Final plans hopefully!

[Hopeful]

Hi there, If anyone can spot any issues with this replacement farmhouse plans feel free to say please! After a few tweaks we are hoping this could be it. Hopefully a simple design that doesn't cost a fortune to build...or at least we hope not! 

[ProDave]

My few comments.

 

If you are trying to make cheap to build, don't have the front wall of the kitchen stepped out.  Keep it in line with the rest of the house.  The cost of that extra space will be disproportionately high.

 

The area of the wc / rear vestibule / boot room / utility seems cluttered and an awkward path through.  I don't like a "corridor" utility, no good if you want a "pulley" (clothes airer)

 

I would make the utility just a corridor to the back door (where a window is now) with coat and boot space.  The boot room + rear vestibule the utility.  Even consider doing what I have, the WC in the utility, so that whole back section could be a decent size utility incorporating the WC.

 

Which way is North?  Can't comment on room positions without knowing that.

[Mike]

On the ground floor the main drawback is the use of the kitchen as a corridor through to the living room and to the back door, which limits the usefulness of the lower half. Difficult to do much about the living room, but access to the back door could be closed off as you already have a route via the utility room. You could look at rearranging that space, as ProDave suggests.

Upstairs I'd check the sound proofing, particularly between Bed 2 and the bathroom, and between Beds 3 & 4.

 

You don't seem to have provision for a MVHR unit?

Edited March 3, 2020 by Mike
sticky keyboard

[Redoctober]

Looks good to me, although I would question why you need a wall leading into the boot room from the rear vestibule. Why not just have it "open plan" so to speak. Therefore saving some ££££'s in the process.

[scottishjohn]

maybe me --I can,t see a services room -boiler  MVHR,fuse box etc etc

[Hopeful]

On 03/03/2020 at 08:26, ProDave said:

My few comments.

 

If you are trying to make cheap to build, don't have the front wall of the kitchen stepped out.  Keep it in line with the rest of the house.  The cost of that extra space will be disproportionately high.

 

The area of the wc / rear vestibule / boot room / utility seems cluttered and an awkward path through.  I don't like a "corridor" utility, no good if you want a "pulley" (clothes airer)

 

I would make the utility just a corridor to the back door (where a window is now) with coat and boot space.  The boot room + rear vestibule the utility.  Even consider doing what I have, the WC in the utility, so that whole back section could be a decent size utility incorporating the WC.

 

Which way is North?  Can't comment on room positions without knowing that.

Thanks for that comments Dave, amendments to that area taking place this morning! North is on the left gable there, east is just about the corner of the study there. 

[Hopeful]

On 03/03/2020 at 11:54, Mike said:

On the ground floor the main drawback is the use of the kitchen as a corridor through to the living room and to the back door, which limits the usefulness of the lower half. Difficult to do much about the living room, but access to the back door could be closed off as you already have a route via the utility room. You could look at rearranging that space, as ProDave suggests.

Upstairs I'd check the sound proofing, particularly between Bed 2 and the bathroom, and between Beds 3 & 4.

 

You don't seem to have provision for a MVHR unit?

We are going to make changes there, do away with some of that doors as well. Thanks for the advice on the insulation and that. 

I am thinking we will go down the stick build route, wasn't sure if we would be at the high level of air test score that we would need a MVHR? Is it advisable regardless? Is the extra cost worth it in the long run? 

[Hopeful]

On 03/03/2020 at 12:52, Redoctober said:

Looks good to me, although I would question why you need a wall leading into the boot room from the rear vestibule. Why not just have it "open plan" so to speak. Therefore saving some ££££'s in the process.

Takien advice on board thanks, will show changes later 

[Hopeful]

On 04/03/2020 at 09:32, scottishjohn said:

maybe me --I can,t see a services room -boiler  MVHR,fuse box etc etc

Was hoping to go down the underfloor heating and ASHP route, hoping manifold for that would go I'm boot room area, electric meter under the stairs, hot water tank in cupboard upstairs, boiler in utility if need be. There is plans for a double garage at the back door, about 3m away, so I don't know if we could use it for anything if need be. 

Would you advise a MVHR as well? 

[Redoctober]

2 hours ago, Hopeful said:

Would you advise a MVHR as well? 

 Well that is a question!

 

There is plenty of discussion in previous threads regarding the installation of such a device, suffice to say that it is considered to be best practice, IF ones budget can stretch that far. There is also a lot of folk who would advocate the DIY approach, but when you consider the importance of such a device within the general running of the house, I would argue that it should only be installed by a competent DIYer. A bit like UFH I suppose.

 

Our budget didn't stretch that far and even if it did, I would have to say that I'm in the camp that feels that our house, which is well insulated and fairly airtight, didn't need it. I know and appreciate the advantages but it just wasn't for us. That said, we are more than happy with life without one and don't appear to have suffered as a result of not having one.

 

Good luck with your research into this particular matter and perhaps the "search " facility on this forum could help.

[Mike]

On 05/03/2020 at 14:58, Hopeful said:

I am thinking we will go down the stick build route, wasn't sure if we would be at the high level of air test score that we would need a MVHR? Is it advisable regardless? Is the extra cost worth it in the long run? 

Yes, there are plenty of timber frame houses that have very good airtightness - to PasivHaus standards and better. Various other threads on here talk about the topic.

 

MVHR is certainly 'worth it' once you have good airtightness levels. Financially you'd need to calculate the payback period, but I think it's worth doing anyway for the enhanced air quality and to avoid the need for trickle vents.

 

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Our house is timber frame, well insulated and has MVHR.  The MVHR does reduce the amount of heating needed a fair bit, around 30% or so less heating is needed because of the heat loss it saves, but that's not the greatest benefit.  Far and away the greatest benefit is the superb air quality.  Every room is always fresh, with no drafts, no pollen (it is filtered out by the MVHR) and no lingering smells at all.  We both sleep a lot better, because of the much improved air quality.  We can even dry clothes indoors, very quickly, just by hanging them up in the utility room, and we never get any condensation anywhere in the house.  I couldn't go back to living in a house without MVHR now.

[Hopeful]

That's the plans altered anyway. Done away with the amount of doors in the boot room area of the house, made it a metre longer to make kitchen wider and allow us to turn the wc at the backdoor around. Thanks for all the useful comments on here, still no MVHR, but room for plant cupboards at end of boot room against utility now. 

[ProDave]

Is that right hand wing above the lounge a pitched roof?  If so the pitched roof above the lounge would make a good space for an mvhr unit with an access hatch from bedroom 3 or 4 in the back of one of the wardrobes,