The hardest part of any construction project is starting. With decades of building industry experience, we’ve had to answer lots of questions from clients. We’ve compiled a list of the ones we’re asked most often, to help you begin the process.
The Coldwells Build option suits those who would prefer to hand over project management, on-site logistics and construction to a team of dedicated experts. Our FAQs will help you decide if it’s right for you.
We coordinate delivery with our transport partner to move your Passivhaus in sections, assembling it on site with a crane. Logistics and access are reviewed during our initial site assessment. Transport costs depend on distance and number of vehicles required. We’ll provide an accurate quote once we understand your site specifics. We also handle crane hire and permits.
For an estimated price of each Coldwells Build Passivhaus, please view the design range.
Our Coldwells Build service is our fixed price turnkey solution for home-builders in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. We manage the entire process from start to finish. Simply select your preferred Passivhaus design and we’ll build it for you. Watch your new home come to life, on time and on budget, without lifting a finger.
This table outlines what’s included in the Coldwells Build service compared to our You Build service.
Read our manual, Coldwells Build: Full Turnkey. It provides a step-by-step guide to our Coldwells Build service covering – budgeting, plot finding, planning permission, finance, material and product selections, on site construction and more.
Coldwells Build founder, Clare Booth addresses the initial cost differences and explains the long-term savings and benefits of building a Passivhaus.
For more information read our blog, ‘Are Passivhaus Homes More Expensive to Build?’.
Currently our Coldwells Build service is only available in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Our You Build service is available throughout the rest of Scotland and the UK.
Full details of our construction system can be found on our dedicated Construction System page.
If you want to explore customisations, we’ll be happy to assist. All we ask is that you understand this will inevitably add time, money and additional complexity to your project. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus is predesigned, so the layout, engineering and Passivhaus modelling have mostly been taken care of. The designs are tried-and-tested to meet Passivhaus certification criteria and draw upon well-planned layouts and established manufacturing methods, refined over many years. Sticking to these designs means you can count on the quality of your finished home and keep the build time and costs as low as possible.
Of course, you can make some minor adjustments to the design. But big changes that need re-engineering or affect the manufacture of the Coldwells Build Passivhaus aren’t possible without a redesign. It’s all possible, but this redesign would then fall under our Custom Build service.
If you like the design of the Coldwells Build Passivhaus, but wish to have more control over the interior specification, like kitchens, bathrooms and fitted furniture, the alternative is our You Build service.
Coldwells Build founder, Ross Booth explains how we use the Passivhaus standard to build and deliver the world's most energy-efficient, healthy homes.
For more information, read our Coldwells Build manual, Passivhaus: Explained.
Yes. Before you start building your Passivhaus, you’ll need full planning permission from your local council. Each council has its own planning policies, as well as national policies which apply locally. Decisions on whether to grant planning permission are based on these. At Coldwells Build, our experienced team will act as your agent, working to maximise your chance of success.
For more information, read our manual, Planning Permission: A Guide.
We offer a curated range of options to help you personalise your Passivhaus. With years of experience in custom home-building, we've learned that too many choices can cause decision fatigue. That’s why we’ve simplified the selection process, focusing on modern fixtures and finishes that align with the Coldwells Build Passivhaus aesthetic. You’ll be able to choose from our selection of:
Your Passivhaus will arrive on site as a set of fully insulated and airtight closed wall panels, with cladding, windows and doors all pre-installed. In 7-14 days, our highly-skilled team cranes the wall panels into position, along with floor and roof cassettes, to create a complete timber frame structure. The roof finish is applied and your Passivhaus is complete externally.
Then, we get to work on the internal fit out. This includes the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, decoration, MVHR installation and complete plumbing and electrical works.
In total, the on-site construction of your Coldwells Build Passivhaus will take between 6 to 9 months.
We are – Coldwells Build will manage the entire process from start to finish. Watch your new home come to life, on time and on budget, without lifting a finger.
Passivhaus takes a ‘fabric first’ approach to energy efficiency, meaning the home’s materials and components (the building fabric) do all the hard work without needing add-on eco technologies. We start by getting the basics right first. From there, we can offer options like solar PV and battery storage if desired.
