Living off the grid is the bomb (I mean, zero electricity bills and minimal impact on the planet is pretty cool), but the bit that no one tells you is - you don’t actually have to live off-grid to access many of the benefits.

I often get asked if I can recommend a good building designer, so I thought it might be helpful to put together a few quick questions you can ask.

The difference between a passively designed home and a passive-certified home can be confusing. Read on to explore the difference using a bad hockey analogy, and hear why we never aspired for Booken House to be a certified passive home.

Going owner-builder might have saved us in excess of 100K, but it also shaved about ten years off my life. Let’s break it down.

Correct selection, placement and shading of glazing is your ticket to sweet bugger all utility bills (or zero in our case), a comfy temperature all year round, and less impact on the planet.

This renovation proved that even when you are a west-facing, faux-brick ugly duckling on an urban block, you can be brought back to life with hard work and simple passive design principles. Find out more about this beautiful flipped home, ‘Ethelbrook’.

A behind-the-scenes look at a mini-maker of the master bedroom in an off-grid passively designed home, Booken House.

Would you like free heat, abundant natural light and comfort all year round in your new home or reno? Then good orientation needs to go at the top of your priority list.

We get asked lots of questions about our burnished concrete floors (not polished), so here are all the answers compiled into one easy-to-access place.

Featured in the House of Wellness: While Steve and Lisa’s house would look at home in any architectural or design magazine, its off-grid capability and resourceful design inclusions are the real standout features.

So many of us are keen on incorporating greater sustainability into our builds or renovations, but we’re not quite sure where to start. This is how we did it.

Oh how I wish I could write a post called, ‘How to Build a Sustainable House’, but I have a funny feeling this journal is going to turn out to be a ‘what not to do’ type of publication rather than a lovely perfect set of instructions.