Mark experienced his own building project as a client in 2004 and recognised the need for better information. He was handed a copy of the Building Guide from the local Council. 

The Building Guide was a different publication then and Mark saw potential for how it could help prospective homeowners get better information. So in 2006, Mark Graham bought the magazine. 

He explains to me why he hated advertising - the very industry he worked in for 14 years, and how he now relies on it. What's the difference?

What's self-help housing and why is it important?

Canopy Housing Project is a self-help housing organisation based in Leeds, U.K., creating decent homes by renovating derelict ones. Steve Hoey has been running Canopy Housing for the last six years and I asked him why he does what he does. 

Also in this episode, the five essentials of self-help housing and Steve's great book recommendation.

http://canopyhousing.org

Would you buy a prefabricated, modular home made in China?

Ecotech Homes are versatile, modular housing solutions. I caught up with their Major Project Director, Craig Nisbet just before he took off to Ghana to talk about prefabricated, affordable, quality homes.

I found out there are some good reasons to consider factory built, modular homes.

'Affordable housing' is a term that's often misused to describe only the purchase price of a house. But to be truly affordable, the total cost of living in that house needs to be considered, including commuting, power bills and other utilities, maintenance and even health.

Daiman Otto understands that affordable housing means more than just supplying houses cheaply.

Daiman's involved in a number of exciting projects and he explains them much better than I could, so click on the links below to find out more:

• CABA: Beautiful, affordable architecture
• ARKit: Advanced prefabricated architecture
• Analogue Structures: prefab Skunk Works combining resource efficiency, open source, micro-buildings, 3D & CNC technology and entrepreneurship
• DKOtto.com

Jessica Eyers is a passionate advocate for sustainable, green design. As I discovered during this interview, Jessica is also really interested in the science of green building and understanding what works and what doesn't work.

For more, go to http://homestylegreen.com/72

Jennifer Crawford used to sell houses, now she helps people to buy the house that they really want. What's the difference? Listen in to find out!

If you're in New Zealand, you can find a Homestar Homecoach here: http://www.homestar.org.nz/the-journey/homecoach

If you want help with your new home, get in touch and I'll see if I can point you in the right direction. 

How to do the type of design work you want, from where you want. Duncan Sinclair is the founder of Black Pine Architects. His practice and his home are in Whanganui, but thanks to the internet, his work can be anywhere.

http://www.blackpine.co.nz/

Dan Heyworth is on a mission to improve the range and quality of houses available to New Zealanders. 

After returning to New Zealand from UK a few years ago, Dan realised there are really only two main options for getting a house built, either going to a building company for a cheaper, mainstream house; or going to an architect for an expensive one. 

Box Living is both an architectural firm and a building company. Dan and his team are passionate about bringing the benefits of architecturally designed homes, to everyone. 

www.boxliving.co.nz

An article about a couple of energy efficient homes in New Zealand caught my attention recently. I decided to look up the owners of one and Ron was very generous with his time. I was also grateful to be able to record our conversation so I could share the learning and successes with you. 

If you'd like advice or recommendations on your future home, please get in touch. I'd love to help. 

Link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/features/lifestyle/going-green/9978533/Green-home-design-has-it-all

Get your plans reviewed:

http://homestylegreen.com/house-plan-review/

Nudura is a brand of Insulated Concrete Forms, which as CEO Murray Snider describes, is like giant Lego blocks. When the polystyrene pieces are slotted together and then concrete poured into the central cavity, creating airtight walls, the resulting comfort and thermal performance is impressive. 

Murray was recently visiting New Zealand from his home in Canada and I took the opportunity to find out more about ICF and Nudura. 

For more, visit 

http://homestylegreen.com/67

To get in touch with Nudura directly here in New Zealand, contact Chevy Chisholm 

email: chevy.chisholm@me.com

phone: 021 766 117