building a new house this year

Buildright said:
I would recommend an architect or technician for contract administration and quality control, but they know bugger all about delivering passive standard housing.
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dont tar us all with the same brush...

similarly with low energy cars, low energy housing takes a wjile to seep into teh mainstream...

architects and technicians are being taught the principles and practises required.... trades persons are slower in the uptake on training....

there are people out there with the skills required, it just takes a bit of looking to find them...
 
Ya , your right Syd, Architects and technicians are learning and more importantly are eager to learn, but just like the BER, there are those who will use this as an opportunity to charge a fortune for very basic courses and later at some stage registration, and make a tidy sum therein. My problem is not with the arch's and tech's, its with the lack of support from SEI and the Institute of Architects. Ireland leads the English speaking world in passive house, we could build an industry out of this. However our of mediocre midlands political dynasties parocial mindset lacks the forsight and vision to turn our strengths into wealth. Sure ya can't be doin dat.
 

agreed....

we need to do this by ourselves and not rely on central government set ups.... the SEI do not iunderstand teh science behind what they are supposed to be the 'go to guys' in.... teh BER system has decended into a shambles...
 
Buildright said:
Look, you only have to correct work if you are trying to achieve a certain standard of performance in the finished building.
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That clarifies it for me, thanks. Your earlier posts seemed to suggest that every house built in the country were faced with the problems you talk about.

Buildright said:
on 2 sites this has cost between 10,000 to 15,000 to correct and delayed completion by 3 weeks.
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While I agree with the notion that houses should be constructed to be as efficient as possible, I think that often the cost of ultra-efficient construction is more than will ever be saved. I don't have facts and figures to argue with but I do know that people spend a small fortune on energy efficiency and it boggles my mind to see how it can ever repay itself. That's my two cents worth and of course I stand to be corrected.
 
baldyman27 said:
people spend a small fortune on energy efficiency and it boggles my mind to see how it can ever repay itself.
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Good point my folicaly challenged friend. We are being told to bolt on heat pumps and solar panels to our new houses, equipment like this can have a payback of over 30 years. But to design a compact well orientated house costs nothing and insulation is cheap. A low energy house needn't cost any more than conventional. The way the industry is going, is to build conventional buildings and stick headpumps and boilers on to bring down the amount of primary energy. An utra low energy house can be cheaper, as you can spend the money you would have put into the heating system into a ventilation system.
 
god i think i might aswell give up now if thats the case 600-1000 per week who ever is lossing this on a site is not keeping there eye on the ball!!!
 

Hi Buildright, really ejnoyed reading this thread! Most informative and gets you thinking! If cavity walls and kingspan is becoming obsolete is it not the case that it will still comply with Part L Bldg Regs anyway? Also, I would have thought that any qualified architect would could sign-off on building compliance.
 
No point in worryying about the saleability of your house in 10 or 20 years given that all the other houses built in every part of the country wont comply with the updated regs anyway.
 
kkelliher said:
No point in worryying about the saleability of your house in 10 or 20 years given that all the other houses built in every part of the country wont comply with the updated regs anyway.
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Houses built post 2010 will comply with the 2010 regs. By 2020 energy production from Oil will be 4 times scarcer that means at least 4 times more expensive. The time to address that fact is now, when energy intensive processes are cheap. Of course value in property will be related to supply of land in desirable locations. Very soon one off houses will no longer be permitted except in exceptional circumstances due to the social cost of providing services and pressure on groundwater and aquafers, brought on by the Water framer work directive good water status in 2012. So our country and western dormer bungalows might still be valuable. Of course with the end of CAP subsidies in 2013 and higher fuel prices, Urbanism might become fashionable again. We will likely demolish the ghost estates on the outskirts of our towns to create communities with more choices of housing types. The village in cloughjordan should provide a good blueprint for future communities


conormark said:
If cavity walls and kingspan is becoming obsolete is it not the case that it will still comply with Part L Bldg Regs anyway? Also, I would have thought that any qualified architect would could sign-off on building compliance.
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Cavity walls are already obsolete as you have to increase the width over 110mm to 150 or else dryline. Drylining blockwork is never a good idea as it pushes the dewpoint back into the room. This innevatably leads to dampness behind the lining and mould growth. Without adequate and controllable ventilation our houses will smell damp and mouldy in 4 to 5 years. We live in a very humid climate, add to that occupancy produces about 10 litres of water vapour per day, that needs to be ventilated or if it condenses on or in the wall fabric, it needs to diffuse out through the wall.