Windows are central to the design language of our Passivhaus homes. Unlike traditional new-builds, the proportions specified in every Coldwells Build Passivhaus home are guaranteed to maximise the amount of natural light in every room and create a sense of continuity with the great outdoors. High performance triple glazing comes as standard – the third pane traps warmth indoors in the colder months and stops your home overheating when it’s hot outside. The spaces between each pane of glass are filled with Argon gas, which functions as an acoustic and thermal insulator. It reduces outdoor noise, prevents cold glass surfaces and eliminates condensation – warding off mould growth and keeping the atmosphere in your home a healthy one.
Your home uses a Passivhaus certified mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system (MVHR) that constantly and silently supplies fresh, filtered air while maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature, removing indoor pollutants and balancing internal moisture levels.
Heating and hot water is supplied by a small, economical air source heat pump which uses significantly less fossil fuel than most other systems – better for you and the planet. An electric car charging point comes as standard. Solar PV and battery storage can also be included if requested.
A 10-year structural warranty can be added to your contract for an additional cost, provided by Build-Zone, an A-rated insurer. In the UK, mortgage lenders insist all new homes have a Structural Warranty. This is an insurance policy covering the finished home for the first 10 years. It’s the longest that any warranty or insurance policy can run. It’s not related to how long your Passivhaus is expected to last.
Yes. Designed to enhance any Coldwells Build Passivhaus, our optional double garage follows the same aesthetic language as the rest of your home. With space for two vehicles, this generous addition provides the perfect space for additional storage or for projects that can’t be completed indoors.
Yes. We partner with specialist mortgage provider, Ecology Building Society, experts in funding projects that have positive environmental and social impact. On completion of your Coldwells Build Passivhaus, you’ll be rewarded with Ecology’s top discount (1.5%) off its standard variable rate. The discount is applied to the lifetime of your mortgage.
For more information read our manual, Passivhaus: Financing Guide.
To qualify as a Passivhaus in the UK your home must undergo a strict compliance process with an independent third party: the certifier.
The certifier provides impartial verification that all Passivhaus criteria have been met. They check the design drawings and calculations in the PHPP software, they check what’s built on site and ensure it accurately matches the design.
This process is much more rigorous than the typical building regulation inspections and represents the best interests of the homeowner. Designers and contractors are vigilant knowing their work will be checked and verified throughout.
Once it’s confirmed your home meets the criteria, you receive an official Passivhaus plaque. This can be fixed to your home, proving its low-energy credentials and potentially boosting its market value.
For more information about the certification process read our manual, Passivhaus: Explained.
Yes. Our Coldwells Build service includes independent Passivhaus certification in the cost. This is important to us, because certification serves as a valuable quality assurance measure, proving we’ve delivered you an exceptionally built home that performs exactly as it’s been designed. It’s the highest mark of construction quality. To learn more about the certification process, read our manual, Passivhaus: Explained.
Yes. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus is zero rated for VAT.
Good, buildable land takes time and effort to track down. To help guide you along the journey, we’ve produced a comprehensive manual, Building Plots: Trusted Advice. It’s packed with our best advice to spot areas of opportunity.
We also occasionally partner with landowners to offer ready-to-build plots in Scotland, complete with planning permission for a Coldwells Build Passivhaus—so keep an eye on our website for updates.
The bulk of your home’s heat is supplied by ‘passive’ sources. These include sunlight, the body heat of occupants and heat generated by household appliances – i.e. boiling the kettle, watching television, showering and cooking. In winter, a small, economical air source heat pump will also help top up warmth.
No. However, paths, driveways, access roads, patios, trees, turf and plants can be included in the contract for an additional cost.
With Passivhaus, we often talk about retaining heat as much as possible, but with increasingly warmer summers, the risk of overheating is factored into the design.
The Passivhaus standard includes an overheating criterion which requires that the home, as a whole, spends less than 10% of the year at temperatures of 25ºC or above.
Whilst this is the absolute maximum requirement, the best practice is to design to 5% or, ideally, 0% above 25°C.
