The core building material is polystyrene. The giant blocks of polystyrene are attached together using glue to form outer walls and roof arches which sit on a raft concrete foundation. Key to the build is the Roman arch. The Roman arch is widely known for its supportive strength. A mesh envelope is used to hold the entire down.

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The roof is put on with regular batons, which is then covered with nylon mesh and a chemical render [Chemiplast] is applied, this helps keep the entire  build anchored. Then it is counter battened and Slates/Tiles or Metal Sheets are applied.  A double layer of Nylon Mesh and  render coating is then applied outside and inside to the specially treated fire-retardant polystyrene blocks.

Can you guess what county this question came from?! The truth is that you can’t damage it with a hurling ball. The outside of the build is rendered and double meshed ,making it very robust [just like the external insulation fitted to cold concrete builds

Polystyrene was one of those materials that has become environmentally friendly because of its bulk and its imperishable. But this is the reason why it makes such a good eco house building material. It’s strong, fire repellent and is nontoxic, which is super for people who suffer from allergies.

Absolutely YES. This is one of the key benefits. It’s a million times lighter than concrete blocks and all the material required to build an entire house can be delivered in four truck loads. 

Can you break concrete with a hammer? If you hit hard enough yes. The same can be said for a passive home house. Where there is intent, anything can happen – whether it’s a concrete home or a polystyrene built home.

Simply put, you just cut it out with a heat knife. This is done by professionals who know what they are doing.

Once it arrives on site in Ireland, you can have a watertight house within a few weeks . The indoor trades can be organised to arrive on site within a short time later.

At the moment, there isn’t much difference, even though the payback on your low to no energy bills will begin straight away.

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​That being said, our passive homes are built to an extremely high building standard and a much higher building spec. With new building regulations coming on board in the coming years, polystyrene built homes will be cheaper. And a BER A1, the poly homes are the highest energy saving standard attainable here in Ireland.

There’s no allowance for an open fire in a Passive House .

Just as you normally would. There will be a false ceiling created within the design of the house to facilitate the HRV piping which will be connecting to each room, otherwise all electrics and plumbing will be done according to regulations.