Passive House with Impressive Blower Door Test Results

Joseph Lyth and his young family have dreamed of living in a warm, dry, comfortable and healthy home since moving to New Zealand. After many years of living in damp, cold and mouldy rental properties they finally got the opportunity to pursue their dream.

With Joe’s background as an NZRAB registered architect with experience in the Passive House field, he had somewhat an advantage to not only design but also undertake the energy modelling of their home to meet the stringent international Passive House standard.

The Lyths appointed Kane Build Group Ltd, who are specialists in residential construction and high-performance homes. Kane Build Group had no hesitation in undertaking the challenge of their first Passive House even with the modest budget set.

The Lyths' home is smaller than most current New Zealand new builds. They originally planned a 100m² single storey house which could be extended into the roof space, budget allowing. Surprisingly, to obtain finance, they needed a larger floor area, so they decided to maximise the space in their large raking roof and build a mezzanine floor, which gave them a total gross floor area of 169m².

The structure was built using structurally insulated panels (SIPs) for the walls and roof, and timber framing for the floor with Terra Lana insulation between the joists. The OSB exterior of the panels was protected from the elements by applying SOLITEX EXTASANA ADHERO underlay — a high-performance peel and stick weather resistive barrier from Pro Clima. No staples are needed which means no holes in the membrane. The fastenings through the battens and purlin packers are sealed using pro clima TESCON NAIDECK double sided self-sealing tape, and the non-visible interior panel joints are sealed with TESCON VAVA airtightness tape.

The interior OSB was white-washed as the final finish which provides a cost-effective, beautifully textured wall lining. Contrasting plywood linings were installed in the living areas. SOLITEX MENTO 3000, a weathertight and airtight membrane, was installed on the underside of the subfloor, to protect the insulation and prevent wind washing from reducing its performance.

High performance, Passive House certified timber-framed windows were selected. The window frames were connected to the panels using TESCON PROFIL corner sealing tape on the inside and CONTEGA EXO window tape on the outside, plus the TESCON EXTORA PROFIL multi-purpose adhesive tape where needed externally. These adhesive sealing tapes from Pro Clima NZ ensure that both the weather resistive and airtightness layers are continuous. The final Blower Door test resulted in an impressive 0.375 air changes per hour!

With the well-insulated and airtight envelope, a Stiebel Eltron Heat Recovery Ventilation system was installed to ensure that moist, stale air is removed while fresh, dry air is supplied. With this system, up to 84% of the energy can be recovered while still replacing the air on a regular basis. Of course, when the weather is good you can still open the doors and windows to enjoy the connection with the outdoors.

Joe, being a man of many talents, undertook most of the interior fit-out himself including a handmade concrete sink and a countertop.

This home was awarded as a finalist in the Green Homes category of the Home of the Year 2022, and is shortlisted in the 2022 NZIA Awards. Here’s to living in a healthy home and achieving great results. Congratulations to Lyth family and the contractors involved!

Photo credit: Joseph Lyth and Dan Scott Photo

Wall Underlay (SOLITEX EXTASANA)

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SOLITEX EXTASANA is a synthetic flexible wall underlay designed for New Zealand conditions, produced in Germany, and exceeds all of the testing standards of E2/AS1 Table 23.

Has been assessed for use as a flexible wall underlay on timber framed buildings within the following scope:

the scope limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Paragraph 1.1; and,
with absorbent wall claddings directly fixed to framing; and,
with non-metallic, non-absorbent wall claddings directly fixed to frame; and,
with absorbent and non-absorbent wall claddings installed over an 18 mm minimum drained cavity; and,
with masonry veneer in accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1; and,
situated in NZS 3604:2011 Wind Zones up to, and including ‘Very High’.

Has been assessed for use as a flexible wall underlay on steel framed buildings within the following scope:

the scope limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Paragraph 1.1 with regards to building height and floor plan area; and,
with absorbent and non-absorbent wall claddings installed over an 18 mm minimum drained cavity; and,
with masonry veneer in accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1; and,
situated in NZS 3604:2011 Wind Zones up to, and including ‘Very High’.

