Fleming Homes and Total Home Environment announce a new partnership to support better early-stage MVHR design for self-builders

Fleming Homes and Total Home Environment have announced a new partnership to help self-builders consider mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, or MVHR, earlier in the timber frame design process.

The collaboration will allow Fleming Homes to include an MVHR design quote at timber frame quotation stage, giving self-builders earlier visibility of ventilation requirements and helping to ensure that services are considered as part of the wider design, rather than being treated as an afterthought.

The partnership has been developed to help self-builders avoid one of the common challenges in low-energy home design, where ventilation is considered after the design of the structure has been finalised. Early coordination between the timber frame manufacturer and MVHR provider can help ensure suitable plant space, adequate service zones, coordinated duct routes, carefully considered penetrations through the building envelope, and better alignment between structural design, fire design and mechanical and electrical requirements.

Sarah Mathieson, Managing Director of Fleming Homes, said:

“Self-builders are often balancing a huge number of decisions at the same time, and services can sometimes feel like something to deal with later in the process. The reality is that the most successful projects are those where the structure, performance and services are considered together from the start.

Our partnership with Total Home Environment aligns closely with our mission to help make self-building more straightforward. Total Home Environment’s specialist experience in MVHR design, ducting layouts, airflow calculations and system coordination will help ensure key decisions around ventilation are made early in the project.”

Michael Hunt, Managing Director of Total Home Environment, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Fleming Homes. From our early discussions, it was clear that both businesses share a similar approach – a commitment to quality, collaboration and getting the details right.

MVHR performs best when it is properly integrated into the design from the outset. By working together at the timber frame stage, we can help ensure that the ventilation strategy is naturally built into the home rather than forced in later. That gives self-builders a shorter build time with fewer ‘surprises’ on site, as everything has been ironed out ahead of time. Ultimately the self-builder will benefit from a bespoke ventilation system that has been seamlessly integrated within their home creating a healthier environment in which to live.”

The partnership reflects both companies’ wider commitment to supporting self-builders through a clear, practical and collaborative design process.

Sarah Mathieson added:

“A successful self-build depends on good decisions being made at the right time. This partnership is another way for us to support self-builders understand the bigger picture, ask the right questions earlier, and create bespoke homes that work beautifully in practice, not just on paper.”

For further information, please contact:

Demi Kinghorn
[email protected]

01361 883785
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday