www's new build thread
Discussion
Anyone interested in a build thread?
I've started a Wordpress blog for those that are interested but if there's enough interest I'll see about cross-posting the content.
I've only just started it so it's a bit light on content at the moment, but it can be found here: Self Build Novice
I've started a Wordpress blog for those that are interested but if there's enough interest I'll see about cross-posting the content.
I've only just started it so it's a bit light on content at the moment, but it can be found here: Self Build Novice
Edited by worldwidewebs on Saturday 3rd September 12:42
The Moose said:
Very interesting.
What part of the world and what's the build budget if you don't mind?
Do you have floor plans also?
We're in Cheshire.What part of the world and what's the build budget if you don't mind?
Do you have floor plans also?
Budget is creeping up but is around the 400k plus land mark.
Floor plans uploaded
https://selfbuildnoviceblog.wordpress.com/the-layo...
Edited by worldwidewebs on Saturday 3rd September 22:11
So close but yet so far, if you'd added just one more sofa to that floorplan everyone with a bedroom would have had two to choose from!
Nice looking gaff. I'm a big fan of the floor plan as had similar overseas. My only comment given that experience would be that with a space that big and presumed hard flooring the sound of everything downstairs will travel up which becomes tiresome.
Nice looking gaff. I'm a big fan of the floor plan as had similar overseas. My only comment given that experience would be that with a space that big and presumed hard flooring the sound of everything downstairs will travel up which becomes tiresome.
Hitch said:
So close but yet so far, if you'd added just one more sofa to that floorplan everyone with a bedroom would have had two to choose from!
Nice looking gaff. I'm a big fan of the floor plan as had similar overseas. My only comment given that experience would be that with a space that big and presumed hard flooring the sound of everything downstairs will travel up which becomes tiresome.
Lol! Although the sofa images are just architects representations of where things may go, you're probably not too far off. In fact, there will only be two of us living there so we may well have 3 each!Nice looking gaff. I'm a big fan of the floor plan as had similar overseas. My only comment given that experience would be that with a space that big and presumed hard flooring the sound of everything downstairs will travel up which becomes tiresome.
Yes, probably hard flooring. I'm going to be fitting as much sound insulation in walls and floors as I can and we will also be trying to use materials that will absorb some of the noise. But you're right, it's one of the issues with an open layout. The TVs will be in the non-open rooms though
Taken from the blog at https://selfbuildnoviceblog.wordpress.com
There is a bit more information there but I'll try and keep a good chunk of it here too
The structure
We are building a highly-insulated and very airtight timber frame house, essentially to Passivhaus levels. It won't be getting certified (even though I think all new houses should be built along these lines now), for a few reasons:
there are a number of features such as gas-fired boiler for the hot water which aren't compliant - in my opinion you need to be pragmatic about what you do, not dogmatic. Let the solution follow the problem, not the other way around
I don't want to pay for a certificate - I think my last one was from a school sports-day and I'm happy to stop there
In some cases the choice of product is limited. This might not be a major issue but I want the freedom to fit what I and my budget are happy with
The timber frame contains 300mm of cellulose insulation and is constructed in such a way that cold bridges are minimised. That's a Good Thing.
The frame sits on top of an insulated 'raft' - essentially an EPS layer with upstands over the entire footprint of the house, filled with concrete and power-floated flat and level. This raft also includes the underfloor heating pipes.
The diagram above is taken from the supplier's website and shows how the insulation of the walls and floor forms a continuous barrier.
The design
We could have designed the house ourselves. We could have, but we didn't. It would have been rubbish! Our architect (well, Architectural Technologist to be precise - you know how sensitive architects are about their titles...) designed the house around our budget and brief - a modern 4-bedroom house with lots of space and natural light. And a double garage, but we'll get back to that another time :-)
Once the design had been approved by the Planning Department, itself an actually pretty painless 6 weeks from submission to approval, this was then converted into the working drawings based on the timber frame supplier's structure.
You want to see what it will actually look like? Take a look here:
https://selfbuildnoviceblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/...
There is a bit more information there but I'll try and keep a good chunk of it here too
The structure
We are building a highly-insulated and very airtight timber frame house, essentially to Passivhaus levels. It won't be getting certified (even though I think all new houses should be built along these lines now), for a few reasons:
there are a number of features such as gas-fired boiler for the hot water which aren't compliant - in my opinion you need to be pragmatic about what you do, not dogmatic. Let the solution follow the problem, not the other way around
I don't want to pay for a certificate - I think my last one was from a school sports-day and I'm happy to stop there
In some cases the choice of product is limited. This might not be a major issue but I want the freedom to fit what I and my budget are happy with
The timber frame contains 300mm of cellulose insulation and is constructed in such a way that cold bridges are minimised. That's a Good Thing.
The frame sits on top of an insulated 'raft' - essentially an EPS layer with upstands over the entire footprint of the house, filled with concrete and power-floated flat and level. This raft also includes the underfloor heating pipes.
The diagram above is taken from the supplier's website and shows how the insulation of the walls and floor forms a continuous barrier.
The design
We could have designed the house ourselves. We could have, but we didn't. It would have been rubbish! Our architect (well, Architectural Technologist to be precise - you know how sensitive architects are about their titles...) designed the house around our budget and brief - a modern 4-bedroom house with lots of space and natural light. And a double garage, but we'll get back to that another time :-)
Once the design had been approved by the Planning Department, itself an actually pretty painless 6 weeks from submission to approval, this was then converted into the working drawings based on the timber frame supplier's structure.
