Providing beautiful, comfortable
and affordable zero carbon homes
Ecologically Responsible
Using natural, regenerative materials, local sourcing and circular economy principles.
Measured Impact
At every stage – design, build and operational – with aim for zero or negative carbon.
Comfortable Living
Providing good health and well-being through use of natural materials and focus on air quality.
Affordable to Build
Simple build system, readily available materials and low operational energy requirements.
Solutions for building and living sustainably
We design and build beautiful and affordable timber frame, zero carbon homes.
For individuals, Housing Associations, Estate and Landowners, Community Interest Companies, retirement homes, hotels and holiday parks
- Design/plans (to Passivhaus design as required)
- Timber kit solution
- Project management
- Planning & building warrant
- Lifecycle Analysis (whole life)
- Sustainable build strategy
Central to the Home Grown Homes philosophy is a spirt of collaboration – working and innovating with partners across the home building industry to provide solutions to build and live sustainably.
Photography credit: © Roderick James Architects
Photography credit: © Roderick James Architects
Building beautiful, affordable and truly sustainable homes is possible with materials and skills available today.
Using a conscious design approach and a simple build system, we have the capability to produce zero carbon (or even negative carbon) homes from locally sourced timber.
- 350,000 new homes are needed per year to meet current demand.
- At the current standard, the average 100 square metre house emits 120 tonnes of CO2.
- The building, operation and maintenance of domestic buildings currently accounts for 27% of total UK carbon emissions.
- We need to reduce this impact – and we have the means to do it.
Why timber for construction?
Timber absorbs and stores more carbon than it emits during processing and installation. A key recommendation of the Commission on Climate Change in 2018 was to increase the use of wood in construction.
Kg CO2e per kg dry wood as consumed in UK 2013:
Carbon Sink
Processing
Kiln Drying
Distribution
Use
The health and wellbeing advantages of using timber in construction.
Using timber in buildings has also been shown to have significant health benefits, including decreased blood pressure, reduced levels of stress, and increased comfort.
Showcasing zero carbon building
at UN Climate Change ConferenceBuilt in central Glasgow ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (‘COP26’) in November 2021, the COP26 House showcases to the world what we are able to achieve today with readily available skills and materials.
Home Grown Homes is the lead delivery partner for the COP26 House.
The house was developed by Beyond Zero Homes, a collaborative group of more than 20 organisations from across the home building sector, created and led by Peter Smith, Architect and Passivhaus Designer from Roderick James Architects and Home Grown Homes.
Read more about the COP26 House at BeyondZeroHomes.co.ukIllustration credit: © Roderick James Architects
Partners in the COP26 House:
Founded on the principle that everyone should have access to beautiful and healthy homes, that don't cost the earth.
Home Grown Homes' focus is enabling beautiful houses to be built using natural, regenerative, locally sourced materials; incorporating beautifully simple design and build systems; zero waste (at design, construction and end of life stages); and everything done with care.
Peter Smith CO-FOUNDER
Passivhaus architect and associate at Roderick James Architects
Peter has over 20 years collective experience as an architect, carpenter and Passivhaus designer, with the last 10 years spent with Roderick James Architects, one of the UK’s leading timber frame specialists. Living sustainably and carefully considering our impact on the world has been ingrained in Peter’s thinking from an early age. Sustainable architecture has played an ever increasing role in his building designs, and led to the development of the zero carbon, timber-framed COP26 House and the basis for all Home Grown Homes designs.
Harriet Woollard CO-FOUNDER
Sustainability Strategy and Communications Advisor
Harriet has spent most of her career in the consumer goods sector, including over 20 years working for and with Unilever across marketing, strategy and sustainability roles. She is now applying her wide sustainability and communications expertise to the construction sector: advising how to embed sustainability strategy into business, using effective communication to enable behaviour change and advocating for the importance of collaboration between all players in the construction industry.
Say Hello
hello@homegrownhomes.uk