Rob and Karen Rickey bought a 1950's brick built house, Redlands, in Crediton last year with the intention of seeing just how well insulated and environmentally friendly they could make it.

Rob has created a blog to chart their progress where you will be able to follow the project stage by stage.

Below is a brief explanation written by Rob of what they are doing:-

"At Redlands we saw an opportunity to have a light, airy and comfortable house with a beautiful and productive garden. The house is a typical 1950s brick construction, which leaks like a sieve and is hard to heat in winter. Using the Passivhaus Planning Package, we intend to reduce the heating requirement by at least 80% and significantly improve comfort and air quality. We are also reorganising the house to take advantage of the sun and the views, which are wonderful. 

We started with the studio and garden in order to get he digging over with and get the fruit trees growing as soon as possible. I will include information on the building physics and materials as we go along. Start on the house is planned for August."