Hello from Northumberland

[Technoheckno]

Hi,

I'm in the process of (hopefully) obtaining planning permission to build a new house. I worked as a builder, mostly, carpentry, although I've also dug plenty of holes, estimated, built scaffold, laid concrete etc. for about 12 years.Trouble is that, that was over 40 years ago - I'm now 67 and getting arthritis in my hands so I fear that my input into the building process might be slightly less than I'd originally hoped. The site was our builders yard and joiner shop plus some more land that I acquired behind that, and is on two levels with maybe a two metre step up to the rear of the site which faces South. Plan is for a two storey, two bedroom passive house with the ground floor built into the bankside with an integral single garage.

I'm hoping that people might be able to advise me regarding choice of construction method, materials, heating and ventilation and getting services onto site(especially landline/broadband). The only details on the current plan are for timber cladding(weatherboard) and a steel roof as we feel that would be in keeping with the existing building that we're going to demolish. On the ground floor I intend to have one room as a music room/studio so I'd like to know what construction method would be best for noise insulation between floors. Would the ventilation system be able to cope with a bunch of sweaty musicians with amplifiers and would it transfer sound? What's the best way of providing heat and domestic hot water?

Thanks in advance,

Al

 

[ToughButterCup]

Welcome - at last someone who's prepared to admit they have building experience. 

1 hour ago, Technoheckno said:

•  

I'm hoping that people might be able to advise me regarding choice of construction method

...

 

What does your instinct tell you? And what does you experience tell you? Put one next to the other.

Cogitate.

Then come back here and tell us. 4000 + members, and at least 8000 opinions eh?

[Ferdinand]

8 hours ago, ToughButterCup said:

Welcome - at last someone who's prepared to admit they have building experience. 

 

What does your instinct tell you? And what does you experience tell you? Put one next to the other.

Cogitate.

Then come back here and tell us. 4000 + members, and at least 8000 opinions eh?

 

I have 8000+ Opinions myself ?.

 

What about the others?

 

And welcome.

[Technoheckno]

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 ?