Technoheckno

I'm awaiting replies from two certified passive house designers who hopefully will be able to do the work for less - at least they won't need to buy in the expertise.. I live in hope(not the one in Derbyshire).

Anonomised drawings attached. The site is on two levels the lower level has an existing structure that was a builder's workshop about the same size as what is proposed built of block, timber, glass and concrete/asbestos. The upper level of the site is c2.5-3m higher than the front. propfloorplan2.pdf propelv3.pdf PropSite Plan1.pdf

I guess that when the plans were drawn and submitted the architects had a 'passivehaus' qualified architect who drew the original plans but he's quit and left the country so now I guess they'll have to outsource all of the checking and detailing. Maybe I should have gone for an aggressive house instead.

No, I just wanted a rough idea but I've just got a quote for construction drawings for 12k + 6k for 'passive standards checking" + SE costs and that's a bit more than I would have guessed.

Congratulations. That seems remarkably quick.I'd wondered if it were possible to build a solid ground floor and timber frame upper storey. I'm aged and no longer working so I'd be expecting the builder to project manage. I just want building drawings and a spec so we can get a decent estimate.

Wow - that's less than it's cost me to just get design drawings.

Hi, I'd prefer a sort of passive house i.e. insulation, air-tightness etc. not looking to achieve certification as I can't see any benefit to that.

Yes, The ground floor is just a garage./workshop and a music room plus wc and washroom so basically it's a 2 bedroomed bungalow stuck on top of a lot of space. I similarly will require 3m retaining walls. Hoping I can go with timber frame for the rest.

Hi, After a delay of several years due to the incompetence of those who administer the Land Registry charges register I've finally got planning permission to demolish an existing disused builders workshop and build a two bedroom passive house. The ground floor would be built into the bankside so as well as the demolition there's quite a bit of muck moving, and retaining walls to build. Total floor area is about 212Sq m.

So far I've been in touch with the company holding the charge and they're looking into it. I'm hoping that they'll apply to have the charge removed themselves otherwise they may give me permission to apply for the removal in which case I expect that I'll need a solicitor.

Thanks, I did consult one and he told me to do this - but I suppose that I could ask another and see if I get the same response. Al

Thanks. I have now got in touch with the solicitor so and have been advised to get in touch with the company responsible for the charge and ask them to have it removed. If they say that I need a solicitor then my solicitor will get involved. Will take time but I guess he's saving me money.

Hi, I own the plot on which I want to build and it is covered by two title deeds. One of the deeds shows a charge registered against it. The charge was for a period of time which expired 6 years ago. Does anyone know how I set about getting the charge removed as the title will be required for a section 106 agreement. Thanks Al

My pal tells the story about how, in the old days, there always used to be an advert in the music press along the lines of "Join the band of the Grenadier Guards and learn to play a musical instrument ....or the saxophone" :-)

I don't get it either. My pal, a retired professional trumpet player has joined this https://pipedown.org.uk/

Sounds as though we might have to practice in a wind tunnel :-) But, more seriously, I do think I understand

I understand that now.

That idea had had occurred to me , or at least the part about using it to feed more than one room. I hadn't thought about duct cooling. At the moment I'm just looking at ideas and trying to get an idea of prices so thanks again. Thanks for that. Originally I assumed that the purpose of an MHVR unit was to do all of this but from what everyone seems to be saying it sounds as though they don't cope efficiently enough with extreme differences between different locations within the building - a costly shame :-(

Thanks again, I'll research units and db levels. The room does need to be part of the main structure and it's probably best to treat it as the rest of the build, as, while I want it as a music room at the moment, once the arthritis stops me playing altogether it may have to be repurposed to a more traditional function. Al

Thanks very much to you all. That confirms what I suspected. Anyone have any thoughts on what would be the quietest solution for single room aircon units? Al

?We're all knocking on a bit and play fairly slow anyway - I guess if we had enough fans it might make a difference though :-) Al

Hi, I've been looking through the forums and found a lot of useful information but I still feel the need to ask a few stupid questions. I've got plans for a 'passive' design two bedroom house. Downstairs will be a single garage and a music room. The amplification and electronic equipment, as well as the other four people with whom I generally practice generates a fair bit of heat and even in a normal building tends to make it unbearably hot occasionally in the summer. Would the MHVR on it's own provide sufficient cooling and ventilation for that one room? Opening windows is not really desirable, as we get sound from outside(especially if we're recording a session). Would we require an additional form of cooling and ventilation and if so would there be one that is silent in operation? Thanks Al

Thanks very much for the information and advice. I'd like to be able to use the downstairs music room to record our band, hence my concerns regarding noise and my interest in a system that can handle cooling as well as heating, as a bunch of musicians and amplifiers can raise the temperature quite a bit :-)

Hi, I've got plans submitted for a passive house design two storeys, two bedroom, ground floor built into the bankside on three sides, South facing. Ground floor will be just a single garage, hall, st5airs to upper and a 'music' room. As my previous building experience(over 40 years ago) didn't include plumbing and heating I've no knowledge or experience of air source heat pumps(or many of the other innovations that have come along. Basically I want to know whether air source heat pumps are noisy, do they have to be sited on a house wall and do they alter the air temperature around their inputs? Are they suitable for domestic hot water and heating? Can they be used to cool as well as to heat? Glad of any help relating to these questions. Builder to whom I've been speaking has experience of ground source heating installation but doesn't know anything about air source, and as I don't really fancy having the ground full of pipes, I'd like to find out about air source. Architect has indicated that there should be an MHVR unit but hasn't specified heating or hot water sources. Thanks Al

Well, concrete raft as a foundation and as three ground floor walls are below ground level, concrete or masonry will be the way to go, tanked somehow, and having done that it makes sense to continue with masonry up to roof level I guess. I think that when I worked on construction masonry was brick or breeze block but I believe that nowadays there may be improved materials available. I'm not sure how much use my construction experience is going to be - knowing how to load a hod or build a roof without using pre-constructed trusses - not much call for that now, though nails and screws still look as I remember them ?