Architects, engineers and surveyors can all sign compliance, oddly enough only some technologists can sign off. It is critical that your house designer understands pasive house design principles and has a rudimentary knowledge of building physics. I am constantly meeting people who got the plannin done cheap and now live in defective dark poky hovells often designed by structural engineers. Good designers are cheap at the moment. Its pricey to have someone on board for the build process advising you on specification and decisions on site. But it will save you money on the building contract.
 
Buildright, please amend your post as you are attributing a quote to me that I didn't make, whatever my opinion may be on it.
 

Not looking like there is going to be very many of these built given present market conditions which accoring to news today has pushed recovery out another year to 2011 ...........
 
Buildright said:
Cavity walls are already obsolete as you have to increase the width over 110mm to 150 or else dryline.
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Thanks buildright! As regards the cavity width, we are considering building them 200mm wide and installing an additional sheet on insulation. I would be interested to know what your view is on this. Open to any suggestions by the way. As our house will have a natural stone finish with sash windows, we also thought the thicker walls would add to the effect of an old farm-style house. A friend of mine has built his house this way (with the 200mm cavaties) and it looks the part I must say.
 
Conor Mark

If using insulation boards, these are foil faced and foil backed so you must use 100 on the inside and 60 on the outside. That way any moisture trapped betwen the sheet will tend to migrate outwards.

The stone you are using outside wouldnot be ntural stone. Its a veneer on the facade its fake. You wouldn't stick Jordan on to the front of your house, so whu do the same with stone. Vernacular farm houses were build using a few simple rules, follow them and you'll have an attractive building. the building should be tailoredfor its particular site. Countyside buildings look best when viewed from a distance, so detail like stone and decorative bargeboards gets lost once viewed from more than 100 metres away. Composition is also important. If you were going to a fancydinner, you wouldn't wear all your favorite clothes at once, a simple well cut black suit or dress does the job, as it has done since 1920, if you want to be fancy, accessorise. So it is with house design. Simple style never goes out of fashion. Good shape, confident proportions, simpleform and well sited is all a building needs to be. If you want to use stone, put it inside where it will be dry and th eviewer will be close enough to see the craft involved in building a dry stone wall and the warmth of the sandstone under halogen lights.

As for the sash windows, wha century are we living in? we have treble glazing and low conductivity frames. Planners can't dictate on building details. If the dept of transport took the same view, we'd be driving around with goggles, white scarves and driving gloves. An adhoc policy on housing won't be solved by putting twee 18th century cottage windows in new houses.
 
Thanks buildright. Our house is an Edwardian style house rather than a traditional farm-style house. (I've been promptly corrected by my better half!!) We are indeed looking for the traditional look on the inside of the house but that's a story for another day. As regards the stone, it is indeed natural stone we are using and not the fake stuff.

With the insulation boards, if both the 100mm board and 60mm board are installed back-to-back attached to the inner leaf of the cavity wall, what is considered the best method of 'tieing' both together? I think I've read somewhere that small cold-air currents can circulate between (1) the insulation boards if not secured tightly against each other and (2) if the inner board is not secured tight to the inner leaf wall.

With the sash widndows, the planning authority did not dictate this, it was our decision and we have seen these used on a similar style dwelling to ours and they really set it off. If it looks like we're living an another century then so be it! I am still considering using treble glazing on the north facing part of the house at least. Could you (or anyone else) recommend any reputable windows/doors suppliers? Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
 
conormark said:
Could you (or anyone else) recommend any reputable windows/doors suppliers? Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
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Please seek recommendations in the appropriate forum. Any posted here will be removed.
Leo
 

conormark.....

have you found a wall tie on the market that is certified for use on a 200mm cavity??
 
Conormark,

Ya Edwardian is nice, here's me reminiscing about the grand 'ole days of the empire, servants in the basement and potties under the beds, ah it brings a tear to my monocle. I think the institute of architects needs to take a good look at itself, seeing how much the people of this country despise contemporary architectural design in favour of 'ye olde worlde styles'.

Back to the present, the insulation boards should be taped, with the outer layer having staggered joints. Low conductivity wall ties. The inner wall build first, insulation fitted tight to about a foot below the dpc level. At the windows you have to use a fire rated cavity closer. This gives 100 insulation rather than the 25mm used in standard cavity closing.

I'm finding it difficult to recommend window companies at the mo. Standards of installation need to be improved. Installers love that expandable foam stuff. Its useless for airtightnes. For sash windows there is a company called wood.... they are a good window for heritage buildings.

Ancon two part wall tie has been approved by my structural engineer.
 
sydthebeat said:
conormark.....

have you found a wall tie on the market that is certified for use on a 200mm cavity??
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My friend who built the 200mm cavity sourced suitable wall ties but he has warned me they are approx 1.5times the price of a standard tie. Not sure where he purchased them but will check it out and make sure they're certified.
 
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