Looking forward to the support :)

[davelank]

Hi everyone.  I am embarking on a self build, for the first time.  Although I managed to acquire a plot of land (right next to our existing property) 4 years ago I am having to bide my time due to planning permission issues which will hopefully be resolved before tooooo long!

 

I started to really investigate 'self build' at the home build and renovation show in Somerset last November and since then have learned a lot from many different sources including this forum (as. a guest), house planning help, magazines, home build & renovation centre at Swindon etc. etc.  Although I have learned a lot, there is clearly a huge amount still to learn.

 

An advantage I have is time in that it is going to take a while to get planning permission and one thing that keeps coming through is that the more time to plan the better.   However I clearly should not take this task lightly, especially having today listened to House Planning Help podcast 155 where @jsharris told us about the mental strife he went through.  I think I will face a few reality checks!!

 

So I look forward to the interaction and support on Buildhub, and hopefully I will be able to offer something to others along the way as well.

 

David

[Tennentslager]

Welcome David,

Good luck with planning, what sort of house build/design you going for?

[ProDave]

Hi and welcome to the forum

 

Sounds an interesting project and hope we can help you.

[ToughButterCup]

Hello @davelank. You are most welcome

 

24 minutes ago, davelank said:

[...]

An advantage I have is time in that it is going to take a while to get planning permission and one thing that keeps coming through is that the more time to plan the better.  

 

1

. 

Never a truer word was spoken.

I'm now four years into our build. And the sleepless night count is rising. I wish my planning had been more detailed. Enjoy travelling in hope. It's all too short.

Ian

[jack]

Welcome Dave.

 

What general area are you in?

[davelank]

Hi all,

 

Many thanks for the warm welcome.  North Wilts in a village @jack, been here for over 20 years and love the village so extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to get the plot next door.  

 

Sitting here today @Tennentslager the plan is to build a 225ish sq m 2 story 4/5 bed house, timber frame, pretty air tight (1.5 air changes/hr), MVHR, south facing gable end with glass (worrying about over heating), UFH on ground floor in the slab, rads upstairs heated with gas (mains), solar PV, barn appearance from the road, more contemporary from the (private) back, vaulted kitchen / dining / day living room with some timber features, snug, downstairs room with ensuite to turn into a bedroom when we are decrepit and can't manage the stairs. 

 

I thought I would get this down so that I can look back on it and see what I end up with vs this.

 

Current position is having seen 5 architects, 1 more on Friday then make a decision.  Get some drawings done and then do a pre app to see how the land lies.

 

Shame England couldn't win the grand slam, you have to give it to the Irish for their performance.

[MikeSharp01]

Welcome and all the best for the build, will look on with interest and help where we can - its a great forum, one day all social networks will be like this one.

 

[Nickfromwales]

19 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said:

one day all social networks will be like this one.

Don't hold your breath

 

12 hours ago, davelank said:

Hi everyone.

 

Welcome aboard . 

[davelank]

Thanks Mike & Nick, its a great resource, all down to the likes of you 

[Bitpipe]

Welcome! I would not have been able to build our house without the help of this forum and its predecessor - no word of a lie.

 

It's also a place to de-stress and halve your problems by sharing.

 

Now, onto more serious matters

 

Are you working with a TF firm yet to understand how you'll achieve your stated airtightness and have you thought about other elements that will contribute - mainly doors and windows, cat flaps, letterboxes, penetrations for external services etc?

 

This is easy to get right at the design and spec stage but harder when you're more advanced.

 

Have you done any modelling (via PHPP or even something more basic) on your heat requirement and solar gain?

 

If your house is well insulated and has high airtightness, plus MVHR for heat recovery, then your space heating requirements will be lower than you think (our 400m2 house has nothing in basement, UFH in ground floor only and only towel rads and electric UFH in bathrooms upstairs.

 

I'd be very concerned about the potential for overheating - in a modern well insulated, airtight house, you may quickly become uncomfortably hot, even on a sunny spring day and that heat is very difficult to shift.

 

We have friends who built a beautiful contemporary house with lots of glazing to the south to maximise the view  and its insufferably hot - they're now spending a lot on special film to minimise the gain.

 

Some thoughtful design can reduce your exposure to this plus use of integral blinds etc (this was our approach to reduce east gain where we have lots of windows).

 

So while you're choosing your architect, make the performance of the house a key criteria - not just how it looks or how the space works (both still important) - and see if they have expertise and experience here.

 

 

Edited March 19, 2017 by Bitpipe

[davelank]

Hi @Bitpipe & thanks for your msg, you are asking all the right questions, and I am on the case of trying to answer them.

