Kiss House

Some pics of lovely buildings spotted on a recent visit to Exeter:
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1) Doorway, Cathedral Close
2) Exeter Cathedral
3) Roman wall
4) Cathedral Close
5) Town houses
6) Mol’s Coffee House established 16th Century
7) St Catherine’s Chapel
8) Bug hotel, Guildhall
9) Loake Catherine Street
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Exeter info: In AD55 the Romans erected a wooden fort atop a strategic hill near the River Exe in the South West of England. The settlement was christened Isca Dumnoniorum and became a thriving town and the administrative centre for the region.
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However it is likely that the area was settled long before the Romans — coins from Hellenistic kingdoms have been found which may indicate a settlement trading with the Mediterranean as early as 250 BC.
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In the 7th Century The Anglo Saxons renamed the settlement Exeter and for centuries it continued to be a bustling centre of trade.
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Today the city which is (also the county town of Devon), is known for its Roman past, gothic Cathedral, historic centre and University (established in the 19th Century), as well as a thriving independent arts scene.
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Some views of buildings from a recent trip to Suffolk. Enjoy!
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1. House in the Clouds, Thorpeness
2. Beautiful pebble and brick wall near Reydon
3. Peasenhall Village Hall
4. Lavenham timber house
5. St Andrews Church Covehithe — ruins & thatch roof
6. Woodbridge roof tiles
7. Southwold beach huts
8. Saxted Green Post Mill
9. Lowestoft beach huts
10. Southwold beach
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Background to Suffolk — Suffolk is on the eastern edge of England and is known for long sand and shingle beaches, historic towns and villages and thriving wildlife. It is a beautiful place to spend time, especially when the sun is shining as it was for the August bank holiday in the UK.
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A millennium and a half ago, the men and women who walked this part of the great Kingdom of the Angles were known as ‘south folk’, from which the ancient county of Suffolk gets its name.
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Suffolk remains relatively unspoilt and is bursting with tradition and character. Huge skies and magical light have inspired artists, musicians and writers for centuries.
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Yesterday was — a day which occurs every year on a shifting basis because it signifies the moment Earth reaches an ecological deficit due to the demands we’re placing on its resources.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In other words we’ve spent the last 7 months using 12 months worth of biological resources & will run at a deficit for the rest of the year. Having already exceeded what the Earth can regenerate in a year we’re eating up resources needed for future generations.

This being such a mind blowing concept we had a look online at ways to move the day back and ended up even more mind blown! For example:

💥Reducing the carbon component of humanity’s ecological footprint — by 50% would take us from consuming the resources of 1.7 earths a year, down to 1.2 earths.

💥Reforest the planet — by planting 350 million hectares of forest, we could push Earth Overshoot Day back by 8 days!
�💥Reduce the amount we drive or switch to electric vehicles to reduce our footprint by 50%

💥Use public transport more often, walk or bike to move it back 13 days.

💥Properly utilise existing off-the-shelf, commercial technologies for buildings, industrial processes, and electricity production to move it back 21 days+
�💥Cut our food waste in half, and reducing our meat consumption by 50% to move it back by 30 days.

💥If each family had on average 1.8 children compared to the 2.3 children we currently have, & family planning started 2 years later, our population would be at 7.7 billion by 2050 instead of the projected 9.7 billion, moving it back 49 days!

We’re still letting it settle in too!

Summer's arrived and we're melting having had no time to acclimatise! Sleeping in a roasting room is not fun, BUT it is a good reminder of how Passivhaus is designed for all climates.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The goal wherever in the the world it is, is a constant ambient temperature🌡️

Read all about it and "the weather indoors" on our website — link in our bio.

Enjoy the heat 🔥

As we head into the weekend celebrating our planning consent in Bath we wanted to share some new views of the project with you. Enjoy & have a great weekend.
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Team Kiss 😘
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p.s. next Open Day in Bath is 13th August at 1 pm
type “REGISTER” below for sign-up link
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🌿 Summer is here and the time is right for visiting Cox's Quarry! 🌿​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Join us to walk the beautiful site, learn about custom build and plan your next move.

