Proven performance
Ethos Homes are qualified Passive house and high performance home builders, we are passionate about building homes that perform for you
We know what it takes to design and build your home to perform for you. The signatures of an Ethos home are airtight, well insulated, mechanically ventilated with thermally broken double or triple glazed recessed joinery. We measure the airtightness of the homes we build so you can be assured of its performance
Discover the benefits
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.
We build every home like it is our own
Highsted High Performance Home
Superior performance provides contemporary comfort
- Triple glazed thermally broken Weathershield aluminium joinery
- Stiebel heat recovery and ventilation system
- 180m2 living space + 40m2 garage
- R5 Blown in ceiling insulation
Sole Residence
Beautiful barn-style family home
- Blower door test result of .19 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- Awaiting Passive House Certification
- Triple glazed thermally broken Weathershield aluminum joinery
- Zehnder heat recovery and ventilation system
- 6 triple glazed Velux skylights
Halswell Grand Design
Grand modern day Californian Bungalow
- High performance home
- Double glazed bespoke timber joinery
- Wolf heat recovery and ventilation system
- Austria Email 303L hot water heat pump
- 528 m2 living space + 50m2 garage
West Melton Low Energy Build
Low energy home wrapped in classic colonial style
- Low energy build
- Blower door test result .92 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- Double glazed joinery from NK windows
- Wolf heat recovery and ventilation system
- 202m2 living space
St Martins 8 Homestar Home
Character home on steriods
- 8 Homestar Certified Home
- Blower door test result .6 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- European low E, argon filled, triple glazed, uPVC tilt and turn windows
- Wolf heat recovery and ventilation system
- Solar panels with Stiebel Eltron hot water heat pump
- 135m2 living space + 40m2garage
Hillsborough Superhome
Bold superhome with ecofriendly features
- Blower door test result of .44 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- Triple-glazed, uPVC, Bertrand windows
- Wolf heat recovery ventilation system
- 2000L Rainwater collection tank
- 152m2 living space + 40m2 garage
Sefton High Performance Home
Charming country home warm and inviting
- Blower door test result of .58 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- uPVC recessed joinery from Hagley
- Wolf heat recovery ventilation system
- 232m2 living space including 44m2 garage
Southshore High Performance Home
Bespoke beach house boasts all the signatures of a high performance Ethos home
- Blower door test result of .44 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- Triple glazed, Bertrand oak joinery
- Wolf heat recovery ventilation system
- 150m2 living space + 43m2 garage and bridge entry
Bishop Street Passive House
Character style certified Passive House breaks the mould
- Designed, built and certified to Passive House Classic standard
- Blower door test result of .38 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- Triple-glazed, uPVC windows from NK Windows
- Wolf heat recovery ventilation system
- 240m2 living space + 80m2 garage
Pitkin-Douglas Passive House Plus
This striking family home is the South Islands first certified Passive House Plus
- Designed, built and certified to Passive House Plus standard
- Blower door test result of .39 air changes per hour (@ 50Pa)
- Triple-glazed, timber framed windows by Thermadura
- Wolf ventilation system
- 144m2 living space + 40m2 garage + 18m2 covered deck
Aiming high is where we start
The NZ building code is woefully inadequate. At Ethos homes we provide you with variable 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 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 House builders, 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.
Whats the Ethos difference
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 its 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 adoptor 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
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