Sustainable Builders Alliance member spotlight: Jesse Glascott

Partner profile: At Sanctuary, we’ve been fans of the Sustainable Builders Alliance (SBA) since its foundation. Its mission to bring together builders, designers and industry professionals committed to building better sits very comfortably with our own goals, and we’re delighted to be partnering with them on this new profile series shining the spotlight on SBA members and the great work they do.

This issue, we sat down with Jesse Glascott, a Passive House-qualified builder and one of the founders of the SBA, for a chat about his background, how he got to be passionate about high-performance building, and the design trend he’d love never to see on a building site again.

Tell us a little about yourself, Jesse.
I’m a registered builder with a background in carpentry and joinery, and over 26 years of experience in the building industry. I’ve always had a strong interest in improving the way we build, and after completing several projects it became clear to me that in the industry, a lot of care and effort went into the finishes rather than into the most important thing: how the structure and the thermal envelope was built. I realised that working beyond the Australian construction standards was needed in order to create comfortable, energy-efficient homes that would last many years into the future.

Gaining my Passive House Tradesperson qualification was the first step towards delivering high-performance projects for my clients. Since then, G-LUX Builders has grown to become one of Melbourne’s leading custom home builders qualified to build to the Passive House standard. Our in-house team specialises in construction management, estimating and product research, and over the years we’ve built up a network of tradespeople and suppliers who share the same values of building better homes.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
Funnily enough, I grew up always wanting to be a builder. I always loved working with my hands and building things. You couldn’t keep me away from building blocks, Lego, and even Technic Lego! I would have been about 12 years old when I built an epic treehouse in the park at the end of our street. It was triple-storey and had a balcony. It was a very popular hangout spot until the council took it down.

What drew you to sustainable building?
I was introduced to the concept of Passive House back in 2017. Once I knew this kind of high-performance building existed, there was really no going back to typical builds. After working on several Passive House projects, I was introduced to sustainable building materials, which has now become a passion of mine.

What’s your definition of a high-performance house?
To me a high-performing home needs a few key things: quality insulation that’s sufficient and continuous; thermally efficient windows, generally with uPVC or timber frames; a design that avoids thermal bridges; and inclusion of mechanical ventilation, as the house will be airtight below about five air changes per hour (ACH). It’s always worth getting the architect or designer to model the design for thermal performance before you begin building.

Tell us about a recent project that you’re proud of?
We recently completed a Passive House project in my local town of Warrandyte, in Melbourne’s north-east. The clients were amazing, wanting as many sustainable products in their home as possible. We used rammed earth, Jeanius insulation made from recycled denim, Crafted Hardwoods timber, Hydrowood, cork flooring, and laminate joinery made from recycled coffee bag fibres.

I’m also currently working on a side business, NativHaus – we are aiming to produce small, transportable, high-performing homes. Over the past year or two I’ve learnt a lot about transport restrictions and designing for site constraints, but I’m very excited about this project and looking forward to taking the homes to market.

What’s your current favourite sustainability initiative or hack onsite?
I think because I love timber so much my favourite sustainable product right now is Crafted Hardwoods. We have recently used their products for ceiling linings, window and door reveals, and architraves. Most timber composite materials are plastic or cement based, but Crafted Hardwoods products are all timber: they take underutilised low-grade timber and give it the look, feel and performance of hardwood.

What design trend, construction detail or building material would you like never to see on a build again?
Steel window frames. I have seen them on some really high-end jobs as they can be quite strong and have a narrow profile. But thermally, they are a disgrace.

What are your top tips for achieving a sustainable build on a budget?

• Really consider the size of the build at an early stage: by working with an experienced building designer you can still achieve an amazing and fully functional smaller family home if it’s designed right.
• Building fast saves money, so using prefabricated components in the build can be a good idea as it will help the project move quicker.
• Be happy with imperfections: for example, go for a lower grade of timber instead of select grades.

And finally, will your next tradie ute be an EV?!
I hope so! My wife has an electric car that I often drive if I don’t need the ute. I do have my eye on the new Farizon electric van to add to the fleet.