Three essential elements of building

splashthecash

Hi,

I am working on our plans at the moment and am trying to get up to speed on all these new technological advancements in terms of housing. I hear pros and cons for everything (old and new aspects) but am wondering if people could give their top three and why they either chose them or would choose them

Example of the kinds of things I mean: Heat Recovery System, Underfloor heating, Geothermal heating, Back boiler, Ethernet access in rooms, Solar panels, Wood pellet stove, etc...

I left loads out but if there was anything you would definitely recommend, what would it be?

Thanks!

sinnerboy

1. Design right. Where is the sun ? Does the building "know". You can gain up to 30% of your heating free if you optimize your glazing

2. Have the design assessed by either/or an experienced BER assessor / Passive House designer ( even if you are not "going passive" ) - before you even consider build spec. Know what "numbers" you are chasing first ( U Values , air tightness etc ) before you think blocks/timber/boiler/double~triple glazing etc.

3. Plan , plan and re plan before the build . Visits showrooms , trade exhibitions . Subsrcibe to certain periodicals. Be certain to have fixed your ideas ( properly after all research) before a single builder gets near the site. It will build well , on time and to budget then. Make things up as you go along ..... well how many building "reality" shows have we all seen ?

- plan for 2 years
- build for 1 year
- live in house for ? years .

beyondpassive

1. Design, 2. Buildability, 3. Comfort.

Don't be distracted by the eco-bling, its easy to become mesmerised by the latest shiny warp drive type thingamagiggy with the blue flashing lights. Work first on playong around with the form and fenestration of the building to get as compact and sun catching a form as possible. Less surface area means less heat loss but more importantly less materials. Model the design in PHPP to give you some cerrtainty as to your desired outcomes in terms of budget and comfort.

Keep it simple, the best money you'll ever spend is on insulation, better return on investment than a day trader short selling on oil futures. Look at a build solution that is local and foolproof. Find a sensible energy target for your design and build and frame a 'whole house solution around that. Get 1 to 5 scale construction details to describe how elements and components are assembled, show airtightness measures.

Design the structure and envelope to be cold bridge free, design the heating and ventilation system to optimise the solar panels, use fossil fuels if necessary after minimising energy demand. Theres that word Design again. Best to go to tender and site with all decisions made and priced rather than the old ad-hoc 'ah sure it'll be grand, I know the builder since school' route. Create a home that is bright, fresh, healthy, stable temperature and humidity and well 'happy'.

BryanF

splashthecash wrote: »

Hi,

I am working on our plans at the moment and am trying to get up to speed on all these new technological advancements in terms of housing. I hear pros and cons for everything (old and new aspects) but am wondering if people could give their top three and why they either chose them or would choose them

Example of the kinds of things I mean: Heat Recovery System, Underfloor heating, Geothermal heating, Back boiler, Ethernet access in rooms, Solar panels, Wood pellet stove, etc...

I left loads out but if there was anything you would definitely recommend, what would it be?

Thanks!

your entering the pitfall of 'technologies' before you address your actual requirements: you need a house/ which is home, which must be comfortable, with orientation and layout optimised to suit surroundings & the elements, that's cheap to run, healthy for your family and future proofed both in layout and against energy cost hikes. think energy hierarchy: http://www.hamptonstreet.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/energyhierarchy.gif the idea is you reduce the need for all the tehnologies you mentioned above, design a compact house with optimum solar gains, air-tightness and building fabric. there is also an attitude as suggested by Beyondpassive of 'ecobling' there's nothing 'eco' about renewable's technologies installed in an inefficient house built from imported unsustainable or high embodied energy materials

I agree with sinnerboy and beyondpassive.
rather than us telling you why not read the following before you go any further http://www.passivehouseacademy.com/downloads/New-Build-Passive-House-Guidlines.pdf

AMG86

A passive house has a high level of thermal comfort. It is based on minimising heat losses and maximising heat gains. The only essential energy technology required is a HRV system. Putting fabric before technology is most important.

Ddad

Good advise so far. I've specified cat 6 cable in my renovation into each room that leads back to the utility which has enough space to install future technologies. The spend on the cable runs is minimal and future proofs the house somewhat as TV, telephone, etc can be run through the cat6 in the future. I know I won't have foreseen something and this helps somewhat.

+1 on the insulation. Not quiet on the technology buzz ...but...I'd also examine how much space you need. I've seen numerous badly finished massive houses with poor levels of spec which cost a fortune to run and don't look great (house hunting for years). Almost all of them had huge ammounts of wasted space down to poor design and poor planning. IMHO many people have put square footage ahead of the comfort and economy of the house. In many cases they were simply unfinished in large areas.

I'm putting in a ceiling extractor with an externally mounted motor. Costs a bit more than a standard extractor but it allows you to run the extractor a lot quieter.

Best of luck

CJhaughey

Here is a diagram courtesy of a well known swedish passive house supplier.

therightangle

sinnerboy wrote: »

2. Have the design assessed by either/or an experienced BER assessor / Passive House designer ( even if you are not "going passive" ) - before you even consider build spec. Know what "numbers" you are chasing first ( U Values , air tightness etc ) before you think blocks/timber/boiler/double~triple glazing etc.

If you can get this step done even before planning, you are saving already and ahead of the posse, as it feeds into design, and hence planning.