Nelson & Tasman · Energy-efficient home builders

Energy-efficient home builders in Nelson Tasman.

Ecotectural designs and builds energy-efficient homes across Nelson Tasman: warm, dry and low-bill, with high-performance insulation, glazing and airtightness built in.

Registered Master Builder· Passive House Institute NZ· NZ Certified Builders 5.0 · 18 Google reviews

Ecotectural are energy-efficient home builders in Nelson Tasman, building warm, dry, low-bill homes since 2006.

Exterior of the energy-efficient Ecotectural home at Horton Road, Tasman, at dusk
Horton Road at dusk, Tasman

Warm, dry, energy efficient

Energy efficient homes that get most of the way to Passive, and beyond when you want it.

Not everyone needs a full Passive Home, but everyone wants a warm, dry energy efficient home with low power bills. We build homes that deliver exactly that, at a price that makes sense.

  • Every Ecotectural home starts around one table, with the right architect and an energy-literate engineer brought in from the first sketch.

  • Performance is designed in rather than added later.

  • The build is delivered in the open, with every dollar visible as it progresses, right up to a full Passive Home when your brief calls for it.

Areas we serve near Nelson and Tasman: Nelson, Richmond, Motueka, Mapua, Tasman, Upper Moutere and Kaiteriteri.

Sunlit living space of the energy-efficient Passive Home at Horton Road, Tasman
Living space, Passive Home at Horton Road, Tasman

What you get

A home that stays warm, dry and cheap to run, whatever level you choose.

An energy efficient home keeps its temperature with far less heating and cooling, so running costs stay low year after year. Better insulation and airtightness also mean healthier air, less condensation and fewer cold, damp corners.

  • You choose the level of performance to suit your budget, from a home simply well above the Building Code minimum.

  • Through to one designed to Passive House principles and verified on site.

  • Right up to a full Passive Home, when that is what the brief calls for.

Sunlit living room with a timber ceiling and full-height glazing at golden hour in an Ecotectural home at Horton Road, Tasman

Built and tested

Performance you can verify, not just specify.

Horton Road's Formance SIPs envelope runs on rooftop solar, a real, finished energy efficient home you can see for yourself. Every Passive-standard build we complete is blower-door tested on site, with every leakage point found and sealed, so performance is proven, not assumed.

Building since
2006
Designed to last
50+ years
10-year guarantees
Master Build + Halo
Registered
Master Builder + Certified Builder

"I wanted a home I could wear shorts and a t-shirt in year round and never feel cold."

Colin Hayman, Upper Moutere

Selected work across Tasman, Kaiteriteri & Nelson.

Many of our homes are completed under confidentiality, so this is only a selection. To see more, simply ask and we will arrange a private viewing or reference project.

Schist stone architectural home framed by mountains, with black-framed glazing
Stone & GlassArchitectural build
Kitchen of the Passive Home at Horton Road, Tasman
Horton RoadEnergy efficient
Hardwood deck and black-framed glazing along the timber-clad facade of The Green House, Tasman
The Green HouseDeck and glazing detail
Interior of The Black House, Tasman
The Black HouseTasman
The Cedar House, a design-and-build home by Ecotectural, Motueka
The Cedar House, MotuekaDesign and build
Bespoke built-in joinery and storage in a Passive Home, Tasman
Bespoke joineryInterior detail
Exterior of the Passive Home at Horton Road, Tasman
Horton RoadEnergy-efficient exterior
A finished Ecotectural home shown through the leaf-in-house emblem

Why build with us

  • Performance as standard. Insulated slabs and thick wall and roof insulation on every home we build, not an upgrade option.

  • Engineered to feel better to live in. Warm, dry and low to run, with the option to build a Passive Home.

  • Built in the Open. Honest, open-book pricing, so you see where every dollar goes, from the first sketch to the final invoice.

What we do

Everything it takes to design and build an energy-efficient home.

You engage one company: us. We bring the architect, engineer and every trade together and manage them on your behalf, so you have a single point of contact and one team accountable, from the first sketch to the final invoice. You are our design partner, the home is shaped around what you want, and we look after everyone else.

Built for high energy efficiency

The Blue House at Upper Moutere, an energy-efficient Ecotectural home with high-performance insulation and glazing
Upper MoutereHigh-performance

The Blue House

A high-performance home built for warmth and low running costs.

View project
Rooftop solar array powering Horton Road, an energy-efficient Ecotectural SIPs home in Tasman
TasmanHigh-performance

Horton Road

A Formance SIPs envelope running on solar power.

View project

Good questions

Energy-efficient building, answered.

What is the difference between energy-efficient and Passive House?

Passive House is a measured international standard with strict targets for airtightness, insulation and ventilation, proven by testing. An energy-efficient home uses the same building science, insulated slab, thick insulation, high-performance glazing, airtightness, but to targets set by your budget rather than the certification. Read about our Passive Homes.

How much more does an energy-efficient home cost?

Typically a modest premium over a code-minimum build, far less than the step to full Passive, and it comes back through years of lower power bills. Our guides to pricing and build costs put real numbers around it.

What makes a home energy-efficient?

The envelope does the work: an insulated slab, thick wall and roof insulation, high-performance double or triple glazing, airtight construction and smart ventilation. Get those right and the home barely needs heating. See the systems we build with.

Aerial view of an energy-efficient Ecotectural home on a rural Tasman site with the mountains beyond

Want a warm home and small power bills?

Book a free one-hour consultation with founder Daryl Combes. No obligation, just an honest conversation about your site, your brief and your budget.

Arrange a consultation

Trusted partners and memberships

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