Three of the main issues contributing to overheating in new homes are:
The Passivhaus design software, PHPP, includes checks to limit all three of these factors to help reduce overheating risk.
Passivhaus designers must also "stress test" their designs for future climate conditions. This includes scenarios where windows can’t be opened during hot weather due to issues like pollution or nearby noise from roadwork.
While underfloor heating can technically be installed in a Passivhaus, we don’t recommend it, as it would need careful control to avoid overheating.
Living in a Passivhaus is very different from living in a conventional home. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus is so well insulated and ventilated, it maintains a 20-21ºC internal temperature all-year-round.
Step inside on a winter’s day and you’ll feel a subtle, even warmth. Even late at night, windows and bathroom tiles are comfortable to the touch. No matter how cold it gets outside, a Coldwells Build Passivhaus will keep you warm.
In the UK, many of us live in homes that simply aren’t comfortable — often draughty, damp and prone to mould. We’ve become so used to cold, leaky homes that we often don’t think about the discomfort they cause. We just turn up the heat, consume more energy and drive up our bills further.
Passivhaus homes are different — they’re designed for maximum comfort and minimal energy use.
Passivhaus takes a ‘fabric first’ approach to energy efficiency, meaning the home's materials and components (the building fabric) do all the hard work without the need for expensive bolt-on eco technologies like solar panels.
Passivhaus homes are packed with higher quality and far greater levels of insulation than modern new builds. The insulation wraps the home like a thermal blanket, reducing heat loss in winter and keeping the interior cool in summer.
Passivhaus homes are airtight, with no gaps for cold draughts to seep in and warm air to leak out. This is achieved through the use of a continuous air barrier that envelopes the entire building – from the walls and roof, to the floors and openings. The design process identifies all potential air leakage paths, and during construction, even the smallest of these gaps are sealed using specialist tapes and adhesives. Anywhere an air leak could occur, Passivhaus makes the extra effort to plug it.
A State-of-the-art ventilation system circulates fresh air 24/7, removing indoor dust, pollen and pollutants. Asthma, eczema and hay fever sufferers should see marked improvements in symptoms. Constant air circulation means your laundry dries fast, cooking odours disappear and your bathroom never steams up.
High performance triple glazing comes as standard. The spaces between each pane of glass are filled with Argon gas, which functions as an acoustic and thermal insulator. It reduces outdoor noise, prevents cold glass surfaces and eliminates condensation – warding off mould growth and keeping the atmosphere in your home a healthy one.
The bulk of the home’s heat is supplied by ‘passive’ sources, including sunlight, the body heat of occupants and electrical appliances (i.e. boiling the kettle, watching tv). In winter, a small, economical air source heat pump will also help top up warmth. All of this combined results in a comfortable, healthy Passivhaus with hardly any heating bills.
For more information, read our Coldwells Build manual, Passivhaus: Explained.
Typically the wall, roof and floor elements in a Passivhaus should aspire to a U-value between 0.10 W/m².K to 0.15 W/m².K. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus eclipses this, with a market-leading U-value ranging from 0.085 W/m2.K to 0.09W/m2.K. When it comes to energy-efficient construction, it doesn’t get better than this.
Your home is fitted with a Passivhaus certified Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery system (MVHR). These units act as your home’s lungs – continually pulling exhaust from the most pollutant generating rooms (kitchens, bathrooms) and sucking it through a heat exchanger before carrying it to the outside and returning with fresh, filtered air. This entire operation happens silently.
How it works:
For more information, read our manual, Passivhaus: Health Benefits.
Yes. The Passivhaus standard requires airtight construction to perform to its potential. But this term sometimes causes confusion, with people assuming "airtight" means living in a sealed home with no fresh air. This isn’t the case. Passivhaus homes aren’t hermetically sealed. A ventilation system continually pumps fresh, oxygen-rich air to every room and you always have the option to open windows for extra ventilation if required.
For more information, read our blog, Can I Still Open the Windows in an Airtight Passivhaus?
