Code for Sustainable Homes Shows the Way Forward

Such reviews are carried out based on the following factors; energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, water consumption, building materials, surface water run-off, waste disposal, pollution, health, well-being, management and ecology. Newly built houses now build must comply with at least code level 3 of the CSH. This is judged on a set of minimum criteria that must be met and judged based on a number of points that are accrued for various environmentally friendly implementations.

The only restriction on wood floors is that they are not installed in a room with a full bath. However, kitchens and even basements work well with engineered wood, which involves several layers of laminate construction on the inside, finished off with a solid wood exterior. Wood is susceptible to moisture and a full bath can be damaging over time.

Building fabric
The Code for Sustainable Homes also awards credits for the energy performance of the building envelope directly in the second issue of the energy category. There are two credits available. When the strategy as discussed in the previous section is followed at least one of these credits and in many case both credits will be achieved.

This is often why many self builders of kit homes end up staying in a caravan on site as they will probably have sold their home first, but this is not ideal if you have a young family. Huf Haus is probably the most well known self build manufacturer as they are often seen on Grand Designs but they do not build standard designs. Not all self builders favour the kit homes. Some of the biggest self build manufacturers refuse to make standard kits. 50% of self builds are designed by architects and are thought to be one-offs.

The earth