New Build Advice - Which green technology works ?

[Cheib]

Intention is that we'll live in this house for at least twenty years....I am 48 moved out of London 18 months ago and see ourselves living in this house until we have to/want to "downsize". So maybe that will make things like Triple Glazing worth considering assuming affordable obviously.

This has been very helpful already Gents. To summarise...

Assuming we go with a house with high quality insulation/MIPS and achieve an air tight house we then need MHVR. In addition to that we need heat source either although requirements of additional heat source should be relatively limited if the house is built properly and MHVR operates well ?

- Wet Solar (south facing on top of a hill, house won't be shaded)
- Air Source Heat Pump
- Biomass
- Wood Burner

We've already got a couple of wood burner's in the current house...wouldn't be without one.

As for the Triple Garage that's pretty much a necessity ! Well definitely a double garage plus a garage/shed you can never have enough internal combustion engines in your life. Compact Tractor, ride on mower, rotovator, lawn mower, wheeled strimmer etc etc

[Cheib]

andy43 said:

If you're going solar thermal and gas and biomass/stove think about using a neutral point/thermal store instead of just an extra coil in the hot water cylinder.

Sorry...what's a neutral point/thermal store ?

[TA14]

Cheib said:

As for the Triple Garage that's pretty much a necessity ! Well definitely a double garage plus a garage/shed you can never have enough internal combustion engines in your life. Compact Tractor, ride on mower, rotovator, lawn mower, wheeled strimmer etc.

I don't understand how this can be less than a quad: one garage for your car and one for hers plus one for tractors etc. is three before you start talking about PH specials and workshops. For me a starting point would be the two everyday cars at the front with two special cars at the rear of a rectangular quad garage and then out buildings for tractors and workshops but since you have a lot of land a quadrangle layout with one side being the entrance and three sides having double garages (7m deep) with the four corners being (7m x 7m) workshops/bicycle/tractor stores would be great.

[GTO-3R]

Great thread

I've got an initial meeting with the planning office on Wednesday about a potential self build so this thread has been more than helpful for me too!

Cheers Cheib and good luck

[Cheib]

TA14 said:

Cheib said:

As for the Triple Garage that's pretty much a necessity ! Well definitely a double garage plus a garage/shed you can never have enough internal combustion engines in your life. Compact Tractor, ride on mower, rotovator, lawn mower, wheeled strimmer etc.

I don't understand how this can be less than a quad: one garage for your car and one for hers plus one for tractors etc. is three before you start talking about PH specials and workshops. For me a starting point would be the two everyday cars at the front with two special cars at the rear of a rectangular quad garage and then out buildings for tractors and workshops but since you have a lot of land a quadrangle layout with one side being the entrance and three sides having double garages (7m deep) with the four corners being (7m x 7m) workshops/bicycle/tractor stores would be great.

You're probably right about the Quad. At the moment we have two and a half garages...my 997 lives in one and the other 1 1/2 is occupied by the tractor, bikes, roof box and various bits of garden machinery. My DD and Mrs Cheib's car don't get a look in.

Need to be realistic though. Maybe applying for the quadrangle in planning but only building two sides of it. As I have recently learnt if you apply for planning and start/complete part of the project the planning is effectively permanent. i.e. We could apply for the quad and only build two garages but be able to build the third at any time in the future.

In fact that's something we'll be doing for the whole project...we'll likely lose future PD rights so will be applying for anything and everything in terms of potential other buildings just in case we want to build those in the future.

[TA14]

Sounds like a good plan.

[Cheib]

Cheib said:

andy43 said:

If you're going solar thermal and gas and biomass/stove think about using a neutral point/thermal store instead of just an extra coil in the hot water cylinder.

Sorry...what's a neutral point/thermal store ?

I now (think) I know. Something like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IG5rKmIl4

Seems like a great piece of kit (no idea if that make is any good).

[MagicalTrevor]

Cheib said:

MagicalTrevor said:

Have you considered building using SIPS? Should be able to get the airtightness and pre-insulated

Never heard of that either! Lots and lots to learn clearly.

My architect tells me that nearly all his current builds are using SIPS.
Have a look at: http://www.kingspantek.co.uk/
In particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSp1ukgDa5c
We reckon our 5m x 8m two storey extension will be up in a week and a bit (not excluding foundations and cladding). That's a weatherproof building.

I'd highly recommend at least considering it.

[ATG]

Cheib said:

Cheib said:

andy43 said:

If you're going solar thermal and gas and biomass/stove think about using a neutral point/thermal store instead of just an extra coil in the hot water cylinder.

Sorry...what's a neutral point/thermal store ?

I now (think) I know. Something like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2IG5rKmIl4

Seems like a great piece of kit (no idea if that make is any good).

That's the sort of thing. Basically all your heat sources are used to heat up a big single tank of hot water, and you then draw heat out of the tank as and when you need it. The one in that YouTube clip shows the water in the thermal store also circulating through the radiators. I don't know how typical a set up that is. I'd have expected the radiators to have been on their own circuit, heated from the thermal store by a heat exchanger, just like the domestic hot water supply shown in the clip.

