Notes on building homes that work harder.

What is a high-performance home in Adelaide?

A high-performance home in Adelaide is built for measured comfort and low running cost: airtight, well-insulated, ventilated. Here is what defines one, and why.

Ventilated cavities: how walls and roofs are built to dry

A ventilated cavity is the gap behind the cladding that lets a wall drain and dry. Here is why it matters, why roofs need it too, and what the code requires.

Does a luxury home in Adelaide actually perform?

A luxury high-performance home in Adelaide is silent, draught-free and holds 20–25°C year-round on little energy. Why the dearest homes often perform worst.

HRV vs ERV in Australia — which suits Adelaide?

HRV vs ERV in Australia comes down to climate. Here is how heat recovery and energy recovery ventilation differ, and which one suits Adelaide's dry summers.

What is a weather-resistant barrier, and why must it breathe?

A weather-resistant barrier is the hidden membrane behind your cladding that sheds water and wind. In Adelaide it has to breathe — here is why, and what the code requires.

What does it cost to build a custom home in Adelaide?

Custom home cost in Adelaide isn't a per-square-metre number — it's set by site, size, spec and complexity, plus the performance you build to.

What is an intelligent vapour control membrane?

Most Adelaide walls have no internal vapour control layer. An intelligent membrane adds one that seals air and manages moisture by season — without the risk a fixed barrier brings.

How a Passive House is built to the standard in Adelaide

How a Passive House is built, step by step, in Adelaide: PHPP modelling, an airtight layer, continuous insulation, right glazing, MVHR and a blower-door test.

Where to spend money building a high-performance home

Where to spend money building a high-performance home in Adelaide: put the budget into the envelope first, trim the finishes you can upgrade later.

Why doesn't my new home perform the way it was rated?

Why doesn't my new home perform the way it was rated? The performance gap explained — and why a measured, blower-door-tested envelope beats a modelled one.

Why air leaks cause condensation inside your walls.

Why air leaks cause condensation in walls — air leakage carries far more moisture into a wall than vapour diffusion does, and a compliant home isn't always a durable one.

A short guide to healthy-home materials in an Australian climate.

A practical guide to the healthy-home material options you can choose in an Australian climate — what they are, what they cost, and why we think they're worth it.

What makes a healthy home? The seven pillars explained.

What makes a healthy home comes down to seven pillars — air, light, water, low-tox materials, thermal comfort, acoustics and the electrical environment.

Why every new home should be built to Passive House principles.

Passive House isn't a premium feature. We believe it's the minimum technical standard a new Australian home should be held to — and the reason SV Built designs every project from that baseline first.

The real cost of airtightness — and why it pays you back.

Airtightness is the single most mis-understood line item in a high-performance build. It's not a product, it's not a premium add-on, and it's not expensive. Here's what it actually costs, and what it quietly saves.

How much does a Passive House cost to build in Adelaide?

A Passive House in Adelaide costs around 10–20% more than a standard code-built home — less over the way we already build. Here's where the premium goes.