Nelson & Tasman · Passive House builders

Passive House builders in Nelson and Tasman.

Q: What is the difference between this page and your Passive House guide?

This page is about building your Passive Home with us. Our Passive House guide covers what a Passive Home actually is and how the standard works.

Ecotectural designs and builds Passive Homes across Nelson and Tasman: warmer, drier and dramatically cheaper to run, with real local proof. We build Passive Homes.

Aerial of the Green House, an Ecotectural home built to the Passive House standard in Upper Moutere — The Green House, Upper Moutere

Passive House builders, Nelson & Tasman

Homes engineered to feel better to live in, not just built to comply.

A Passive Home is warmer, drier and quieter than an ordinary new build, and it costs a fraction as much to heat. We design and build to Passive House Institute of New Zealand (PHINZ) principles across Nelson and Tasman, and we can take you all the way to the full Passive House standard when that is what you want.

Continuous insulation, high-performance glazing and an airtight, mechanically ventilated envelope, engineered in from the first sketch.
Real, finished local proof: the Green House and the Blue House, both built to the Passive House standard in Upper Moutere.
Open-book pricing throughout, so you see exactly what performance costs and where every dollar goes.

Passive House builders across: Nelson, Richmond, Tasman, Motueka, Mapua and Upper Moutere.

What we do

Everything it takes to design and build your Passive 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.

Architectural homes

Bespoke, architect-designed homes shaped around your ideas, your site and the Tasman light.

Design and build

One accountable team from first sketch to handover, so the design stays buildable and on budget.

Energy-efficient, healthy homes

Warm, dry, energy-efficient homes built well above the minimum code. We build Passive Homes.

Renovations and extensions

Considered additions and reworks, built to the same standard as our new homes.

Complete project leadership

We coordinate every consultant, supplier and trade, and keep your build on time and on budget.

A personalised experience

A calm, communicative process, dealing directly with the people responsible for your home.

Bathroom with warm timber joinery and a view to the Tasman hills, Passive Home at Horton Road — Bathroom, Passive Home at Horton Road, Tasman

Sustainable by design

A genuinely sustainable home, not a checklist of eco features.

Sustainability starts with a home that needs less energy in the first place. We design for the sun and shelter from the wind before we ever specify a solar panel, so the building itself does most of the work.

Durable, low-maintenance materials chosen to perform for 50-plus years, not replaced every decade.
Rooftop solar and efficient hot water sized to a home that already needs very little.
The result is a smaller footprint for the life of the home, not just on the day you move in.

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

Proven, not promised

Real homes, not renders.

We have been building Passive Homes and high-performance homes across Nelson and Tasman since 2006. The Green House and the Blue House in Upper Moutere, and the Horton Road build, are real finished homes, not renders and not promises. Every number below comes from homes we have actually built.

Building since: 2006
Less heating energy: Up to 90% less
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

Our Passive and high-performance homes

Aerial of the Green House among vineyards, an Ecotectural Passive Home in Upper Moutere

Side elevation of the Blue House, a high-performance Ecotectural Passive Home in Upper Moutere

Aerial of a high-performance Ecotectural home with rooftop solar on a Tasman rural block at Horton Road

Why build with us here

Local and hands-on. A Nelson and Tasman team, building to Passive House principles since 2006.
Engineered to feel better to live in. Warm, dry and low to run, with the option to build to the full Passive House standard.
Built in the Open. Honest, open-book pricing, so you see where every dollar goes, from the first sketch to the final invoice.

Good questions

Building a Passive Home in Nelson Tasman, answered.

Do you build Passive Homes anywhere in Nelson and Tasman?

Yes. We design and build Passive Homes across the whole region, from Nelson city to Richmond, Motueka, Mapua and the rural Tasman sites in between.

How much more does a Passive Home cost to build?

It depends how far you want to go. Every Ecotectural home is already built well above the Building Code minimum; going all the way to full Passive House adds a premium for the extra glazing, insulation and ventilation, and we will show you exactly what each step buys before you commit to it.

Do I have to get formal Passive House certification?

No. We build to Passive House principles and are completely open about where your home lands. If you do want full certification, we can absolutely deliver it, though most clients prefer to put that budget into the home itself.

What is the difference between this page and your Passive House guide?

This page is about building your Passive Home with us. For the detail on what a Passive Home actually is and how the standard works, see our Passive House guide.