 

TF - I have had a brief chat with Sylva, a long chat with English Bros, a short chat with MBC but been to see a house recently finished with MBC frame & seen lots of good things about them on this forum.  So no decision yet but if you asked me today I would say MBC, but of course no design yet & no quotes.  Not much on buildhub re Sylva / EngBros. From what I understand it will be easier to achieve good airtightness with MBC.  One think is that I would like to have some timber features in our main living space so will be interesting to see what options the TF co. offers - with EngBros should be relatively easy from conversation.

 

Windows / doors - I have chatted with a couple of companies at shows but not got into any detail yet.  But clearly this will be a key decision.  No cats (any more) and will certainly have to plan in openings through the airtight envelope - should be easy to plan in if thought about early enough.

 

Modelling - Certainly going to be important.  PHPP obviously the best, but may start with @JSHarris spreadsheet http://www.mayfly.eu/2017/02/downloads-from-the-top-menu/ Obviously need a fair bit of info to drive these so will have to get a bit further down the line - plans & elevations etc.

 

Heat requirement - my current thoughts are a setup like yours.

 

Overheating - as I have said, a key concern.  We would really like to have the views & South is where this is so no options there. Looking at an overhang to help, but I am pretty sure this will not be enough.  We are thinking about relatively traditional at the mo & not keen on brise soleil, but may need to change views depending on options available.   Being gable end, blinds not that easy on the triangular part, but will nee to look at options.  I am thinking about velux or similar windows in the roof - not sure whether these can be electronically controlled & linked to temp sensor to let the heat out if required.  They have rain sensors, should be possible.

One thought but not investigated yet is letting less heat in through the windows.  

3M http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Films/Window-Films/Residential-Window-Film/?N=5002385+8710654+8710938+8711017+8721691+8730565+3294857497&rt=r3

Solargard http://www.solargard.com/uk/product-category/architectural-uk/solar-control-uk/

So lots to learn yet before making decision.

 

Architect - yes, decision still to be made.  Some have some knowledge, some more willing to work with other specialists for a reasonable fee.  One top of the list at the mo but the decision still to be made.

 

 

[Jeremy Harris]

We have solar reflective film on the South-facing glazed gable and on the East-facing bedroom window.  It's very effective indeed. 

 

Before fitting it the inner pane of the glazing would get pretty warm, which in turn would conduct and convect heat into the air in the house, and was the most significant cause of spring and autumn over-heating (the overhead shading works in summer to reduce it).  With the film fitted the inner pane of the glazing stays close to room temperature, and the house no longer gets a bit warm from low-angle sun.

 

For us it is sunny days in spring and autumn that are the worst case, as the large glazed area has a fairly big roof overhang that was intended to reduce summer solar gain.  What I failed to take account of was the fact that the sun penetrates more deeply, and has a greater heating effect on vertical glazing, during spring and autumn than it does in summer.

[davelank]

Hi @JSHarris good to hear that it is an option worth considering & seems very effective - a few questions:

Which products is it that you have?  

Does it change the appearance i.e. does the window look any different with the film fitted?  

Does it make any difference with cleaning the windows?

How hard wearing is the film - does it get damaged?

[Nickfromwales]

Can I just give you chaps a gentle nudge to start a new thread or pick up on an existing relevant one otherwise this subject matter will get lost in the 'introduce yourself' topic

Thanks. 

[Stones]

Welcome.

 

On top of all the advice you have had, I'm going to throw in a little more.  Don't discount other construction forms (block, ICF) as there may well experienced contractors close to you that use alternative build systems.  5 of the house we have built were timber frame and I  was positive our current house would be as well, but having relocated, I found two local contractors who built with ICF, pricing work in direct competition with builders using TF.  

[Jeremy Harris]

We have two different films, as we also wanted to add some privacy at the front.  Both are equally effective at reducing solar gain, but the almost clear film on the bedroom windows is clear enough that you'd not notice it's there from inside looking out.  The films are both made by Solargard : http://www.solargard.com/uk/

[davelank]

Many thanks @JSHarris appreciated.

[davelank]

11 minutes ago, Stones said:

On top of all the advice you have had, I'm going to throw in a little more.  Don't discount other construction forms (block, ICF) as there may well experienced contractors close to you that use alternative build systems.  5 of the house we have built were timber frame and I  was positive our current house would be as well, but having relocated, I found two local contractors who built with ICF, pricing work in direct competition with builders using TF.  

 

Hi @Stones when I went to the Somerset show I was interested to see & learn about ICF but had subsequently discounted it as likely to be significantly more expensive given level site & more limited builders available who are familiar with the system.  Once I have some drawings I can investigate.