May 7, 20233 yr I have worked for our local Council as a tree inspector and Japanese Knotweed adviser and treatment coordinator in the Housing Department also dealing with boundary issues but now nearing retirement. Claire and I started looking for land 4 years ago and picked up a corner plot in a quiet village near the Preseli hills, thankfully not in Pembrokeshire national Park. We have a budget of £250k for the build and 3 years along the road with planning permission taking 18 months but it's a difficult site to develop due to seasonal springs, high water table, split level and made-up ground. Wish us luck because we will need it. Going for a Hemp build with MVHR 4Kw air sourced heat pump, and underfloor heating. Solar and battery was planned but as other costs increase some of the 'would like' things are being crossed off the list. The log burner was crossed off yesterday after reading this forum. I hope I can contribute to the forum and share what knowledge I have as well as learn from your experiences.
May 7, 20233 yr Welcome to THE forum, not that much of an echo chamber, for people like us - looks like a grand plan.
May 7, 20233 yr Welcome. Your advice on trees and knotweed will be useful. Rethink the PV. Infact, design the roof around it. With roof integrated, it need not cost any more than tiling/slating.
May 7, 20233 yr Don’t be to quick to cross off a log burner We installed one in our build and will in our current build Five years on we are still using the trees we cut down when clearing our first plot Free heating for the very cold months Much nicer than sitting in front of a radiator 😁
May 7, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: Welcome. Your advice on trees and knotweed will be useful. Rethink the PV. Infact, design the roof around it. With roof integrated, it need not cost any more than tiling/slating. one of the few occasions ST is correct!
May 7, 20233 yr why hemp build ? Creating a headache and cost right off the bat. Excellent insulation levels can be achieved much more cost effectively with normal traditional build types. Save the money for elsewhere!
May 7, 20233 yr 1 minute ago, Dave Jones said: one of the few occasions ST is correct! More correction than a strict matron.
May 7, 20233 yr Good morning and a very warm welcome to THE self build forum, I originally wanted to build in straw bales but came round to brick and block and I am now glad I did. I too have a woodstove and would not be without one, I also have a 4kW ASHP and MVHR. Best of luck with this and ask away about things, remember there is no such thing as a stupid question, stupid is not asking (and we have all been there). 👍
May 7, 20233 yr I’d say go for the things that ultimately will save you money long term . Lots of insulation , pv , ASHP , ufh If funds permit ; battery and EV ( depending on your requirements ) Everyone loves toys 🧸 !
May 7, 20233 yr Welcome, a mate is building with hemp/timber frame at the moment. Materials are about 5 times € vs dense blocks and EPS beads. It is much nicer to work with however and environmentally more sound.
May 7, 20233 yr 11 minutes ago, Iceverge said: environmentally more sound. Without some data that is a hard one to know for sure. Intuitively one thinks it should be, reality, and nature, cannot be fooled though.
May 7, 20233 yr 2 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: Without some data that is a hard one to know for sure. Intuitively one thinks it should be, reality, and nature, cannot be fooled though. There is the land use case re growing Hemp and other considerations. What I should have pointed to was the lower greenhouse gas emissions over a lifetime than concrete. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271608819_Life_cycle_greenhouse_gas_emissions_of_hemp-lime_wall_constructions_in_the_UK
May 7, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, Iceverge said: There is the land use case re growing Hemp and other considerations. What I should have pointed to was the lower greenhouse gas emissions over a lifetime than concrete. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271608819_Life_cycle_greenhouse_gas_emissions_of_hemp-lime_wall_constructions_in_the_UK Do you have access to the full text? Looks like an interesting read.
May 7, 20233 yr Author 7 hours ago, SteamyTea said: Welcome. Your advice on trees and knotweed will be useful. Rethink the PV. Infact, design the roof around it. With roof integrated, it need not cost any more than tiling/slating. Hi, we wanted a standing seam roof and priced in a zinc roof but Covid and the timber/energy hikes have put that out of reach so ended up with coated steel. Definitely want solar but the budget is so tight that as things get more expensive other things get dropped. Some of the windows are now fixed glazing and Oak floors will be replaced with stone tiles. We are having to be very pragmatic with choices.
May 7, 20233 yr Author 6 hours ago, Dave Jones said: why hemp build ? Creating a headache and cost right off the bat. Excellent insulation levels can be achieved much more cost effectively with normal traditional build types. Save the money for elsewhere! Working in Housing Development for the local Council I see a lot of older housing sites being cleared for new homes and the waste is horrible. The plastics and foam are sent to land fill or incinerated and I don't want to leave that mess for our children to deal with in the future. Since the start of the incinerator in Cardiff a new brown.orange layer hangs over the city and especially visible in the late evening. Even on the new new builds the amount of waste is huge with skips full of cut bricks and blocks all of which represent waste energy and mineral resources. With Hemp if you spill some you just put it the next mix so no waste.😊
May 7, 20233 yr Author 2 hours ago, Iceverge said: Welcome, a mate is building with hemp/timber frame at the moment. ✔ Materials are about 5 times € vs dense blocks and EPS beads. My neighbours has built a large extension and must have a pallet of cut blocks that will just be used as hard core. Don't forget the savings on air-tightness and no cavity wall insulation. Plus you get a saving on thermal mass and no mold or condensation to deal with, it all adds up.
May 7, 20233 yr 12 minutes ago, The Reverend said: Since the start of the incinerator in Cardiff a new brown.orange layer hands over the city and especially visible in the late evening Nothing to do with the dirty electricity generation in South Wales then. https://carbonintensity.org.uk/ Edited May 7, 20233 yr by SteamyTea
May 7, 20233 yr 4 minutes ago, The Reverend said: Plus you get a saving on thermal mass As a new person you will not be aware of the “thermal mass” debates here 🤯, no such thing (but we all know what you mean), just warning you in case…….
May 7, 20233 yr 7 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: Nothing to do with the dirty electricity generation in South Wales then. https://carbonintensity.org.uk/ They keep all the best things for the English......even our bikes have square wheels.
May 7, 20233 yr 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: 2 hours ago, Iceverge said: Expand Do you have access to the full text? Looks like an interesting read. It's research gate so usually open. Source but in this case you need to pop the title into Google and you can find a copy to read by the looks of it.
May 7, 20233 yr 46 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said: Google and you can find a copy to read by the looks of it. Got it, thanks https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344912001620#:~:text=Further carbon sequestration by lime,the storage of greenhouse gases.
May 7, 20233 yr Author 5 hours ago, joe90 said: As a new person you will not be aware of the “thermal mass” debates here 🤯, no such thing (but we all know what you mean), just warning you in case……. What you need is a study and it just happens that I have one from Buildings research Establishment😉 the walls at Haverhill were 200mm and today I think the norm is 350mm.HempHousesatHaverhillfinal.pdfHempHousesatHaverhillfinal.pdf
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