Wichelo Place Eco Home

A small (76m2) self-build two-bedroom Eco House. Construction Cost £200,000. Completed 2007. RIBA Stages 0-7.

This single storey sedum roofed timber framed house is tucked away behind Victorian housing on a previously disused, triangular plot in the popular Hanover area. The house exceeds the Building Research Establishment (BRE) ‘excellent’ rating in energy saving and carbon reduction.

Designed with the orientation of the sun in mind to make the most of solar energy. The ‘spare’ areas between the building and its boundary form intimate outside spaces for the living room and bedrooms, making intelligent use of the triangular site without any wastage. The living space is the highest part of the house and features a large, sliding roof light and sliding, folding doors which make the space especially light and airy. The bedroom wing houses the bathroom and a ‘study corridor’with built-in library. The house also features a utility room and second bathroom adjacent to the main entrance. It has gated entry from the street, a car parking space, provision for wheelchair access and a cycle store – also with a green roof.

Eco Technologies include: solar water heating; grey water recycling; water permeable paving.

Materials: Sedum roof; locally sourced untreated sweet chestnut cladding; lime based render; locally sourced bricks with lime mortar; composite windows; sheep’s wool insulation.
Other materials include recycled plastic damp proof membranes, zero formaldehyde mdf boards, compressed wood fibre sheathing boards, galvanised steel rainwater pipes and gutters, and recycled glass aggregate worktop.

In view of its exemplary ‘green’ features, the house won a number of awards for its sustainability credentials including the Daily Telegraph Eco House of the Year 2007.