Live self-Builds - mod warning in post no. 1

delfagio

Superdaddy wrote:

Thats a pretty serious floor. My joist are 225mm, 18mm WBP.

Yea the timber frame company designed the floor loading to suit UFH screed as it was something we wanted, plus we had our own concerns about any noise been heard through the floors from bedrooms or living rooms etc. Think that's why the joists so big, and there at 400centres approximately,

delfagio

Apologies, just had a look there last night and its actually 254mm Open Web Joists not 274mm, my mistake. :rolleyes:

Went to the house this morning to see how the screed was doing since been poured yesterday. I didn't walk on it just yet as I'd rather wait till this evening to give it a little chance longer to dry and harden up, so just literally open the outside doors and stuck my head inside to look around, but bloody hell, the condensation in the place is unreal. The windows are soaking wet.....

All the windows are open about an inch or two since yesterday to let air get in and around the screed. Really hope the weather picks up in the next few days so I can open the windows more to let more air get in, but typical Irish weather ha ha RAIN :mad::mad:

893bet

Second fix plumbing coming on!

893bet

Can only attach one photo at a time for some reason?

893bet

Solar in place!

thewhiterobbie

Hi all have loved reading through this thread ... Starting our 2nd self build this weekend with site being cleared , lot of lessons learned during first build which was only 5 years ok so hopefully better equipped to deal with the pressures of it this time around.. Posting here as I'll need lots of advice although this is 2nd time round things seem to have progressed so much over past few years ..

Mac0783

Hi, skimming through this thread, it's very detailed! We have a pre-planning meeting with Roscommon Co Co tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone had any dealings with them and any advice? Also any advice for dealings with Councils in general when looking for planning in a village?


thanks

FiOT

Mac0783 wrote: »

Hi, skimming through this thread, it's very detailed! We have a pre-planning meeting with Roscommon Co Co tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone had any dealings with them and any advice? Also any advice for dealings with Councils in general when looking for planning in a village?


thanks

Hiya,

Don't know if I am much help but I'll answer you anyway as I was in your position earlier in the year and I know it's tough.

I recently got planning permission in Meath in what they call a "graig", I guess you could be generous and call it a village, it's a small 50km zone with a school and a shop down the road. The 50km zone was a big factor in us getting permission, they kind of want cluster development in low speed zones so that new entrances are less obstructive.

One thing I would say is take a look at their development plan if you haven't already. I know in Meath they are very strict on the design of a new build, they stick very much to the guidelines as per the plan.

Pre planning meetings are great depending on what stage you're at. We didn't bother going before we designed our house as really all they can tell you at that stage is whether the land is zoned for housing etc, they have nothing concrete to comment on. We went with our drawings and engineer though just before submission and the planner was able to give us lots of pointers on small changes we could make to ensure that there would be no further information requests; e.g. having chimney on the inside on house, having house in line with others on the road, wording of planning submission etc.

I may be able to answer questions better than come up with information as I don't know what exactly you're looking for!

Best of luck - exciting times!

db

893bet wrote: »

Solar in place!

From the shadow cast on the roof it looks like you have fairly optimal roof direction for your solar. I have the exact same setup as you - 40 tubes and a 300L tank (I think that's what you have) on a south facing roof. With the sun we have had the last few days I have been getting a full tank > 50°C so you should be achieving similar to that.

Mac0783

Thanks Fiot, there is no zoning in this village, if that makes sense I looked that up. And whilst it's within the 50 km zone it's up a a road adjacent to the village ,there are a number of other houses on the road, last built circa. 2004 I think, so I'm hoping no recent applications is a good thing. We're not local to the area I think that might be our main stumbling block.. Also the house will be behind another house - however with a good entrance and a good distance behind but not inline with the other houses so I'm worried that's an issue.

I have no plans drawn up, haven't purchased site yet but have plans for another house on the road, and have printed some house fronts that I like to give an idea of what we want. hoping that will help

FiOT

Mac0783 wrote: »

Thanks Fiot, there is no zoning in this village, if that makes sense I looked that up. And whilst it's within the 50 km zone it's up a a road adjacent to the village ,there are a number of other houses on the road, last built circa. 2004 I think, so I'm hoping no recent applications is a good thing. We're not local to the area I think that might be our main stumbling block.. Also the house will be behind another house - however with a good entrance and a good distance behind but not inline with the other houses so I'm worried that's an issue.

I have no plans drawn up, haven't purchased site yet but have plans for another house on the road, and have printed some house fronts that I like to give an idea of what we want. hoping that will help

Local needs is a big thing in rural developments. You have to show a need for a house in the area, I had to get letters from everywhere from my primary school to the parish priest, sports clubs to voluntary positions I hold. The planner saying to me "have you not got more than 7 years bank statements" in the pre planning meeting made laugh, 1. I'm only 25, I've only had a bank account for 7 years and 2. who keeps these things?! But, you need them and you have to make a case for yourself. At least in Meath you do!