Prefabrication refers to the practice of manufacturing a home in a workshop prior to assembling it on the construction site. The home is delivered in sections, with all necessary components, including wall panels, floor and roof cassettes, windows, doors and other fixtures.
Every Coldwells Build Passivhaus is prefabricated in our Aberdeenshire workshop. Off-site construction reduces waste, time and costs. With no weather constraints, there’s no downtime or delays.
Systematic, methodical and simplified, our skilled team can guarantee build quality, air-tightness and energy efficiency. With its clean (relatively) quiet construction and speedy assembly, there’ll be minimal carbon emissions or disruption to your neighbours.
Scotland has set an ambitious target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045. To help achieve these goals, some local councils are supporting Passivhaus projects, recognising their role in reducing carbon emissions. These councils offer incentives like faster planning approvals, waived or discounted fees and extra support during the application process.
If you have experience in construction or self-build project management, our You Build service could be the ideal option. As award-winning builders we’re happy to share our knowledge and partner with you. In the table below, we cover the questions we are most frequently asked.
For an estimated price of each Coldwells Build Passivhaus, please view the design range.
The prefabricated panels used in the Coldwells Build Passivhaus are built in accordance with a structural engineer’s design and are accompanied by a Structural Engineers Register (SER) certificate. This confirms that your Passivhaus meets all the required structural standards and is sufficient to do the job asked of it. It covers all elements of the build, including the foundations.
To qualify as a Passivhaus, your home must undergo a strict compliance process, with an independent Passivhaus certifier. They check the architectural drawings, they check what’s built on site and ensure it matches the design accurately.
These steps add up to a robust quality assurance process, much more rigorous than the typical building regulation inspections. Designers and builders remain vigilant knowing their work will be checked and verified throughout .
When the certifier is satisfied all criteria are met, you receive an official Passivhaus plaque. This can be fixed to your home to prove its world-class qualifications. It provides certainty and confidence that you’re living in an exceptionally built, low-energy home that performs exactly as it's been designed.
Our You Build service is available UK wide.
You Build is an easy, economical option suited to UK self-builders. Select your Coldwells Build Passivhaus and we’ll manage planning permission, manufacture, delivery and assembly. We hand it over fully finished externally – weathertight and airtight, and leave the interior to you and your main contractor.
This covers, but isn’t limited to:
This table outlines what’s included in the You Build service compared to our Coldwells Build service.
Read our manual, You Build: Supply & Assemble. It provides a step-by-step guide to our You Build service covering – budgeting, plot finding, planning permission, finance, on site construction and more.
To qualify as a Passivhaus in the UK your home must undergo a strict compliance process with an independent third party: the certifier.
The certifier provides impartial verification that all Passivhaus criteria have been met. They check the design drawings and calculations in the PHPP software, they check what’s built on site and ensure it accurately matches the design.
This process is much more rigorous than the typical building regulation inspections and represents the best interests of the homeowner. Designers and contractors are vigilant knowing their work will be checked and verified throughout.
Once it’s confirmed your home meets the criteria, you receive an official Passivhaus plaque. This can be fixed to your home, proving its low-energy credentials and potentially boosting its market value.
For more information about the certification process read our manual, ‘Passivhaus: Explained’
No. Passivhaus certification isn’t included with our You Build service. However, we can arrange this for an additional cost.
Typically the wall, roof and floor elements in a Passivhaus should aspire to a U-value between 0.10 W/m².K to 0.15 W/m².K. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus eclipses this, with a market-leading U-value ranging from 0.085 W/m2.K to 0.09W/m2.K. When it comes to energy-efficient construction, it doesn’t get better than this.
No. We’re able to zero rate the VAT when using our You Build service, helping with your cash flow.
Coldwells Build founder, Clare Booth addresses the initial cost differences and explains the long-term savings and benefits of building a Passivhaus.
For more information read our blog, ‘Are Passivhaus Homes More Expensive to Build?’.
