Our Ethos team will build and oversee the construction of all aspects of your new home.
You are given access to our cloud-based software that keeps you up to date with photos, details and all progress, as your home is built. Our commitment to your home is everything. Achieving high performance is only possible with our attention to every detail.