He is best known as one of the designer’s on the iconic Channel 4 show Changing Rooms and on the BBC’s DIY SOS, but eco architect Oliver Heath has many other strings to his bow. Here, he speaks to Rebekah Commane to offer advice to those considering self-build projects and to shed light on how design choices can increase happiness in the home
His name is synonymous with eco friendly architecture and green living and Oliver Heath certainly practices what he preaches. Having built his own home complete with various energy saving measures, from under-floor heating to solar panels, Heath is of the belief that adding such elements to your home will benefit not just your wallet, but your mood.
Happiness at home
“Something I feel is really important is happiness and how we can make our homes happier,” Heath told What Mortgage.
“Who doesn’t want to live in a happy home?” he asks. “There are a lot of things we could be doing to make our homes happier. Welcoming sunlight into your home is really important; it can make you physically happier and prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and studies have shown that access to sunlight can help to reduce the amount of medication that people take. It can also allow plants to grow, which can remove toxins in our homes.”
He says that in general, the happiest homes have 1.5 rooms per occupant, so they have a spare room.
“For certain age groups the aesthetics and style of their home is very important to them. Those between 20 and 35, who do more entertaining, care more about how their home looks; for some its access to local shops and for others its proximity to neighbours and communities that will make them happier.”
Smart systems
The architect, who has featured on numerous property and design shows over the years, says that while so many of us are aware of how technology can impact on your life, smart technology can also be implemented in the home.
“For me smart systems are all about getting added benefits, so rather than just painting your wall, you could be painting it with a type of smart paint that offers additional benefits. It could be an insulating paint that uses nanotechnology to reflect heat back into the home and keep it warmer or you could be using a light reflective paint, which will help to cut electricity bills by not having to turn the lights on so much.”
He encourages thinking outside the box to make the most of every element of your home.
“Amazing things can be put into a home that have added benefits, so instead of just thinking of your roof as a surface for keeping the rain off and the wind out, it could be collecting electrical energy that you could be earning money from; it could be collecting heat and warmth for 60 per cent of your hot water needs; it could be collecting water that you can then feed into your toilets, your washing machine or your garden. So it’s about thinking smart and getting added benefits from everything in your home.”
Self-build
In terms of offering advice to those planning a self-build project of their own, Heath recommends carrying out as much research as possible before signing up to anything.
“Don’t buy any land before you’ve done your research. You need to make sure you can get planning permission first, which is critical. Speak to the local parish council and the local planning authority to have an initial discussion to determine what they think might be acceptable. Look at services available such as gas, electricity and water and start to have some initial discussions with an architect about the costs involved and what they think about the site.
“If you can speak to experienced professionals first, that’s ideal. Offer to pay for two hours of their time; it would be worth an enormous amount.”
Despite some television shows leading viewers to believe that self-build projects always come in on budget, this can’t always be the case. Heath stresses the importance of having a contingency sum prepared as it is impossible to prepare for all eventualities.
“Nobody has X-ray vision. A good designer and architect will recommend you have a contingency sum, which very often gets eaten up in the early stages of a project as there are things that you can’t foresee.
“On a refurbishment you should really have 15 per cent contingency and on a new build, at least 10 per cent. It’s quite a lot when you add in VAT; you’ve probably spent 30 per cent of your budget on nothing.
“Generally the more of a handle of the cost you can get from the outset, the better. If you can get an experienced quantity surveyor involved you’ll be in a much better position to understand what you can afford when you approach a contractor.”
The client wobble
Clients, Heath explains, often suffer from a bout of anxiety at some stage during the project, which abates when everything is complete and they have their dream home.
“There’s a recognisable stage in every project and I call it ‘the client wobble’, when the client goes ‘I can’t believe we’ve decided to do this; you’ve ruined the site, the project, what were you thinking’. Every client does this about three quarters of the way through and you just have to say that they knew what they had agreed to before getting into it and to trust me. And then the project completes and they’re like: ‘Wow this is amazing, I can’t believe we had a wobble of it,’ six months after it’s completed and the dust settles, they can appreciate the quality of the space.
“Of course building a home is both the most rewarding thing you can ever do and one of the most terrifying, because of the complexities, the number of decisions that need to be made and the amount of money that’s being spent. *(pull out quote)
“The more professionals you can bring onboard the better. The people who think they can step from a conventional job into completing a new build construction are either fairly confident or fool hardy. I mean, you wouldn’t think you could do your own dental work!”
Green measures
When designing his own home, Heath looked to make it as green as possible and in 2010 converted a 1960’s property into, what he calls, an ‘energy efficient super home’.
“We managed to cut energy bills by about 75 per cent, so from around £2,500 to about £800 a year. That financial saving is also reflected in the level of comfort within the home. When we first converted the house and I’d wake up in the night I’d think I’d left the heating on as my house only loses a degree and a half of temperature, even in the middle of winter.
“We have lots of insulation, lots of draught excluding measures, so it’s relatively airtight, new boilers, under-floor heating on the ground floor and very small radiators on the first.
“On top of that we have solar panels which earn us money. We’ve got solar water heating panels which, as of next year, will earn us money. We’ve got something called a heat recovery system which recovers and refreshes the air throughout the house and recycles the energy, keeping the air clean.”
When it comes to the government’s Green Deal scheme, Heath believes that, while there are some glitches to be ironed out, it’s a start in getting people to introduce environmental measures in the home.
“We don’t really have any other system that’s going to refurbish the 14 million homes across the UK that need to be improved. Insulating your home not only saves you energy but keeps you warmer and having a warmer more comfortable home is good for everyone.
“If you’ve got the money to spend it’s better to pay for it yourself but if you haven’t, it’s a great way to borrow the money without any upfront costs, other than the initial consultation.”
Oliver Heath will be available for 15 minute consultations at The National Home Improvement Show, running from September 27th to 29th in Olympia exhibition centre, London.
Bookings for consultations can be made at the show and will be on a first come first served basis.
More information on Oliver Heath can be found on his website, oliverheath.com.