🗓️ Date: Tuesday, August 13th
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM
📍 Location: Combe Down, Bath, UK

Book your place now!
📧 Type REGISTER below and we’ll DM you the link.
NB: Full details will be emailed.

🌟 Come and hear about our thoughtfully crafted homes
🌟 Experience the lush green site nestled in a green oasis just 2.5km from Bath's vibrant city centre
🌟 Meet our team
🌟 Find out about Custom Build and how to make your self-build dream a reality

🌟 Exciting News! Planning Approval Granted at Cox’s Quarry 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that we have officially secured planning approval for our project at Cox’s Quarry, Bath. This milestone marks a significant step forward in our journey to sustainably develop this beautiful site, and means six, net zero, Custom Build, Passivhaus homes will be coming to Bath soon!

We first met the landowner and became inspired by their vision to create a small deep green, eco-development in 2019. When we visited we were blown away by the beautiful green oasis tucked away in the centre of Combe Down and the challenge of developing it sensitively.

Planning has not been easy, particularly because much of what makes the site so special is that it is part SSSI / Site of Special Scientific Interest, and SAC / Special Area of Conservation. Not forgetting the fact that it’s in a conservation area in a World Heritage site!

🗓️ Visit Site: Our next Cox’s Quarry Open Day is Tuesday 13th of August at 1pm — join us and see for yourself. Sign-up here in our links or at this url https://kisshou.se/CQ13.08 and we’ll look forward to welcoming you on the day.

🌍 Looking Ahead: With planning approval in hand, we are eager to begin the next phase of our project and to this end we have cleared all but two of the pre-commencement conditions with the remaining two in progress.

🤝 A Huge Thank You: This wouldn’t have been possible without the landowners vision and the unwavering support and hard work of our dedicated in-house team and external consultant team, and the local authority — thank you all.

Thank you too for being part of our journey — stay tuned for updates as the project progresses.




                                       

🏡 Discover the values that underpin Cox's Quarry 🌿​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Cox's Quarry design is based on core values. Here's how our architectural design and site masterplan reflect the values of , , , , & :

🏗️ Design: Our homes are carefully crafted living spaces that blend performance with aesthetics. Homes are angled to maximise sunlight, and customisable features promote individuality within a coherent architectural language.

🌳 Nature: Cox's Quarry embraces the natural beauty of its surroundings, with lush green spaces, private gardens, and an incredible secret garden teeming with biodiversity. Our commitment to ecological corridors and supporting wildlife ensures harmony with nature and protection of rare species.

♻️ Sustainability: Building for the future — Passivhaus construction, renewable energy generation, focus on low-impact materials and landscaping. Cox's Quarry is sustainable living and achieves net zero without off-setting. Hello green living and goodbye energy bills!

👫 Community: Nestled within the vibrant Combe Down community in Bath, Cox's Quarry landscape design fosters connection while minimising pollution and enhancing safety. Abundant green space, clean air, and serene communal areas invite residents to come together and unwind.

⚖️ Balance: At Cox's Quarry, whether you seek retreat, relaxation, or connection, there are spaces designed to meet your needs, supporting community, preserving privacy, and promoting individuality.

For more type "Cox's Quarry" below.

Join us to discover the future of sustainable living and home design next Saturday in Bath.
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We’re holding an Open Day to introduce Cox’s Quarry a landmark custom build, Passivhaus development in Bath🍃
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🗓️ Date: Saturday 17th February
⏰ Time: 1.30pm arrival for 1.50pm start
⏰ End: 4.25pm
📍 Location: Combe Down, Bath, UK
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NB: Full details will be emailed.
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Come and hear about our thoughtfully crafted homes, designed to the highest architectural and construction standards.
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Experience firsthand the lush green site nestled in a lush green oasis just 2.5km from Bath's vibrant city center.
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Speak to our team and begin to envision your dream home in this idyllic setting.
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Book your place now.
📧 Type REGISTER below and we’ll DM you the link.
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Kiss Custom has launched with two live projects — Orchard Farm in Kent and Cox’s Quarry in Bath, (& more projects in development).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​It means that plots with planning for our homes are available now! Think of it as self-build made simple. Type LIVE in the comments and we'll DM you a link.

