Bemak Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Only recently came across this forum - looks a great resource and I'm looking forward to contributing to it. I'm an architect myself, based in Ireland. Looking to go for planning permission for my own house in the south-west in the next few month. Design is pretty much there - really focused now on ironing out the services strategy so that it can be designed in from the get-go. Space heating will be provided by UFH on ground floor and rads on first floor which will be run off an air-to-water HP. House is on a rural site - opens out to the country side to the south-west - so will avail of excellent daylight throughout the day. One potential problem that may arise from this orientation will be excessive solar gain which I'm hoping to control with a robust glazing specification (low-e). In addition, I'm hoping to add an air-to-air HP which will provide cooling during warmer periods. Aiming to put an array of 9 - 12 PV panels on an adjacent shed with excellent orientation for solar panels. That's my project in a nutshell! Looking forward to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Morning! Ah, an architect. There's a range of reactions to your discipline here: two self-builders in a pub , 5 opinions. You know the sort of thing. You'll be used to that, I expect. In any case you are most welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 24, 2022 Share Posted March 24, 2022 Welcome. So why radiators upstairs? Many have found with even a basic design, upstairs heating is unnecessary. Do you just suspect the solar gain is going to be a problem, or have you actually modelled it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 24, 2022 Author Share Posted March 24, 2022 9 hours ago, ToughButterCup said: Morning! Ah, an architect. There's a range of reactions to your discipline here: two self-builders in a pub , 5 opinions. You know the sort of thing. You'll be used to that, I expect. In any case you are most welcome. Yes, well used to it at this stage. I don't mind taking the flak! In any case I hope I can contribute positively to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 24, 2022 Author Share Posted March 24, 2022 9 hours ago, SteamyTea said: Welcome. So why radiators upstairs? Many have found with even a basic design, upstairs heating is unnecessary. Do you just suspect the solar gain is going to be a problem, or have you actually modelled it? I've been speaking to a few suppliers and installer and they suggested small rads as token in bedrooms if heating was required. Do you think it shouldn't be? I suppose if I was to go with A2A, it gives me the option of providing heated air upstairs (as I want to be able to cool the bedrooms) Having said all that, I am only suspecting that solar gain will be an issue, I haven't gone as far as modelling it yet but it might be a worthwhile exercise in the near future. I've attached a screenshot of the ground floor plan (north is straight up). Large expansive garden to south-west which gets excellent light throughout the day. Direct daylight into the main living area from 10-11am via kitchen window and then along the long side for the majority of the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceverge Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Welcome @Bemak We're probably not too far away from you and did the same in 2019-2021. Do you have more drawings to share? Have you run any sort of energy modelling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 (edited) Some site photos - really blessed with the site. I had it cleared before Christmas - once the trees come into life and we get some grass growing it's going to be beautiful. House will be sited at the top of the image and open out onto the garden to the bottom - which is due south-west from the house Edited March 26, 2022 by Bemak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 eye level view at the entrance to the site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 ground floor plan in context. the house is pretty much square - very compact very efficient. it will have a hipped roof - so the idea is that there isn't really a front and a back. it's an object on the site. parking will be kept out of the site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 Ground floor plan and first floor plan. I think I might put a door where the sink is currently shown in the kitchen so that it opens out onto the south side of the house where the entrance is. So the island would rotate and probably get a bit bigger to compensate for the counter lost if I go with this approach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 just some precedent images of what the house will look like in terms of materiality. I like the idea of roughcast render with maybe a few areas that are smooth to define entrance etc. The image on the right is of a 3-storey apartment building in Austria but I like how simple the detailing is with the roof and rain water goods etc. So that's basically my project in a nutshell. Haven't done any modelling yet. Must close out the plan first but hopefully I can get someone to do it for me then next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliG Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Welcome. Are you sure you are an architect....where are the curved walls, overhangs and other expensive to build features! