Angus Chisholm Builders
Passive build By Natasha Parrant
The Chisholm family’s new home/office partially built in Prebbleton.
Angus Chisholm Builders’ environmentally friendly family home Angus Chisholm Builders is a small family business formally established in July 2014 by Angus and Laura Chisholm.
Angus spent 12 years operating the business as a sole trader where he’d been contracting some housing companies, whereas Laura has been involved in the business for eight years. They both understand the trade sector well, as Laura is an engineer. Currently, the couple is working on a personal initiative, a Passive Home project on Birchs Road in Prebbleton in the Selwyn District in Christchurch.
The project has been an ongoing design and build process, as they bought the section four years ago. During the past year, they’ve slowly started working on it and are getting onto the gib stopping stage now. The project is almost complete, but they’ve been working on it in between other projects. The new project on Birchs Road will become a show home once the Chisholm family has moved into their new house. They’ll be operating from their new office once the house is built.
People are welcome to attend in the hopes for the couple to encourage others to build warmer healthier homes by promoting this niche passive concept. “Our goal is to generate likeminded people that want to build a passive home,” Angus says. The family finds it’s important to build homes that suit how New Zealanders should conventionally live in a way that improves health, well-being, and ongoing running costs. The team is using a passive design involving products such as Intello. Architect Luke Petrie designed the family’s Passive Home. Angus says Luke takes the time to discuss ideas, make a plan and assemble a package for clients while ensuring his flair and Angus and Laura’s input are also taken into account. “He’s really good in that respect,” Angus says. This isn’t the first time all three have worked together on a build, as the couple is currently working on their fourth project with Luke in Lincoln, a 260 square metre single-story Passive Home.
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Luke’s incredibly detailed drawings on the Passive Home design make it easier for Angus and Laura to understand and discuss refining the passive concept. Angus did an apprenticeship when he was younger and received a National Certificate in Carpentry (2003). He started the business straight after his apprenticeship, followed by receiving his Registered Master Builders and Licensed Building Practitioner. With Angus having over 20 years of experience in building and Laura’s engineering skills, they’re able to do it all. Whether a project is big or small, the team can design and build Passive Homes, architectural, executive, single-story and two-story homes, townhouses, extensive renovations, repairs, kitchen and bathroom revamp, outdoor living areas, and the list goes on. They work on roughly three to four houses a year. As a team, Angus sorts out project management, health and safety, quality, talking to clients and sub-contractors, and programming. Laura sorts
