Healthy, high-performance homes in Newcastle

• Steady temperatures. Rooms that stay comfortable through winter mornings and summer afternoons, with far less heating and cooling.
• No draughts, no damp. No cold spots, no condensation running down the windows, no musty corners.
• Fresh air. Planned ventilation that keeps indoor air fresh without opening every window.
• Quiet. A well-sealed, well-insulated envelope keeps traffic and weather noise out.
• Lower running costs. Less energy used for heating and cooling, and a home ready for solar, a battery and EV charging.
• A longer life. A structure kept dry lasts. We design homes to perform for 100 years, not to be replaced.

Since October 2023, new homes in NSW must meet stronger BASIX targets, including thermal performance equivalent to at least 7 stars on the NatHERS scale. Those standards did not change for alterations and additions: an extension or renovation valued at $50,000 or more still needs a BASIX certificate, but against the same targets as before.

The National Construction Code also sets no mandatory airtightness target for houses. In practice, that means how well an extension or renovation performs is largely a choice — yours and your builder’s. We treat BASIX as a minimum, not a goal.

1. Airtightness

Air leaking through gaps in the building carries heat and moisture with it. We make the frame air- and watertight with pro clima membranes and tapes before any cladding goes on, and seal the junctions where most leaks happen — around windows, penetrations and where walls meet floors and roofs. Where it is beneficial, we verify the result with a blower-door test to AS/NZS ISO 9972.

2. Insulation without gaps

Insulation only works where it is continuous. A thermal bridge is any path where heat bypasses the insulation — framing at junctions, window reveals, a steel beam running from inside to out. We align insulation around the whole envelope, set windows in line with it and keep steel out of the envelope wherever we can. We call it the last 1%: the details that decide whether a home performs as designed.

3. Windows and glazing

Windows are where most heat is gained and lost. Orientation, shading and glazing performance are resolved with your designer, and windows are installed and sealed as part of the airtight layer rather than as an afterthought.

4. Moisture management

Newcastle is in climate zone 5 under the National Construction Code, where building wraps must now be vapour permeable, and many exhaust fans must discharge outside rather than into the roof space. We go further: condensation risk is assessed at design stage, and our membranes let moisture escape from the wall while keeping water out. That protects the structure and prevents mould inside the walls.

5. Fresh air

As the Australian Government’s YourHome guide puts it, an airtight house with inadequate ventilation may lead to condensation, mould and high internal levels of carbon dioxide. So airtightness always comes with planned ventilation — including heat-recovery options that bring in fresh air while keeping most of the warmth or coolness inside.

What a home is built from affects the air inside it. We favour low-emission paints, adhesives, sealants and boards, keep moisture out of the structure, and design for natural light deep into the plan. The Adamstown Heights addition, for example, uses large skylights to bring daylight into previously enclosed bathrooms and hallways.

You don’t need to build a new home to live in a better-performing one. An extension or renovation is the best chance you will get to improve the whole house, because walls, roofs and floors are already open:

• The junction between old and new is where moisture and air problems usually start. We detail it as carefully as the new work itself.
• The existing house can often be insulated, sealed and re-glazed at the same time. In Waratah, high-performance insulation and glazing were built into a two-storey addition and renovation to improve comfort and efficiency across the home.
• Older walls need care. Adding insulation to an old wall without thinking about moisture can make it wetter. We assess each situation before deciding how to upgrade it.
• Tighter houses need planned ventilation. Fans ducted outside, and fresh air where it is needed.

See Home Extensions and Home Renovations.

Our climate is mild but humid, with hot summer afternoons and coastal air. That makes condensation, summer overheating and corrosion more important here than extreme cold. Good design responds: orientation and shading to manage western sun, cross-ventilation for summer breezes, corrosion-resistant fixings near the coast and the lake, and envelopes detailed to stay dry.

Insulation, airtightness, glazing and ventilation cost least when they are designed in from the start. Added late, they involve rework. Resolved early, the premium is modest — and the home costs less to run for decades. Because performance items are priced line by line during pre-construction, you see exactly what they add before you commit. We also plan space and cabling so solar, a battery and EV charging can be added easily, now or later. More in Healthy, high-performance homes: the case for building better.

1. Design stage — we work with your architect or designer on orientation, glazing, the envelope and ventilation, and assess condensation risk.
2. Pre-construction — the membrane system, insulation, windows and ventilation are specified and priced line by line.
3. Construction — the airtight layer is installed and checked before cladding and linings cover it.
4. Verification — a blower-door test where beneficial, before handover.

See Pre-construction: where sustainable builds are won and The Larq Method.

We build healthy, energy-efficient homes, extensions and renovations across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens. See building in Lake Macquarie and all areas we build.