"IT'S a beautiful area," pronounces Tommy Walsh, about March in Cambridgeshire. Living in Fenland as I do, we come in for criticism from people who believe our landscape is flat and full of water.

I tell Tommy this: "Well that's not very well mannered of them to be nasty about it is it?" he says and continues noting the good points of north Cambridgeshire, none the least of which is that you can still buy a building plot in an attractive area for £60,000.

Tommy Walsh is back on our screens in a new series from Discovery, "Tommy Walsh's Eco House." He is taking viewers through the thought process, the practical work and the challenges, warts and all, of building for the future and within a strict budget. He has set himself the challenge of building the house on a plot costing £60,000 with materials not costing more than £60,000 and in 60 days. And it has to have the best features for sustainability. In short - dream affordable housing that doesn't harm the environment.

How on earth does he propose to do this? "By using existing technology and using it more effectively," he replies.

Tommy, known to many from Ground Force, was running his own building business in Hackney when he was "discovered" by the executive producer of Ground Force. Described as a "burly builder" on the website Beautiful Britain (www.beautifulbritain.co.uk), he has chosen to remain in Hackney where he describes Victoria Park as "one of the nicest places to live, multi-cultural and dynamic." He's involved with Hackney City Farm which he believes is "a little oasis in the desert and crucial for kids to see animals and interact with them." He highlights the award winning restaurant at the farm which is "a truly classless place to meet." Recipes come from the multi-cultural community and blend to make a fantastic menu at a value-for-money prices.

Value for money is something Tommy takes as read and for smallholders embarking on self-build or renovation, it is something that will make all the difference between a successfully completed project and disaster. Tommy believes that housing can be responsible for social breakdown especially as the housing ladder encourages people to start small and move up, moving everytime and often changing communities. He believes a house should be built that could be enlarged as the family grows. He calls this "future proofing." He marvels that houses don't usually have basements in this country which is an obvious form of expansion and there is also the option of loft space as well. He is convinced that the nomadic life we all live, moving from place to place, is causing community breakdown. "A house is a home first and a house second," he proclaims.

I've often thought this myself, that houses are now reduced to being mere property, valued only for their financial worth and not for being liveable in or for warmth of the surrounding community.

So how did he start on the project, how did he find the plot? It's a question we are often asked at Smallholder. Tommy told me that he searched on the internet with a "shopping list" of wants but he warned that to work within a budget, you might have to compromise.

What are the most important factors in a new build or a renovation?

"There's one simple rule," Tommy said emphatically. "And that's planning and preparation. Work out a sensible budget and stick to it. Get a good set of drawings and a bill of quantity to the specifications. Go on the internet and look at the big suppliers. You can save so much money by buying in bulk rather than as and when you need it, up to a third off for example, the same as a developer would do. Remember there is no VAT on a new build. Be honest about what you need and what it will cost - and be a bit ambitious to personalise your house!"

He continued: "You'll need a secure container on site to lock away expensive fittings too, so cost that in."

He recommends under floor heating - probably last seen in Fenland at the Roman administration centre at Stonea Camp about 50AD! Ground floor themal blocks will heat the building not the air and reduce how long it needs to be turned on. The same blocks will keep it cool in the summer.

Other eco-friendly necessities include plans to help the house to function efficiently such as wrapping it to maintain heat (tea cosy on a tea pot!) - old technology applied more efficiently. Upgraded double glazing is also put in.

He advocates solar panels on the roof - these are activated by light - and if there is any surplus power it will feed back into the grid. 18 panels cost around £6,000 and produce around 1kw. He feels electricity costs can only rise in the future - that emphasis on building for the future again. Future concerns are: energy costs (use solar panels); water (keep control of your water useage and save and use grey water); and transport (live close to where you work).

All these ideas are incorporated into the eco- house shown in the Discovery series. The programme format is very clear, no sensationalism or unnecessary "cliff hangers" - there are enough challenges to meet as it is. In the first programme, costs are already increased through an unexpected event. Tommy clearly sums up his actions, making this a programme to watch with pen and paper at hand to make notes. It is inspirational, making you feel that you can succeed in such a project but it also has good common sense and practical advice. For those not planning to move, many of the tips on energy and water saving could be brought into an existing house. Tommy knows his stuff and his likeable good humour, which must come from confidence and belief in what he does, is infectious.

He recommends the National Self Build and Renovation Centre just off the M4 at Swindon. There you can walk through two permanent houses, view cut away foundations, floors, roofs, septic tanks and ecological friendly ideas. They have an excellent website and a plot search facility within it. He also stresses that finance is important - be realistic in your costs and consider a bank that is set up for renovation projects where the money is released as you need it so you don't have to pay the loan costs on the whole amount right from the beginning.

I came away from our interview feeling very positive that it was possible to make a difference in your choice of house and that it was a project for "ordinary" people with "ordinary" incomes. Tommy was so full of enthusiasm for the project that it totally rubbed off and this follows through in the television series.

In Tommy's words: "We are responsible for what we leave behind for our children and grandchildren. If we carry on the way we do at the moment we won't have anything to leave to them. If we built and lived in houses like this, we'd seriously improve on our 2005 Carbon Footprint."

  • Tommy Walsh's Eco House premiered on Discovery Real Time on Wednesday, October 3, at 9pm and continues for a series.
  • National Self Build and Renovation Centre, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon SN5 8UB. Tel: 01506 409 616 Fax: 01793 875111 http://www.mykindofhome.co.uk/

  • November 13-18 - Enjoy a celebration of all domestic eco issues for both new build housing solutions and the renovation of older properties. Learn what products are available, what they cost and how they can help you and the environment. With celebrities and industry speakers, this should be an unmissable fixture for anyone interested in the eco debate.