Has been assessed for use as a flexible wall underlay over rigid wall underlays on timber and steel framed buildings within the following scope:

the scope limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 (August 2011), Paragraph 1.1 with regards to building height and floor plan area; and,
with absorbent and non-absorbent wall claddings installed over an 18 mm minimum drained cavity; and,
with masonry veneer in accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1; and,
situated in NZS 3604:2011 Wind Zones up to and including ‘Extra High’

Low Wind Zone

Very High WInd Zone

If used, designed, installed and maintained in accordance with the statements and conditions of the Installation Guide and the Codemark Certificate, will meet, or contribute to meeting the following provisions of the NZBC:

Clause B2 DURABILITY: Performance B2.3.1(a), not less than 50 years, B2.3.1(b), 15 years and B2.3.2. meets these requirements.
Clause E2 EXTERNAL MOISTURE: Performance E2.3.2. When used as part of the cladding system, will contribute to meeting this requirement.
Clause F2 HAZARDOUS BUILDING MATERIALS: Performance F2.3.1. Meets this requirement and will not present a health hazard to people.

Durability

External Moisture

Hazardous Building Materials

BRANZ Appraised

CodeMark

Roof Underlay (SOLITEX MENTO 3000)

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SOLITEX MENTO 3000 roof underlay is a three-layer roof underlay designed to be used with most typical roof cladding systems. While providing temporary weather protection it can remain exposed for up to 90 days.

SOLITEX MENTO 3000 has been appraised for use as a self-supporting roof underlay on buildings within the following scope:

the scope of limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Paragraph 1.1 with regards to building height and floor plan area; and,
with masonry tile roof cladding; and,
with metal tile and profiles metal roof cladding; and,
suited to NZS 3604 Wind Zones up to, and including Extra High.

Extra High Wind Zone

In the opinion of BRANZ, SOLITEX MENTO 3000, if used, designed, installed and maintained in accordance with the statements and conditions of the BRANZ Appraisal, will meet, or contribute to meeting the following provisions of the NZBC:

Clause B2 DURABILITY: Performance B2.3.1(a), not less than 50 years, B2.3.1(b), 15 years and B2.3.2 SOLITEX MENTO 3000 meets these requirements. See Paragraphs 9.1 and 9.2 of the BRANZ Appraisal.
Clause F2 HAZARDOUS BUILDING MATERIALS: Performance F2.3.1 SOLITEX MENTO 3000 meets this requirement and will not present a health hazard to people.
Clause E2 EXTERNAL MOISTURE: Performance E2.3.2 When used as part of the cladding system, SOLITEX MENTO 3000 will contribute to meeting this requirement. See Paragraphs 12.1 and 12.2 of the BRANZ Appraisal.

Durability

External Moisture

Hazardous Building Materials

BRANZ Appraised

TESCON EXTORA Multi-Purpose Weathertightness Sealing Tape

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TESCON EXTORA is a multi-purpose weathertightness sealing tape for windproof and weathertight sealing.

LBC Red List Free

TESCON EXTORA Sealing Tape has been appraised by BRANZ as a flashing tape for use around the head and jambs of window and door joinery openings for buildings within the following scope:

the scope limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Paragraph 1.1; and,
with a risk score of 0-20, calculated in accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Table 2; and,
with wall cladding systems complying with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 or a valid BRANZ Appraisal that specifies a flexible flashing system; and,
with a compatible flexible wall underlay fixed directly to the framing or over-fixed over a rigid wall underlay; and,
situated in NZS 3604 Wind Zones up to, and including, Extra High.

TESCON EXTORA Sealing Tape has also been appraised as a joint-sealing tape for rigid wall underlays [fibre cement sheet and H3.2 treated plywood In accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1] which are over-fixed with a flexible wall underlay in accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Paragraph 9.1.7.2 on buildings within the following scope:

the scope limitations of NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Paragraph 1.1; and,
with a risk score of 0-20, calculated in accordance with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1, Table 2; and,
with wall cladding systems complying with NZBC Acceptable Solution E2/AS1 or a valid BRANZ Appraisal; and,
situated In NZS 3604 Wind Zones up to, and including, Extra High.

In the opinion of BRANZ, TESCON EXTORA Sealing Tape, if designed, used, installed and maintained in accordance with the statements and conditions of BRANZ Appraisal 838 (2013), will meet or contribute to meeting the following provisions of the NZBC:

Clause B2 DURABILITY: Performance B2.3.1 [b], 15 years and B2.3.2. TESCON EXTORA Sealing Tape meets these requirements. See Paragraphs 8.1 and 8.2.
Clause E2 EXTERNAL MOISTURE: Performance E2.3.2.TESCON EXTORA Sealing Tape contributes to meeting this requirement. See Paragraphs 7.1- 7.5 and 11.1 - 11.5.
Clause F2 HAZARDOUS BUILDING MATERIALS: Performance F2.3.1. TESCON EXTORA Sealing Tape meets this requirement and will not present a health hazard to people.

Durability

External Moisture

Hazardous Building Materials

BRANZ Appraised

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