Currently, we only offer our turnkey Coldwells Build service in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
If you want to explore customisations, we’ll be happy to assist. All we ask is that you understand this will inevitably add time, money and additional complexity to your project. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus is predesigned, so the layout, engineering and Passivhaus modelling have mostly been taken care of. The designs are tried-and-tested to meet Passivhaus certification criteria and draw upon well-planned layouts and established manufacturing methods, refined over many years. Sticking to these designs means you can count on the quality of your finished home and keep the build time and costs as low as possible.
Of course, you can make some minor adjustments to the design. But big changes that need re-engineering or affect the manufacture of the Coldwells Build Passivhaus aren’t possible without a redesign. It’s all possible, but this redesign would then fall under our Custom Build service.
Yes. Before you start building your Passivhaus, you’ll need full planning permission from your local council. Each council has its own planning policies, as well as national policies which apply locally. Decisions on whether to grant planning permission are based on these. At Coldwells Build, our experienced team will act as your agent, working to maximise your chance of success.
For more information, read our manual, Planning Permission: A Guide.
Your Coldwells Build Passivhaus will include:
Referrals can be incredibly helpful if you have friends or family who’ve previously built their own home. The Federation of Master Builders ‘Find a Builder’ directory has a list of reputable, local main contractors. Those with a strong presence online normally have great customer service and are happy for their clients to review and rate their performance. Other useful things to look out for are a recently updated website, social media or online videos showcasing their previous work.
Read our You Build: Supply & Assemble manual for more information about the main contractor’s role.
Your Passivhaus will arrive on site as a set of fully insulated and airtight closed wall panels, with cladding, windows and doors all pre-installed. In 7-14 days, our highly-skilled team cranes the wall panels into position, along with floor and roof cassettes, to create a complete timber frame structure. The roof finish is applied and your Passivhaus is complete externally.
See our construction system page for more information.
Coldwells Build is accountable for driving and coordinating the first stage of your project, including planning permission, manufacture, delivery and assembly of your Passivhaus.
Most clients appoint a main contractor to manage and quote for the parts of the project outside the boundaries of our You Build service, such as:
Or, if you have the time, a good grip of your finances and excellent planning skills, you can employ your own subcontractors and manage the build yourself.
To help you decide the best course of action, read our manual, You Build: Supply & Assemble.
A main contractor manages and quotes for all the parts of the project outside the boundaries of our You Build service. They’re responsible for making sure work is delivered on time and budget. They are a respected consultant, with excellent planning, communication and leadership skills. Your main contractor will:
We'll provide your main contractor with our comprehensive construction drawings and communicate directly with them (and you). This ensures clarity regarding roles and responsibilities, keeping everyone aligned to achieve a common goal.
Project managing your own build will save you money. However, unless you have extensive construction experience, can be extremely flexible with your time and are confident coordinating multiple tradespeople, it might not be the right option for you.
To help you decide the best course of action, read our manual, You Build: Supply & Assemble.
No. This work will be managed by your local main contractor. We'll supply them with our detailed construction drawings and stay engaged throughout the process to provide specialist advice and support. Once this work is complete, Coldwells Build will deliver and assemble your Passivhaus on site.
For a step-by-step guide of the full You Build process, read our manual, You Build: Supply & Assemble.
Your Coldwells Build Passivhaus will need an MVHR system and an air source heat pump to operate efficiently. We’ll provide you with a comprehensive list of product recommendations carefully selected by our team.
We coordinate delivery with our transport partner to move your Passivhaus in sections, assembling it on site with a crane. Logistics and access are reviewed during our initial site assessment. Transport costs depend on distance and number of vehicles required. We’ll provide an accurate quote once we understand your site specifics. We also handle crane hire and permits.
We will complete your Passivhaus externally, including the roof finish. After that, we’ll move onto:
Read our manual, You Build: Supply & Assemble for a step-by-step guide of the full You Build process.
Once we’ve assembled your Passivhaus, you and/or your main contractor will take charge, coordinating the internal fit out.
Specialist tradespeople will be needed to install plumbing, heating, electrics, kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, tiling, plastering and decoration. We’ll supply detailed construction drawings and stay engaged throughout the process to provide specialist advice and support.
Our You Build service gives you the flexibility to complete the interior to your own specification. You can choose your own kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and wall colours from your preferred suppliers.
We can also supply certain materials – for example, engineered wood flooring, tiles and door sets, which have been chosen in keeping with the Coldwells Build Passivhaus aesthetic. For a complete list of what we offer, see the What’s Included table.
For a step-by-step guide of the full You Build process, read our You Build: Supply & Assemble manual.
Windows are central to the design language of our Passivhaus homes. Unlike traditional new-builds, the proportions specified in every Coldwells Build Passivhaus home are guaranteed to maximise the amount of natural light in every room and create a sense of continuity with the great outdoors. High performance triple glazing comes as standard – the third pane traps warmth indoors in the colder months and stops your home overheating when it’s hot outside. The spaces between each pane of glass are filled with Argon gas, which functions as an acoustic and thermal insulator. It reduces outdoor noise, prevents cold glass surfaces and eliminates condensation – warding off mould growth and keeping the atmosphere in your home a healthy one.
Good, buildable land takes time and effort to track down. To help guide you along the journey, we’ve produced a comprehensive manual, Building Plots: Trusted Advice. It’s packed with our best advice to spot areas of opportunity.
We also occasionally partner with landowners to offer ready-to-build plots in Scotland, complete with planning permission for a Coldwells Build Passivhaus—so keep an eye on our website for updates.
Coldwells Build founder, Ross Booth explains how we use the Passivhaus standard to build and deliver the world's most energy-efficient, healthy homes.
For more information, read our Coldwells Build manual, Passivhaus: Explained.
Yes. In the UK, mortgage lenders insist all new homes have a 10-year Structural Warranty. This is an insurance policy covering the finished home for 10 years from the date on the completion certificate. It’s the longest that any warranty or insurance policy can run. It’s not related to how long your Passivhaus is expected to last. We can connect you with an A rated insurer, who will help facilitate this for you.
Yes. Designed to enhance any Coldwells Build Passivhaus, our optional double garage follows the same aesthetic language as the rest of your home. With space for two vehicles, this generous addition provides the perfect space for additional storage or for projects that can’t be completed indoors.
Yes. We partner with specialist mortgage provider, Ecology Building Society, experts in funding projects that have positive environmental and social impact. On completion of your Coldwells Build Passivhaus, you’ll be rewarded with Ecology’s top discount (1.5%) off its standard variable rate. The discount is applied to the lifetime of your mortgage.
For more information read our manual, Passivhaus: Financing Guide.
The bulk of your home’s heat is supplied by ‘passive’ sources. These include sunlight, the body heat of occupants and heat generated by household appliances – i.e. boiling the kettle, watching television, showering and cooking. In winter, a small, economical air source heat pump will also help top up warmth.
With Passivhaus, we often talk about retaining heat as much as possible, but with increasingly warmer summers, the risk of overheating is factored into the design.
The Passivhaus standard includes an overheating criterion which requires that the home, as a whole, spends less than 10% of the year at temperatures of 25ºC or above.
Whilst this is the absolute maximum requirement, the best practice is to design to 5% or, ideally, 0% above 25°C.
Three of the main issues contributing to overheating in new homes are:
The Passivhaus design software, PHPP, includes checks to limit all three of these factors to help reduce overheating risk.
Passivhaus designers must also "stress test" their designs for future climate conditions. This includes scenarios where windows can’t be opened during hot weather due to issues like pollution or nearby noise from roadwork.
While underfloor heating can technically be installed in a Passivhaus, we don’t recommend it, as it would need careful control to avoid overheating.
Living in a Passivhaus is very different from living in a conventional home. The Coldwells Build Passivhaus is so well insulated and ventilated, it maintains a 20-21ºC internal temperature all-year-round.
Step inside on a winter’s day and you’ll feel a subtle, even warmth. Even late at night, windows and bathroom tiles are comfortable to the touch. No matter how cold it gets outside, a Coldwells Build Passivhaus will keep you warm.
