Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) Dear All A belated hello from me. I first discovered this site in early summer and posted a question in the MVHR section over a month ago which has so far remained unanswered. This is the first on line forum I have ever used and therefore I failed to appreciate the etiquette and conventions relating to such spaces. I should have taken the time and trouble to read the home page content first. As my name suggests at the age of 57 I have lots to learn. A little background information by way of an introduction. I am on the threshold of realising a long held dream of building my own place. My wife and I have now PP to build a modern home in the front garden of our present property. I have no skills or experience in this area, my DIY skills are legendary within my family for all the wrong reasons, and not wishing to squander this perhaps single opportunity to build a new house have employed an architect and now a project management company to assist me. My job takes me overseas for much of my time and we did not want to take on this project unaided so this was the compromise we came to. After a long period (2 1/2 year process of planning) we received PP a few months ago. There have been a few compromises through the process but we are happy with the outcome which will keep us warm and secure well into our retirement and is highly adaptable. The timescales are that the foundations will start in October with the timber frame going up before Christmas. We are fortunate not to have any time constraints but equally do not want a protracted build so I would hope a year long build would be realistic. The property will use gas with UFH, solar PV and of course very high levels of insulation and air tightness with an MVHR system. So that is me and my project in a nutshell. I have already found this site a very valuable source of information and a very good way in trying to validate our decisions so far. A big decision yet to be made is the choice of windows and there is a wealth of great information on this subject here. Thank you to those who founded and still run this forum and of course those who make contributions. Edited August 26, 2018 by Lots2learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Welcome! Exciting times for you. A year is pretty ambitious but it's also achievable with a good team and a bit of good fortune. I just read your unanswered question. It's not one I can answer but maybe someone else can. Generally people are pretty reluctant to answer posts that mention a company name in someone's very first post because 9 times out of 10 it's someone wanting to advertise a company they have a relationship with. Now that we've established that you are a self builder someone may possibly be able to help although it sounds like a bit of a niche area maybe. Ground Heat Exchange for MVHR. Please feel free to start a new topic on anything in the appropriate forum if you don't find what you need from other threads already on here. One thing I would advise is starting a blog or similar to note every stage. You can either start one on here or elsewhere but I frequently go back and refer to mine more than I ever envisaged because a few years down the line I have forgotten how something was done and it helps when considering maintenance etc. in future years if you have documented the original construction well. It's a good way of keeping friends and family updated too if they are interested in your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) Welcome, @Lots2learn. Your forum name could equally apply to me! In what part of Cambridgeshire are you building? My plot might be nearby. Edited August 26, 2018 by Dreadnaught Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) Thanks newhome I will look into a blog. Dreadnaught I am between Cambridge and Royston. Edited August 26, 2018 by Lots2learn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 @Lots2learn, nearby indeed. I will be following your build with interest. You're ahead of me. Do start a blog, if you can find the time! Which timber frame company have you chosen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 We are using Bartram after quite a long time looking at other companies in our area. A hard decision but we did a lot of research and talking to past clients. Do you have PP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 Welcome, and sorry for missing your first post. I'll pop over to it and try to help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 @Lots2learn yes I do have PP but I am going to go back to vary it, so I wont be breaking ground until the next spring at the earliest. Bartram is new to me. Looking now. Nearby I see. How low-energy do you plan your build to be on the spectrum between building regs at one end and passive house at the other (I plan to be at the passive house end, myself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 I plan to be close to passive house but do not intend to go through the certification process. I have yet to calculate the energy performance, in fact I tried to use @JSHarris excel calculator but couldn’t get it to run on my old Mac. I then used the an equation I found but was not convinced of the results. Who is on your shortlist of T/F companies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 (edited) @Lots2learn, oh I am interested in how Bartram will make a frame for a PH. Looking cursorily at their website they give the impression that most of their frames are not for PHs. On my list is MBC, PYC and Touchwood but I am far from making a final decision and am interested to learn from your example. While not going for certification, are you going to model your house in PHPP? I have a first model for my design and I found the process revelatory. Recommended. Edited August 26, 2018 by Dreadnaught Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 8 minutes ago, Lots2learn said: I plan to be close to passive house but do not intend to go through the certification process. I have yet to calculate the energy performance, in fact I tried to use @JSHarris excel calculator but couldn’t get it to run on my old Mac. I then used the an equation I found but was not convinced of the results. Who is on your shortlist of T/F companies? Shame you couldn't get the spreadsheet to run on a Mac, as it should work OK on even a really old Mac. It just needs a spreadsheet programme to be installed on the Mac, and Libreoffice runs OK (and is free) on MacOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 I think that our roof would be very difficult to reach PH standards due to only being 15 degree pitch and a very limiting ridge height hence the decision to be close to but not PH standard. The T/F has a u value of 0.13 so is a good enough performance for our needs. I feel we should meet and discuss things over a beer with our plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 @Lots2learn, lets organise that. PM inbound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 I think it’s operator error @JSHarris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted August 26, 2018 Share Posted August 26, 2018 1 hour ago, Lots2learn said: This is the first on line forum I have ever used and therefore I failed to appreciate the etiquette and conventions relating to such spaces. You don't seem to be too much of a novice to me. An hour into your introduction post and you're already arranging a BuildHub meet up over a beer! Sounds like you'll fit in well ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots2learn Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 Thanks it’s nice to meet like minded people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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