New build - advice please

We are just about to roof our new house and have some decisions to make. We would be delighted with some advice on the following issues

Underfloor heating
We are going to instal underfloor heating on ground and first floor is it possible to use carpet with underfloor.
Somebody told me you have to be very careful where you put dustbins etc as the heat will cause them to smell, is this a problem.
Should we be aware of any other problems with underfloor heating.

Washing machine upstairs
One of our en suites is very large and we were thinking of putting a washing machine and dryer in the room for occasional use, is this a good idea?

Stone / Facia & gutters
We will be using sandstone on parts of the house, black slate, cream windows, sandstone window sils does anybody have any advice on what colour facia, guttering and downpipes would look nice. We are thinking of putting in a black front door.

All advice will be appreciated.

If you are going to install UFH,then you definitely need to install a HRV ventilation system, and definitely not passive or 'trickle' vents.

what construction method are you leaning towards??

I would slope the floor of the 1st floor ensuite to fall into a outfall pipe. easily done with 1st floor concrete slabs and screed.

Black fascia / soffits etc would be a nice counter to the orange / yellow of the sandstone.

Thanks Sydthebeat.

We are going to install the HRV Ventilation system. Meeting somebody from Proair over the next couple of weeks.

The house is block construction with hollowcore floors. The hollowcore floors are in now would it still be possible to slope the floor with screed?

You can use carpet with underfloor heating, but watch out for the underlay (which has to be breathable to avoid condensation problems). Natural products such as sheep wool are recommended (http://www.sheepwoolinsulation.ie). Affordable, comfortable, acoustic, thermal, "green" and renewable!
Washer-drier in a bathroom is definitely a good idea.
Finishing screeds can be laid to fall (try and keep a minimum thickness of 65mm though), that is one of the reasons they are needed. If your screed is structural (i.e. reinforced, on pre-cast slabs) this minimum thickness could go up to 75mm. Ask your structural engineer.

Mr Sparkle said:

Washer-drier in a bathroom is definitely a good idea.

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Apart from the fact you'll have nowhere to plug it in!
Leo

zander said:

Somebody told me you have to be very careful where you put dustbins etc as the heat will cause them to smell, is this a problem.

Click to expand...

I've heard lots of "urban legend" stories about UFH over the years, but this is a first.
On a serious note though, I can't say we've noticed this problem.

Thanks Leo. I should have explained better, the en suite is very large so i was thinking of partitioning off part of it as a seperate room. It would be very small but I think it would work.

Washing machine upstairs
One of our en suites is very large and we were thinking of putting a washing machine and dryer in the room for occasional use, is this a good idea?

Hi Zander

We have our washing machine and drier upstairs in our new build and its one of the best things we did. We included in the plans a laundry room ((about the size of a largish bathroom) and got it plumbed for a sink. We then put in some built in shelves where we keep all the towels, spare duvets, bed linen etc and we also have a drying horse and the laundry basket and the ironing board. It works brilliantly. It definitely frees up the utility room downstairs with no baskets of laundry in various stages of laundering to step over. We also have the hollow core first floor and we put the UFH pipes etc coming from downstairs into this laundry room and thus it is a bit warmer so clothes dry quicker. If anything we would make it a bit bigger if we had the time again, as it is so useful and "contains" the mountain of washing we seem to product.