There's loads to tell you about — how we've partnered with critically acclaimed Mole Architects at Orchard Farm. The Orchard Farm open day on November 11th. Our Cox's Quarry open day in Bath in January. What our custom build package includes and much more.

All the info is on the new Kiss Custom website (type LIVE in the comments and we'll DM the link).

Thanks!

Happy weekend!💙​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Looking for some lovely home inspiration? If so head over to our website to have a look at some of our past project portfolio.

You'll also find lots of inspiration in the stories section of our website. Enjoy!

New wins for ​​Mike’s past project, Ashraya, which has picked up 3 awards including the 2023 RIBA East Building of the Year💥

Read all about it — sign-up to get our Ashraya e-book out now!

Go to our bio 👆🏽 and select “Ashraya sign-up” — click to sign-up and get our news, PLUS our Ashraya e-book.

Ashraya, is a Paragraph 80, earth sheltered country house, in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Architecture by David Kirkland, Kirkland Fraser Moor, Construction Management and delivery by our co-founder, Mike Jacob. You can learn about the rest of the project team in our e-book and read interviews with David, Mike and the client 🌟

Ashraya has won the following RIBA East awards for 2023
~ 2023 RIBA East Award
~ Building of the Year
~ Project Architect of the Year

Our Ashraya e-book includes:
🌟 behind the scenes photos
🌟 facts and project info
🌟 interviews with members of the project team
🌟 interviews with occupants and more!

Subscribe at the link in our bio👆🏽

Photo credits
Architect
Team: , .workshop, , , , ,

Reading Climate Festival starts soon and on Thursday 15th June the KH team will be visiting by ​​​​​​​​​, to attend a gong bath!​​​​​​​​​
The festival runs from June 10th to 21st with Gaia open from the 10th to the 18th.

Booking is essential — visit the What's On Reading website or the Reading Town Hall website. Tickets are £2 for adults, free for under 14s but they're selling fast!

Retrofit is a colossal challenge — check out these staggering stats from the !​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Join our co-founder Mike Jacob + Hugh Whiriskey from .company, of House Planning Help, and Zachary Semke , PLUS special guest Es Tresidder, MSc PhD, to talk Passivhaus, timber frame retrofit 💥

💥 It's a live online event hosted by Passive House Accelerator
💥 This Thursday (18th) 2pm BST / 9am ET
💥 Sign-up — "Retrofit event" link in bio

See you there!

Earth day wisdom from Sir David Attenborough 🌎 ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​“It's surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth."

Happy Earth Day. Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

Thanks to for our new Kiss House HQ sign. As well as working on exciting new projects with our customers, we’ve been busy making our Reading office feel like home. Our new space is in the heart of the Castle Street Conservation Area, in the centre of Reading. It sits on the corner of Bridge Street, Castle Street and Gun Street, three historical streets in an area steeped in history.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Home tends to elicit a sense of calm, positive emotions and it hopefully provides safety and sanctuary 🖤 ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Our homes can bring us immense joy and are inextricably linked to our sense of self.

We believe
⭐️ Where we live matters
⭐️ How we live matters
⭐️ Home matters

We are driven by our mission for all homes to be brilliant — it's why we get up for in the morning! What drives you and gets you out of bed in the morning?

Visit our website for more info — link in our bio. 👆🏽

Have you got our handy factsheet on Right to Build?
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Get it now — link in bio ☝🏻 — and find out all about the legislation and registers plus what they mean for you.
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Simply click “Right to build” in our bio to get our news and the factsheet ☝🏻
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You can get all the Kiss House news by subscribing at this URL https://kisshou.se/subscribe or clicking the link in our bio ☝🏻
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Thank you!
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