[Happy Jim]

Cheib, if you've not spent a few years immersing yourself in the self build scene then you would be wise to spend a day in Swindon....no really :-).....They have the National Self Build place there which is a thumping great big display warehouse for every sort of self build gizmo you've never thought of! foundation solutions, roofing solutions, eco stuff, a complete house inside, windows, doors, home automation, grey water recyle etc etc etc
You get to mooch around more suppliers demo stuff than you can imagine (with zero sales boys present to nag you) and if it's of interest you can scan a bar code and receive bumpf delivered to your house to peruse at your leisure.
Ignore the prices for admission, just phone/mail before the day and you get in for free.

Regards

Jim

[Cheib]

Happy Jim said:

Cheib, if you've not spent a few years immersing yourself in the self build scene then you would be wise to spend a day in Swindon....no really :-).....They have the National Self Build place there which is a thumping great big display warehouse for every sort of self build gizmo you've never thought of! foundation solutions, roofing solutions, eco stuff, a complete house inside, windows, doors, home automation, grey water recyle etc etc etc
You get to mooch around more suppliers demo stuff than you can imagine (with zero sales boys present to nag you) and if it's of interest you can scan a bar code and receive bumpf delivered to your house to peruse at your leisure.
Ignore the prices for admission, just phone/mail before the day and you get in for free.

Regards

Jim

Never heard of it....looks interesting!

[Croutons]

A thread a few years old but packed with good stuff

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[chasingracecars]

Don't forget home automation, an equipment rack with all the AV systems in it. One Apple TV, one DVD player full house audio system. Ceiling speakers smart lighting and heating. Tiles floors with underfloor heating.

It's not that expensive when building as if you plan it for the beginning then you can add bits as you go as all the cables are in place.

[monkfish1]

If you want to get up to peed on all the things involved in doing our own house and being energy efficent, you can do a whole lot worse than spending some time here:http://forum.buildhub.org.uk/

There is a lot of info on its predecessor forum here too http://www.ebuild.co.uk/

[Cheib]

Croutons said:

A thread a few years old but packed with good stuff

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

That was a very helpful read....the complexities of concrete construction etc...blimey so much to think about. Kind of appeals to me though as it will be better for sound insulation in the house I am guessing. Until we moved out of London last year I'd had people living above me for twenty years so I like the idea of not hearing footsteps on the ceiling!

The bit about having the larder as a cold room was interesting and one of those things that would make a big difference and be cheap to do as part of the build.

On the subject of AV/ Home Automation...will be going down the audio distribution definitely and obviously Cat5/6 everywhere. Home Automation itself I am not sure about beyond security etc I really think things like expensive lighting systems etc are a bit of a pain in the arse and expensive in the long run. Bloke at work built a new house a couple of years ago with some kind of Video distribution system....every time Sky move channels around he had to get the engineers in to re-programme the system for controlling via iPhone. He now uses the Sky remote!

[chasingracecars]

If it's a properly configured home automation then I can remote in from anywhere to adjust settings. Also we can install a device that talks the sky box and will do this for you. Not SkyQ though yet.

Lighting can save you money in the long run as lights can be switched off by PIR etc. Bathrooms etc. Whole house off at the front door and master bed, means you never accidently leave a light on. Holiday mode learns your normal light pattern and can replicate this when you are away. (Not green but good security)

[Muncher]

Surely the payback period for tech like that is measured in decades?

[Cheib]

chasingracecars said:

If it's a properly configured home automation then I can remote in from anywhere to adjust settings. Also we can install a device that talks the sky box and will do this for you. Not SkyQ though yet.

Lighting can save you money in the long run as lights can be switched off by PIR etc. Bathrooms etc. Whole house off at the front door and master bed, means you never accidently leave a light on. Holiday mode learns your normal light pattern and can replicate this when you are away. (Not green but good security)

Sounds great but expensive...

How much would the hardware be ?
How much would it cost to wire/install ?
How much would the ongoing service contract be ?

Assume 4000 sq ft 5 bed house, three bathrooms, four living spaces plus say three other rooms.

[chasingracecars]

Pop along to my website and drop me your details or PM them. I can raise a quote. This will be basic though until we have met and agreed a specification.

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

I think you mentioned there's an old well on your land? I haven't seen it elsewhere but I'd get that looked into - perhaps you could have your own borehole?

Plus - again, forgive me - not had the chance to read everyone's excellent contributions yet - but with all that land I'd be looking into a Ground source heat pump - you'll have the diggers in at some point for the foundation work etc etc - I'd have them dig the trenches out then too for the GSHP as it'll be a marginal cost at that point (rather than getting a digger back in at a later date).

For such a large house - your month to month costs could be fairly punchy - bringing those down will make a much greater difference than just seeing less money going out each month (it takes the pressure of worrying about what happens if you lose your job, how am I going to run the house etc etc - I know I might be sounding a bit wet but having lost my job, out of the blue last year, these things do make a difference).

Solar, GSHP, borehole - if there's a way of bringing your monthly expenses down considerably, for marginal costing at the outset (compared with retro-fitting some of these systems) then I'd do it.

Also - people have mentioned garaging - to my mind using a garage is hassle - yes it's nice to park the car in one at night but if you're in and out of the house alot - you're not going to do that. If you've got a blank canvas then why not try to incorporate an area that is under cover (I hesitate to use the word car port!) or in the lee of a wall or building to protect from the elements on a day to day basis (and it's nice to get the shopping out in the dry when it's raining outside of course. Just a thought - might be practical etc etc.