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 13 minutes ago, AliG said: Welcome. Are you sure you are an architect....where are the curved walls, overhangs and other expensive to build features! Ha! Is that what a stereotypical architect does? My general approach is efficiency in terms of floor area, form etc and then selected opes (as opposed to walls and walls of glass), tight detailing with robust materials. The image below would be my feeling for the internal finishes etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Valley Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 I like the simplicity of the box design and use of space. The WSW windows might bring a lot of heat in the summer unless you have plans for shading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Bemak said: will have a hipped roof You would get a lot more PV on a tradition roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 Hi and welcome to the forum. That looks a nice site and a nice efficient house design, little wasted space. I don't know what insulation levels you are planning, but many on here build very well insulated houses with good air tightness, aiming for something close to passive house standards, and we find you don't need much heating. Up here in the Highlands (no doubt colder than where you are ) a small 5kW air source heat pump does all our heating and we have no heating upstairs, it is just not needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 19 minutes ago, Bemak said: Ha! Is that what a stereotypical architect does? My general approach is efficiency in terms of floor area, form etc and then selected opes (as opposed to walls and walls of glass), tight detailing with robust materials. Perhaps you will change the perception many of us here have of architects, can you also stick to a budget? 😱 (sorry). 6 minutes ago, ProDave said: many on here build very well insulated houses Yes, especially with fuel costs going through the roof the mantra is insulation, insulation, insulation (and airtightness). looks a good project, looking forward to the questions (and answers). p.S. I built with a hipped roof as we are in a windy location and gables can cause noise, also it uses less bricks/blocks and no more tiles/slates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: You would get a lot more PV on a tradition roof No PV going on the house - it's going on the shed beside it which has an excellent orientation for solar panels. Can fit up to 12 panels on it if I wanted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, ProDave said: I don't know what insulation levels you are planning, but many on here build very well insulated houses with good air tightness, aiming for something close to passive house standards, and we find you don't need much heating. Up here in the Highlands (no doubt colder than where you are ) a small 5kW air source heat pump does all our heating and we have no heating upstairs, it is just not needed. I haven't decided on the insulation levels yet as I'm still at Planning Stage. A lot of the construction is going to be done by local trades so I'm probably looking at masonry construction. Not sure yet. What level of insulation do you have in yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, joe90 said: Perhaps you will change the perception many of us here have of architects, can you also stick to a budget? 😱 (sorry). p.S. I built with a hipped roof as we are in a windy location and gables can cause noise, also it uses less bricks/blocks and no more tiles/slates. I can understand the flak. I would always design and specify to budget - but at the same time it's important that clients are realistic when it comes to what their budget will get them - so expectations have to be tempered and managed. I wouldn't really have to go through much VE during projects because I would generally manage and track costs quite well. Have a good working relationship with a few QS' - they know what I want and I know what they need. Some architects are just lazy and apply the "we'll sort it when we get there approach". It's too late at that stage. What I like about the hipped roof as well is the continuous gutter. It's a nice simple detail. Edited March 26, 2022 by Bemak 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Happy Valley said: I like the simplicity of the box design and use of space. The WSW windows might bring a lot of heat in the summer unless you have plans for shading. Not 100% fixed on the ope sizes yet so the WSW windows may change yet. I'm hoping to manage a lot of the solar gain on this side with glazing specification rather than physical shading devices - I just don't want to go there. I'm considering an A2A HP for cooling if absolutely necessary - I know this is going to use energy but I like the idea of being able to circulate cool fresh air through the house for the 2 weeks of the year that we actually might need to! Having said that, as you can see from the photos, we have a lot of deciduous trees around the perimeter of the site which will provide some shading in the long summer evenings when the sun is lower to the west. A few people have asked if I had this modelled yet - I think only then will I really know where I'm at. At least though it's really just that western elevation that needs consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted March 26, 2022 Share Posted March 26, 2022 31 minutes ago, Bemak said: A few people have asked if I had this modelled yet Well a lot of people here do this, i on the other hand have done no modelling or even maths on my build (I just copied others who had!!,). Someone who did, our Jeremy Harris found that in reality after he finished the build he needed more cooling than heating but the modelling did not show this and it appears it was more down to location (he was in a sheltered hollow facing South). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 8 hours ago, joe90 said: Someone who did, our Jeremy Harris found that in reality after he finished the build he needed more cooling than heating but the modelling did not show this He actually did not believe his model. Not surprising as it had never been tested. Since then if has been shown to be pretty good and adaptable to others houses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 27, 2022 Share Posted March 27, 2022 I used Jeremy's spreadsheet and it predicted the heat loss and therefore heating input needed vary accurately, far more so than the SAP report did. Overhheating is not an issue here, the trees grow leaves in the summer and shelter us from much of the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bemak Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 (edited) Is this spreadsheet available on the site? Update: found it! I think the trees will have a big impact on shading for us as well Edited March 27, 2022 by Bemak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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