Yes. The Passivhaus standard requires airtight construction to perform to its potential. But this term sometimes causes confusion, with people assuming "airtight" means living in a sealed home with no fresh air. This isn’t the case. Passivhaus homes aren’t hermetically sealed. A ventilation system continually pumps fresh, oxygen-rich air to every room and you always have the option to open windows for extra ventilation if required.
For more information, read our blog, Can I Still Open the Windows in an Airtight Passivhaus?
In the UK, many of us live in homes that simply aren’t comfortable — often draughty, damp and prone to mould. We’ve become so used to cold, leaky homes that we often don’t think about the discomfort they cause. We just turn up the heat, consume more energy and drive up our bills further.
Passivhaus homes are different — they’re designed for maximum comfort and minimal energy use.
Passivhaus takes a ‘fabric first’ approach to energy efficiency, meaning the home's materials and components (the building fabric) do all the hard work without the need for expensive bolt-on eco technologies like solar panels.
Passivhaus homes are packed with higher quality and far greater levels of insulation than modern new builds. The insulation wraps the home like a thermal blanket, reducing heat loss in winter and keeping the interior cool in summer.
Passivhaus homes are airtight, with no gaps for cold draughts to seep in and warm air to leak out. This is achieved through the use of a continuous air barrier that envelopes the entire building – from the walls and roof, to the floors and openings. The design process identifies all potential air leakage paths, and during construction, even the smallest of these gaps are sealed using specialist tapes and adhesives. Anywhere an air leak could occur, Passivhaus makes the extra effort to plug it.
A State-of-the-art ventilation system circulates fresh air 24/7, removing indoor dust, pollen and pollutants. Asthma, eczema and hay fever sufferers should see marked improvements in symptoms. Constant air circulation means your laundry dries fast, cooking odours disappear and your bathroom never steams up.
High performance triple glazing comes as standard. The spaces between each pane of glass are filled with Argon gas, which functions as an acoustic and thermal insulator. It reduces outdoor noise, prevents cold glass surfaces and eliminates condensation – warding off mould growth and keeping the atmosphere in your home a healthy one.
The bulk of the home’s heat is supplied by ‘passive’ sources, including sunlight, the body heat of occupants and electrical appliances (i.e. boiling the kettle, watching tv). In winter, a small, economical air source heat pump will also help top up warmth. All of this combined results in a comfortable, healthy Passivhaus with hardly any heating bills.
For more information, read our Coldwells Build manual, Passivhaus: Explained.
Your home is fitted with a Passivhaus certified Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery system (MVHR). These units act as your home’s lungs – continually pulling exhaust from the most pollutant generating rooms (kitchens, bathrooms) and sucking it through a heat exchanger before carrying it to the outside and returning with fresh, filtered air. This entire operation happens silently.
How it works:
For more information, read our manual, Passivhaus: Health Benefits.
Prefabrication refers to the practice of manufacturing a home in a workshop prior to assembling it on the construction site. The home is delivered in sections, with all necessary components, including wall panels, floor and roof cassettes, windows, doors and other fixtures.
Every Coldwells Build Passivhaus is prefabricated in our Aberdeenshire workshop. Off-site construction reduces waste, time and costs. With no weather constraints, there’s no downtime or delays.
Systematic, methodical and simplified, our skilled team can guarantee build quality, air-tightness and energy efficiency. With its clean (relatively) quiet construction and speedy assembly, there’ll be minimal carbon emissions or disruption to your neighbours.
Scotland has set an ambitious target to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2045, with the rest of the UK aiming for 2050. To help achieve these goals, some local councils are supporting Passivhaus projects, recognising their role in reducing carbon emissions. These councils offer incentives like faster planning approvals, waived or discounted fees and extra support during the application process. Councils which support Passivhaus projects include Midlothian, Hereford, Camden and Sutton.
Our award-winning process means that every home we build is guaranteed to meet the distinctive needs and lifestyles of our clients. Take a look at the questions we’re most frequently asked to discover if Custom Build is the right option for you.
We specialise in building Passivhaus homes and Custom homes. We are also happy to consider renovations.