You need to have a letter from the owner of the site to enquire or apply for planning too saying that they are allowing you to do so - application will be thrown out without it! But when you employ a architect/engineer/agent for your planning, they should tell you about that.

There's a lot to be done but I actually really enjoyed collecting all of the stuff for it. We were really lucky to get our planning first time but I know it's not always that easy.

893bet

db wrote: »

From the shadow cast on the roof it looks like you have fairly optimal roof direction for your solar. I have the exact same setup as you - 40 tubes and a 300L tank (I think that's what you have) on a south facing roof. With the sun we have had the last few days I have been getting a full tank > 50°C so you should be achieving similar to that.

South facing roof. Went with 50tubes and 400l tank.

Mac0783

... I've only had a bank account for 7 years and 2. who keeps these things?! But, you need them and you have to make a case for yourself. At least in Meath you do!...

The planner wanted 7 years of bank statements?? For what reason?

lownhard

thewhiterobbie wrote: »

Hi all have loved reading through this thread ... Starting our 2nd self build this weekend with site being cleared , lot of lessons learned during first build which was only 5 years ok so hopefully better equipped to deal with the pressures of it this time around.. Posting here as I'll need lots of advice although this is 2nd time round things seem to have progressed so much over past few years ..

Share the wisdom

DOCARCH

Mod Note: @stuka....if you are looking for your post, I moved it into the main C&P forum and titled it 'Advice on House Refurbishment/Extension'.

fermmark

Morning all,

New to boards but have been following this last 12months through our planning process. Planning has been approved and lane has been made into our site, we have the builder lined up for the foundations and build in early March.

What I'm looking for at the minute is information/advice/reviews on heating systems for our new build. Doing as much research now as I'm living in Australia and won't be home until 2nd fix stage - my father will be looking after things until then.

The house is solid block outside with a 150mm cavity and quinnlite inner leaf. The cavity will be filled with 80/100mm solid insulation with the remaining pumped and also triple glazed windows throughout and all living areas south facing for solar gains. Preliminary u values are 0.18w/m2 and hoping for BER rating of A2.

My main question - at the minute - is if the house is so well insulated and air tight with MVHR system installed is it beneficial to install a heat pump as in theory the heat demand should be minimal??
I have always liked the idea of either GSHP or ASHP (both seemingly more expensive) but would an OFCH suffice with a wood stove and either solar/solar of be sufficient??
Does solar PV just generate electricity or heat hot water also??

Any information,ideas,recommendations would be greatly appreciated

hexosan

@femmark
When you say 150mm cavity with 80/100mm board and remainder pumped do you mean that remaining 50/70mm cavity is been pumped with bead insulation.

fermmark

Yes that's what I meant, the remaining gap will be pumped with bead insulation meaning the 150 cavity will be filled with a mixture of solid insulation and pumped beads.
This is what the engineer recommended along with a quinnlite inner leaf.

heavydawson

fermmark wrote: »

Morning all,

New to boards but have been following this last 12months through our planning process. Planning has been approved and lane has been made into our site, we have the builder lined up for the foundations and build in early March.

What I'm looking for at the minute is information/advice/reviews on heating systems for our new build. Doing as much research now as I'm living in Australia and won't be home until 2nd fix stage - my father will be looking after things until then.

The house is solid block outside with a 150mm cavity and quinnlite inner leaf. The cavity will be filled with 80/100mm solid insulation with the remaining pumped and also triple glazed windows throughout and all living areas south facing for solar gains. Preliminary u values are 0.18w/m2 and hoping for BER rating of A2.

My main question - at the minute - is if the house is so well insulated and air tight with MVHR system installed is it beneficial to install a heat pump as in theory the heat demand should be minimal??
I have always liked the idea of either GSHP or ASHP (both seemingly more expensive) but would an OFCH suffice with a wood stove and either solar/solar of be sufficient??
Does solar PV just generate electricity or heat hot water also??

Any information,ideas,recommendations would be greatly appreciated

The first question that needs to be asked is whether you've determined your heat demand? In theory is one thing, but you really should get someone to calculate it for you. I was literally one week from starting our build and had planned to go GSHP with UFH throughout, but visited another, well-insulated (but not even airtight) house, and they had used OFCH. They were using a combination of 100mm pumped cavity and 37.5mm dry-lining, and the place was like a sauna.
In the end I didn't go the dry-lining route, but opted for a 150mm full-fill board in a 150mm cavity. The house is heated by OFCH with a Stanley in the kitchen (the missus had to have it). We have a wood stove, but haven't lit it at all this year. Only in the last week has the temp in the rooms dropped to 18, and we've had to throw on the heating. I'd say we spend 400-500 / year on oil (though prices are keen ATM). The house has definitely built up heat since we moved in 2 years ago.
Bit of a long-winded answer, but just wanted to let you know how our decision worked out. I think the GSHP has a while to go before it's cost-effective, but then oil is only ever going to trend-upwards. The take-away: Put as much insulation and air-tightness, and solar-gain planning in the house as you can.

