Why choose a Positive Footprints House

From its inception in 2001, Positive Footprints was created to make it easy for people to achieve a beautiful, low energy, and low impact home. One that was not only aesthetically pleasing, but also one owners could be truly proud of.

We were conscious however that there was a large disconnect between designers who understood Passive Solar Design and sustainability more broadly, and builders who didn't know the principles and were unfamiliar with products and the detailing necessary to achieve an as built outcome that performed thermally as it was designed.  We were also aware, that even with the best of intentions, introducing more parties into the process, could lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings. 

So we combined both Sustainable Design and Construction within the one company. Both arms of the business learning from, and informing, the other.  This also has the benefit of allowing the process to flow seamlessly from design, through construction, to handover. 

Happily, as well as producing homes with environmental integrity, we have found our homes tend to be:

Full of natural light and more connected to the outside, due to our focus on inviting in the winter sun with judicious window placement

Warmer throughout winter and cooler in summer, due to our meticulous insulation, eave design, and thermal modelling

Quieter, because of the focus on tight insulation and double glazing during construction

With good air quality, due both to the selection of low off-gassing, healthier products, and the fact that our homes are warmer in winter, allowing windows to be opened more often throughout the year, bringing in fresh air

Well connected with the Outdoors, due to our focus on harnessing sun and prevailing breezes to regulate temperature, and facilitating Indoor/Outdoor living

Very cheap to run, with heating & cooling mostly taken care of by passive solar design, efficient appliances and lighting throughout, and power and hot water from the sun, bills are very low

And of course we think our homes are beautiful and are proud of the awards we have won, and the numerous happy clients we have to show for our labour!