You want to see what it will actually look like? Take a look here:
https://selfbuildnoviceblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/...
worldwidewebs said:
No, most of it is on the concrete. The outside skin isn't load bearing
I think you mean the outside stud of the twinwall isn't loadbearing? The outside skin (ie. cladding) isn't actually shown on your diagram. That will be carried by the ring beam that forms the 'toe' on the left hand side of the drawing. It isn't loadbearing, either, but it has substantial self-weight.My main advice would be to ensure that your designer has properly modeled the solar gain. Notwithstanding the fact that you at least have the mass of the concrete floor within the insulated envelope, timber frame has very little thermal mass and can be extremely prone to overheating, if you've got a lot of south or west facing glazing.
Don't take his (or her) word for it, either: ask to see the results of the modelling.
Edited by Equus on Sunday 4th September 13:31
Equus said:
worldwidewebs said:
No, most of it is on the concrete. The outside skin isn't load bearing
The outside skin (ie. cladding) isn't actually shown on your diagram. That will be carried by the ring beam that forms the 'toe' on the left hand side of the drawing.My main advice would be to ensure that your designer has properly modeled the solar gain. Notwithstanding the fact that you at least have the mass of the concrete floor within the insulated envelope, timber frame has very little thermal mass and can be extremely prone to overheating, if you've got a lot of south or west facing glazing.
Don't take his (or her) word for it, either: ask to see the results of the modelling.
Be aware that the PHPP overheating check is very basic. This has proved a fundamental shortcoming on PassivHaus designs.
It's easy to 'prove' that there isn't a problem by assuming a high ventilation rate.
At least force something approaching a 'worst case' analysis by modelling:
It's easy to 'prove' that there isn't a problem by assuming a high ventilation rate.
At least force something approaching a 'worst case' analysis by modelling:
- minimum user operated summer shading
- MVHR operating in summer at its background rate
- no natural vent during the day
- 0.1ACH due to night ventilation.
Day 1 and we have a good bit of progress. I'll upload some of the blog later, but for those that can't wait (both of you) it's here:
https://selfbuildnoviceblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/...
https://selfbuildnoviceblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/...
Excerpt from the blog...
End of first day site visit
I didn't really know what to expect to be honest. I knew that some of the hardcore at the front had been laid but I was pretty shocked at the progress. In a good way
The site has been stripped as much as we're going to do for now and all the rubbish at the rear of the plot has been removed. We've moved some of the top-soil from the slab area to the cleared up area in the hope that we'll be able to grow grass under the trees - we can only try! Also, the front has been stoned up so it's now ready for the office/storage container to be delivered tomorrow and will take the crane when it arrives in about a month.
Openreach
By dint of good fortune, I had a call from Openreach in the morning. No, I mean that - so far they've been great to deal with. The application process is beyond stupid but the people have been very helpful.
Anyway, I digress - a bit of background. The telegraph pole is opposite the plot on the other side of the road but the new line can't go direct to the house as there are overhead electric cables in the way. I knew from an earlier Openreach visit that there are two options on the table: dig the road and go underground; or put a new pole up on our side of the road and go underground from there. I'm quite sure this will end up costing me money, but I REALLY didn't want an overhead cable so until I get the invoice I'm quite happy.
Coming back to today's visit and the nice man from Openreach has already marked across the road from the existing pole to the front of the plot. And the trench has been dug too - it's the one on the left. I'm hoping to share this trench with the water, but I need to check the regs first. The trench on the right is for the electric. From memory, the water pipe needs to be 350mm away from the other services, although I'm not sure if telecoms is classed in quite the same way as electric or gas. I'll make a call tomorrow and check. If it comes to it though, I think we can make the existing trench a little wider without compromising the hedge any more.
End of first day site visit
I didn't really know what to expect to be honest. I knew that some of the hardcore at the front had been laid but I was pretty shocked at the progress. In a good way
The site has been stripped as much as we're going to do for now and all the rubbish at the rear of the plot has been removed. We've moved some of the top-soil from the slab area to the cleared up area in the hope that we'll be able to grow grass under the trees - we can only try! Also, the front has been stoned up so it's now ready for the office/storage container to be delivered tomorrow and will take the crane when it arrives in about a month.
Openreach
By dint of good fortune, I had a call from Openreach in the morning. No, I mean that - so far they've been great to deal with. The application process is beyond stupid but the people have been very helpful.
Anyway, I digress - a bit of background. The telegraph pole is opposite the plot on the other side of the road but the new line can't go direct to the house as there are overhead electric cables in the way. I knew from an earlier Openreach visit that there are two options on the table: dig the road and go underground; or put a new pole up on our side of the road and go underground from there. I'm quite sure this will end up costing me money, but I REALLY didn't want an overhead cable so until I get the invoice I'm quite happy.
Coming back to today's visit and the nice man from Openreach has already marked across the road from the existing pole to the front of the plot. And the trench has been dug too - it's the one on the left. I'm hoping to share this trench with the water, but I need to check the regs first. The trench on the right is for the electric. From memory, the water pipe needs to be 350mm away from the other services, although I'm not sure if telecoms is classed in quite the same way as electric or gas. I'll make a call tomorrow and check. If it comes to it though, I think we can make the existing trench a little wider without compromising the hedge any more.
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