FWIW, we have a wood-stove in the house as well. has a back boiler and has an external air connection (necessary for any air-tight house). Great job, but the heat is nearly too much out of it. You need to plan that one too!

Solar PV generates electricity only (the V is for Voltaic). Solar thermal generates hot water. Very different panels, but you can one or more of each, provided you have the roof space. Again, talk a professional about the pros and cons of each, the amount of sq m you need and the sizing of the tank.

stickybookmark

You can end up getting eaten alive in here for expressing an opinion but I'll take the risk and give you my twopence worth:
It sounds like you're not on a tight budget based on Quinnlite inner leaf etc, so I'd go for vertical bore GSHP from my research it's the most efficient heating system you can get. Run it on night rate electricity and your bills will be next to nothing. If you want a supplier recommendation PM me.

Unfortunately we've ended up with Air to Water in our house as builder coralled us into it (didn't want to work with the company that sells the type of GSHP that would deliver savings big enough to justify capital cost) I'm still expecting my bills to be half what they would be with oil or gas though.

Oil or gas may be cheaper to install but a heat pump will deliver savings year on year for the rest of your life put it that way. Low heating bills for life is a pretty serious advantage especially in the future if ye suffer job losses, illness, retirement etc. The heat pump will be the gift that keeps on giving in the form of low energy bills so it's worth putting money into now in my opinion.
Also you have to remember the insulation will help with heating but not with the cost of heating hot water, which will Always be a significant demand

sydthebeat

fermmark wrote: »

The house is solid block outside with a 150mm cavity and quinnlite inner leaf. The cavity will be filled with 80/100mm solid insulation with the remaining pumped and also triple glazed windows throughout and all living areas south facing for solar gains. Preliminary u values are 0.18w/m2 and hoping for BER rating of A2.

putting money into what is effectively 3 different types of wall insulation is incredibly uneconomical.

using 150mm full fill cavity board insulation such as xtratherm cavity will give you a wall u value of 0.14 typically.

a big cost incorporated in pumping the cavity is getting the truck to site... so its uneconomical to use two different insulations in the wall.

a 250mm cavity fully pumped would be even more economical again

what u value is the target in the wall?

quinnlites are expensive and you also have the issue that every mortar join is essentially a thermal bridge, and if you use a thin bed mortar, your block courses are thrown off.

Villain

I have OFCH with Wood Pellet stove for living area, use unless than 500L of oil a year for 2700 sq ft house and that's only with 100mm cavity pumped and PIV (Passive Input Ventilation).

fermmark

Thanks all for your reply a - it is great to get other posters views on what has worked or recommendations.

I realise I need to speak to engineer to work out heat demands etc,I'm back home in April for a wedding and will get as much as that done then as possible. In the meantime I was hoping to get my own head around the different systems etc.

We have a budget in our heads alright but would like to spend that bit extra on the fabric of the house and with the quinnlites we can get them direct and with a family discount so mighten leave them as expensive.
@sitckybookmark as a new user not allowed on yet but I'd appreciate if you could forward me one please. Are you happy with your air to water? How do you generate you DHW needs in summer time when heat isn't needed??

im not sure on the exact u value on the wall itself - just on overall build. the idea behind the engineer suggesting to pump beads along with the solid insulation is to help stop air leaks as his view was that while solid insulation on its own is sufficient - where the boards meet there is still the chance of air leakage.

The engineer also recommends GSHP and was saying that if he was building again in the morning that he would install one all the time apparently.

I have heard the quinnlites can be difficult enough at times with drying out the mortar too quickly but spoke to our builder on this and he has used them lots of times previous and doesn't envisage any problems.

Your input and recommendations are greatly appreciated.

I will keep a good update on the forum over the build as it is a great tool for self builders to gain some info/recommendations without anyone having an agenda to sell you stuff etc.

hexosan

fermmark wrote: »

im not sure on the exact u value on the wall itself - just on overall build. the idea behind the engineer suggesting to pump beads along with the solid insulation is to help stop air leaks as his view was that while solid insulation on its own is sufficient - where the boards meet there is still the chance of air leakage.

No offence to your engineer but I don't think he's fully clued into how air leakage occurs. Bead insulation won't stop air from moving around in the cavity.
Have to say I've never hear of anyone using board insulation mixed with pumped bead in a new build from the outset. Whatever about in a retro fit situation.

