PODCAST

House Planning Help Podcast

Ben Adam-Smith

If you want to build a house, where would you start?

education how to

All Episodes

01:11:20

HPH398: What does it take to create a bio-based...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2026/03/28

Janna and Seb Laan Lomas explain the ethos behind their self build which blends low energy design and natural building while reducing plastics in the construction and also minimising waste. The level of detail, the decisions made and the careful use of the budget have been instrumental in delivering this fantastic project, which makes a great home for them as well as a site that encourages wildlife. Check out the show notes for more information.

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51:11

HPH397: Sheep's wool insulation and other natural...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2026/02/23

Mark Lynn from Eden Renewable Innovations explains how sheep's wool insulation is made, outlines the pros and cons, and suggests how it is best specified and installed. He also shares some common traits of natural fibre insulation as a category. Check out the show notes for more information.

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48:21

HPH396: Getting planning permission for a replacement...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2026/02/09

Mark Doodes from Mark Doodes Planning explains what we mean by applying for planning permission to demolish and rebuild a house, how it is done, what some of the challenges might be and how to do as much as possible to improve your chances of a successful outcome. Check out the show notes for more information.

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41:26

HPH395: How easy is it to insure a natural building?...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2026/01/26

Dr. James Glockling explains how insurance works and outlines some of the challenges of insuring a natural building. Check out the show notes for more information

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45:03

HPH394: Could you automate air sealing on a house...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2026/01/08

Hugh Franklin from Aeroseal UK explains how the airtightness of a building can be improved using a water-based, low VOC atomised polymer which is delivered when the building is pressurised. This simpler approach speeds up the process of air sealing and gives real-time feedback on the airtightness score. Check out the show notes for more information

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38:37

HPH393: How can you reduce the embodied carbon of a...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/12/17

Elly Deacon Smith and Kirk Rushby from Arbor Architects explain why they consider the embodied carbon of their projects, how they do it and how it is balanced with competing factors. Check out the show notes for more information.

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53:44

HPH392: What's the difference between good and bad...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/12/03

Marion Baeli, author of "Residential Retrofit," offers hands-on experience of designing and retrofitting high performance homes. As well as drawing on her personal retrofit she shares the lessons learnt from revisiting properties that took part in the Retrofit for the Future competition over a decade ago. Check out the show notes for more information.

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44:32

HPH391: Earth floors – with Jeffrey Hart

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/11/19

Jeffrey Hart from the Earthen Floor Company gives us the lowdown on natural earth floors, explaining what the components are, how they are mixed and the process of installing them. He also outlines the benefits and limitations, and highlights what makes them a great choice for an eco home. Check out the show notes for more information.

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40:29

HPH390: Practical considerations when looking for a...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/11/05

Ben Adam-Smith shares a few thoughts about what to look for in a plot of land for a low energy house build. Check out the show notes for more information

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51:59

HPH389: Air-to-air mini split heat pumps – with Es...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/10/22

Es Tresidder from Highland Passive explains what an air-to-air mini split heat pump is, why he believes it's a good choice for heating a high performance home and the various pros and cons of going down this route. He also reflects on one of the toughest stages of his retrofit when they took the roof off the existing dwelling and then faced torrential rain. Check out the show notes for more information.

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43:20

HPH388: How are building regulations made? – with...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/10/08

Having spent the last few years working within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, John Palmer explains how building regulations are made and what their role is within the construction industry. Check out the show notes for more information.

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47:57

HPH387: How do you make a Victorian terrace home more...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/09/24

Will South from Etude takes us step-by-step through the retrofit of his Victorian terrace house in Brighton, which has improved the health, comfort and energy efficiency of the property. Check out the show notes for more information.

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46:57

HPH386: The potential of mycelium-based composites –...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/09/10

Joshua English, co-founder of Okom wrks labs shares his journey into the creation of a mycelium-based composite material, which has structural and load-bearing properties. Check out the show notes for more information.

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36:07

HPH385: A stunning contemporary home on a sloping...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/08/26

Architect Kirsty Maguire shares her experience of designing and building her own Passivhaus on a challenging sloping site in Newport-on-Tay, Scotland. Check out the show notes for more information.

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57:20

HPH384: De-risking a Passivhaus project – with Sally...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/08/13

Sally Godber, a Director at WARM consultancy explains why reducing the risks on her own Passivhaus project was so important, what that entailed and how it enabled her to deliver a healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient home on budget. Check out the show notes for more information.

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46:17

HPH383: A beginner's guide to creating a comfortable...

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/07/30

Andy Mitchell, Managing Director of 21 Degrees, explains what factors influence human comfort and how we have tried to make our homes more comfortable through the years. Embracing building physics has been a turning point and while we have the knowledge and skills to create healthy and comfortable homes today, it's still not the default approach. So Andy outlines the options available to get yourself into a better home. Check out the show notes for more information.

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51:01

HPH382: What is a Principal Designer? – with Ben Nother

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/07/16

Ben Nother, a Director at Hawkland design and build company, explains the two different roles of Principal Designer in meeting building regulations and addressing CDM health and safety. He also reflects on how this has been integrated into the processes at Hawkland. Check out the show notes for more information.

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54:26

HPH381: What is Passivhaus Premium? – with Phil Neve

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/07/02

Phil Neve explains what Passivhaus Premium is and why he chose to target the standard for his own self build in Somerset. He also talks through his biggest project challenge, which was obtaining planning permission to build in open countryside. Check out the show notes for more information.

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34:43

HPH380: What is Passivhaus Plus? – with Heather Johnson

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/06/18

Heather Johnson from AD Practice explains what Passivhaus Plus is, how it differs from Passivhaus Classic accreditation and what benefits achieving the standard will afford. She also reveals why most of her clients target 'Plus' and outlines the steps to achieve this on a project. Check out the show notes for more information.

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42:56

HPH379: What is inclusive design? – with Stephanie Kyle

House Planning Help Podcast ·

2025/06/04

Stephanie Kyle from Floyd Slaski Architects explains how we can design for disability, gender, religion, and anything that’s considered a protected characteristic under the Equality Act. She also highlights the biggest challenge of inclusive design which is people’s differing needs, and suggests how we best go about designing spaces. Check out the show notes for more information.

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House Planning Help Podcast

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