As principal contractors, we'll take care of everything. We start with an initial meeting, followed by:
As principal contractors, we are accountable for driving and coordinating the entire construction process - which means you can leave the project management to us. In doing so, you'll benefit from our established links with trusted suppliers and specialist craftspeople.
If you haven’t already commissioned a bespoke design, we would encourage you to come direct to us. We partner with Scotland’s leading architects to create the best homes, based on our client's brief and budget.
We recommend you work with an architect who collaborates with builders in the design phase to ensure cost visibility from the start.
This simple but fundamental difference saves money and time. It turns the relationship between builders and architects into a positive alliance, which fosters not only creative collaboration, but most importantly, budget control.
The architect manages the creative design, and the builder and architect work together on construction science and costs. When construction costs are monitored and tracked in the design phase, the risk of budget blowouts decreases.
It’s also an opportunity to identify any construction related challenges early on. With practical input from the builder, potential issues can be ‘designed out’ before leaving the architect’s desk, saving time on rework at a later (and more costly) stage.
All new build homes in the UK are zero rated for VAT under current government rules.
A written contract, signed by both parties, ensures the price is fixed, unless changes are made to the scope of the work.
We build bespoke homes in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. If you have a project which is further afield, we are happy to discuss.
Each home we build is unique. Therefore, the size of your home, specification and site conditions will determine the duration of the build. The construction period will be defined in your building contract and you will receive a login to our client app which allows you to track progress of your build in real time. You can view construction schedules, progress photos, site reports, and make selections to customise your new home.
Good, buildable land takes time and effort to track down. To help guide you along the journey, we’ve produced a comprehensive manual, Building Plots: Trusted Advice. It’s packed with our best advice to spot areas of opportunity.
Unless agreed otherwise, we will supply all fit-out items, for which we make a small charge to cover the cost of administration, specification, delivery, storage, suitability and installation. This means we take full responsibility for ensuring everything is correct and has appeared at the right time, in full working order. It’s necessary for us to maintain control over this aspect of the work, in order to provide you with fixed costs and time schedules for completion.
We are happy to arrange viewings of our previous and current projects to demonstrate our consistently high standards. We can also put you in touch with past and current clients.
We have regular site meetings to ensure that your project is being built exactly the way you imagined. At any stage, you are welcome to make changes if time permits and the changes don’t affect the structural integrity of your build. We understand the need for flexibility during the construction phase, so we are happy to assist.
Coldwells Build passed an independent inspection and met strict criteria to become members of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2017. As FMB members, we have committed to abide by a stringent Code of Conduct for building quality.
We are also:
Bite-size answers to your important Passivhaus questions
Our team is fully trained in Passivhaus construction. As a compact family-run business, we are committed to building homes to world-leading standards. In this short video, founders Clare and Ross Booth explain the importance of keeping the process in-house.
Free DownloadOur director, Clare Booth, addresses the initial cost differences and explores the long-term savings and benefits of the Passivhaus standard.
Read moreA quick walk-through from Coldwells Build founder, Ross Booth. Here, he explains how we use the Passivhaus standard to build and deliver the world's most energy-efficient, healthy homes.
Show Me How It WorksThe Scottish Government has stated its ambition that all new homes in Scotland should be built to a “Scottish equivalent” of the Passivhaus standard in the coming years.
Read moreFounder Clare Booth provides an overview of the Coldwells Build full turnkey service in this quick and informative video.
Learn MoreFounders Clare and Ross Booth share how their people-centred approach and compact Aberdeenshire team are united in their mission to build outstanding homes with a positive environmental legacy.
Meet The TeamA quick walk-through from Coldwells Build founder, Clare Booth. Here, she explains how we help deliver the world’s most energy-efficient, healthy homes, before handing over to your trusted team of tradespeople.
Learn MoreFounder Clare Booth gives insight about why building a Passivhaus now is a smart move. With upcoming net-zero legislation changes ahead of us, investing now will save you money and ensure you stay one step ahead.
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We’ve created 8 free-to-download guides packed with tips on budgeting, plot finding and self-building. Essential reading for anyone planning to build their home.
A self-builder's guide to finding the perfect plot, evaluating its suitability and understanding the legal considerations involved.
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