Should you buy or build your home? As opposed to buying a prebuilt house, building a home presents you with an opportunity to create a personalised space that matches your lifestyle and family situation. If you want to stay comfortable year-round and keep your home's heating and cooling costs at a minimum, consider building a passive house.  A passive house is designed to remain naturally cool in the summer heat and warm in winter weather, thus reducing or eliminating the need for additional air conditioning and heating at home.