Sustainability. Preservation. Quality.
As sustainable builders, we build beautiful, high-performing homes that represent your values and lifestyle as a family. Enquire about building or renovating with us.
Our philosophy is that homes should be preserved where possible and that sustainability should be standard.
Hem was founded by husband and wife team Pete and Anita Taylor. Pete, a registered builder with a Green Living Accreditation, has the passion and skill to build and renovate sustainable homes. Anita brings a design eye to the process by providing guidance on interior details such as fittings, fixtures, colour choices and layouts.
‘Hem’ — the Swedish word for ‘home’ — is a nod to the inspiration we take from Northern European style and design principles. Between 2013 and 2016, Pete spent time in Austria and Sweden, where he honed his skills in making bespoke timber furniture, learned traditional artisanal methods of timber fabrication and renovated local homes and hotels. It was in Sweden that Pete worked alongside sustainable builders and was deeply inspired by their environmentally conscious way of thinking — including the common practice of recycling (rather than disposing of) building materials.
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Our approach is to build houses that are beautifully designed and comfortable while achieving the highest energy rating possible.
We do this through using sustainable practices and products, for example solar panels, water tanks, low VOC paints and glues, recycled materials, efficient insulation, double- or triple-glazed windows and advanced heating and cooling systems based on passive house principles.
As sustainable builders, we also recycle up to 80 percent of our construction materials so they don’t end up in landfill.
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This holistic commitment to sustainable, high-performance homes has seen us achieve Passivhaus accreditation.
Beginning in Germany over 30 years ago, Passivhaus has become the gold standard in environmentally conscious building. Gaining this sought-after qualification is a massive vindication of our methods and philosophy, second only to the endorsement of our happy clients.
Our consultation service means that we can be as involved as you need us to be when it comes to information gathering and planning.
By getting involved early in the process, and collaborating with architects and engineers we ensure that your needs are being met and remove the need to amend the project later in the process.
Our sustainability and high-performance consultancy includes:
- Removal and investigation of all unknown substances.
- Specifying construction details to ensure highest possible performance.
- Comprehensive energy baseline testing.
- Electrification detailing.
- Future proofing for renewable energy supply.
This service is separate from the building contract and offers you the full benefits of our expertise in a flexible way to suit you.
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Build or renovate with Hem – your local sustainable builders.
Pete has a Certificate III in Carpentry and a Certificate IV in Building Construction, and has completed a DBU and sustainable construction module for Master Builders. He is also currently undertaking an Advanced Diploma in Building Design, which will help him achieve his goal of incorporating sustainable practices early on in the design process (rather than as an afterthought).
During his time in Austria and Sweden, Pete worked across a diverse range of carpentry roles. In Austria, he built custom-made timber furniture for a ski chalet and worked as a ‘Hausmaster’ at a local hotel providing renovations, general carpentry and, at the request of the owner, transforming items destined for landfill into usable items. While in Sweden, Pete accepted the unique opportunity to live and work in a Swedish lake house using sustainable, artisanal building methods with a deep consideration of the climate.
Following some early study in business administration and psychology, Anita spent some time working in the wine industry before working in the field of social work. It was while working in the wine industry that Anita observed the impact of the changing climate on wine production, which sparked a desire to become more environmentally conscious.
These days, Anita's currently completing her diploma of interior design and is passionate about housing sustainability and preservation. She loves to work alongside Hem clients to help them distil what it is they truly want in their home, and how a high quality home can be achieved through sustainable methods.
Driven by our love of sustainability, preservation and quality, we can build and design a sustainable house for you.
Browse our latest social media posts for greater insight into our projects.