As least he's not recommending internal dry lining.

If it were me I'd go with a 200mm cavity full filled with pumped bead. (I built using 250mm pumped cavity). Skip the Quinnlite's and use the money saved towards other fabric upgrades.

stickybookmark

fermmark wrote: »

@sitckybookmark as a new user not allowed on yet but I'd appreciate if you could forward me one please. Are you happy with your air to water? How do you generate you DHW needs in summer time when heat isn't needed??

PM sent.

My build is ongoing haven't gotten to installing the heating system yet but it's all decided.
Hot water will be generated by the heat pump on demand at all times including the summer. It'll keep a (very well insulated) 300L tank of water at a constant hot temperature. If the level in that tank goes down then the heat pump will kick in to heat up more water.
The problems with Air to Water aren't during the summer, it's during extremely cold winter. Their efficiency drops below 0 degrees and below a certain temperature (minus 5 or so) they actually have an immersion heater running off electricity which kicks in to heat your house! (some GSHP have this as well but alot less likely to need to kick in as GSHP if the pipes are laid deep enough should not be too badly affected by serious cold winters)

kboc

I have 240 sq metre house (granny flat built beside is 100 sq metres. The temp in this never goes below 16 deg and the heat has never been on in this place after the system was commissioned. The bills below do not include any heat requirement for Granny flat).

150mm cavity full fill bead, 4 inch block on outside, 6 inch soap bar on inside. No insulated board.
12 KW GSHP, 0.75 mile of UFH pipe, 500 lt hot tank. Heat pump does everything, heating (21 deg as I type, 12 hours since heat was on) and hot water.

Missus pays the elec bill on monthly direct debit. TOTAL monthly heat bill is £130 (sterling, we are in the North). Everything in our house runs on elec, except gas hob.

House is really warm. Missus seen a £6000 fancy wood stove on web, had to have it of course. Hardly ever lit, does my head in considering how much it cost. No need to light it! Ornamental. An expensive ornament.

The NI gov have a scheme for renewables. I got a lump sum of £3000, 3 years aso, in 2 weeks they will give me a cheque for £2500 and a further 7 years of this yearly £2500.

You only build once, do it right.

But, you need the right people. These boys are hard to find.

Good luck.

P.S.
If I was building a house again I would give serious consideration to using this method of construction

-snip-

fermmark wrote: »

Morning all,

New to boards but have been following this last 12months through our planning process. Planning has been approved and lane has been made into our site, we have the builder lined up for the foundations and build in early March.

What I'm looking for at the minute is information/advice/reviews on heating systems for our new build. Doing as much research now as I'm living in Australia and won't be home until 2nd fix stage - my father will be looking after things until then.

The house is solid block outside with a 150mm cavity and quinnlite inner leaf. The cavity will be filled with 80/100mm solid insulation with the remaining pumped and also triple glazed windows throughout and all living areas south facing for solar gains. Preliminary u values are 0.18w/m2 and hoping for BER rating of A2.

My main question - at the minute - is if the house is so well insulated and air tight with MVHR system installed is it beneficial to install a heat pump as in theory the heat demand should be minimal??
I have always liked the idea of either GSHP or ASHP (both seemingly more expensive) but would an OFCH suffice with a wood stove and either solar/solar of be sufficient??
Does solar PV just generate electricity or heat hot water also??

Any information,ideas,recommendations would be greatly appreciated

fermmark

Thanks very much for all the replys, plenty of food for thought over next few weeks.

We are just trying to get as much knowledge on the different systems that would best suit our needs so will need to discuss heat demand etc of house and that first.

Will keep updating the thread when our build starts and will be looking for advice/suggestions again in the new year.

On a final note does anyone have any experience/reviews on rainwater harvesting for use in toilets/washing machine etc

BarneyMc

fermmark wrote: »

On a final note does anyone have any experience/reviews on rainwater harvesting for use in toilets/washing machine etc

I'm not convinced. It seems like a significant investment for little savings. It's not a once off capital investment either - pumps will have to be replaced. Interested though on hearing about how others think about it.

fermmark

I don't know of anyone who has installed one but from small bit of research it could be in the approx €3000/€4000 range for an underground tank.
It is a big enough initial expense and as you say pumps etc need to be maintained but it's the bigger picture down the line where water charges may/may not increase and potentially kids etc where usage would be high!!!
It would be great to hear anyone's experiences.
Sorry mod I know it's slightly off topic from the thread.

Villain

fermmark wrote: »

On a final note does anyone have any experience/reviews on rainwater harvesting for use in toilets/washing machine etc

I looked at it but was expensive and complicated the plumbing, plus when I started asking about how to handle below -10c they fobbed me off, but that was over 6 years ago. Wonder how people with it handled 2010

With a decent well I don't think I could justify it to be honest.