OUR GREEN BUILDING GUIDE
Why Build Green
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This is a big subject to cover in one so I have broken it down into several parts. A few years ago the Government had plans to bring in a series of building regulation codes on a regular yearly basis, that would accumulate into a final Code Six. This would mean every home past by planning from 2016, would be a code six built, zero carbon home.
Unfortunately, due to the pressure from the major home builders, code 6 was to a large extent abandoned, based on their assumptions that the code was unobtainable, which is no surprise, when in a recent TV programme outlining customer complaints, there was a house that did not have any insulation in the walls, another that had none in the roof, and several with serious rising damp issues. All this is a disgraceful state of affairs when you consider the big builder’s profits have done nothing but soar in recent years, and that any new building must undergo a series of generally NHBC staged inspections, confirming it is being built to, and conforms to, the correct building regulations on which it was passed. As I write, most councils require new homes to be built to a minimum of code three, a good improvement, but still a long way from a code six sustainable home. To be fair It is not easy to meet Code 6, or older Passive House standards. But if the world is going to be a better place and have a future for the generations that follow us, Code 6 and Passive Houses are going to have to be built, and in vast numbers, and not the token few we see today. Surly it makes sense to start the process of solving the problem now, and not adding to the problem later. I would think that to really reduce the total CO2 demand globally, countries will have to start some form of scrappage scheme like the UK did with cars not so long ago, or long term loan scheme, this would address the millions of old homes that create far too much CO2 and waste energy by the bucket full. |
Maybe I’m wrong, and through man’s ingenuity and genius, a retrofit solution that solves the problem of heat loss in the worlds old housing stock, is just around the corner, but it would have to be a cheap fantastic, easy to apply insulation system, that covers every problem an old property has when it comes to heat loss and energy demand.
It is a poor state of affairs when it would seem, profit out weights common sense in this and other issues that face the world today and in the future, more must be done by all Governments so that future generations live in a world, that we have enjoyed and taken for granted for centuries. It is a fact that building to code 6 or passive house standards, will cost you a lot more money than to the current code 3, and will be a factor that needs consideration for anyone contemplating such a project. When it was first announced that the codes were coming into force, it quickly became apparent that costs would have to rise dramatically to include the technology, extra materials and labour costs associated with current styles of house being produced today, or smaller more compact house designs would have to be achieved to keep the costs within the reach of the general population. The clock is ticking and with ever increasing freak weather events hitting our shores and set to continue, it may just be too late to really make a difference as the world’s population continues to grow out of all proportions, that in turn puts more pressure on our environments ability to mend itself. Like before on other articles, I hope you find all this information interesting and will help you in some way. if you have any questions or quires that we have not covered, email us and let us know, as we would love to hear from you. |
Green Building Elements
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Having covered the reasons behind the Code for sustainable homes and general introduction to the subject, I will look in more detail at the elements that make up such a design in this article.
Ten years ago I completed my second self-build home which is still a nice place in which to live. The building regulations of the day required a certain amount of insulation and specification well below that of Code 3 which is currently most planning departments minimum requirement. Self-builders generally endeavour to improve on the regulations if their budget will allow, by including technology and cutting edge materials into the design. Since I built this home and over the last ten years a lot of companies have really upped their game in the manufacture and design of the products they produce and prices have fallen dramatically. A good example of this is triple glazed windows and solar PV. In 2006 a cutting edge 16 panel Solar PV array, creating around 4Kw, would of cost me about £50,000 of which 50% was claimable against the governments blue sky scheme. If I wanted to store this energy, the battery system which was the size of a small car was about £40,000 and was not in the scheme, some £65,000 in total. The same system, creating the same 4Kw, was £14,000 in 2012/13 and can now be installed for around £6,500 as I write this at the beginning of 2016. The big difference in the latest figures, is the amount of payback you now receive for the energy you produce is only £0.01p against £0.43 back in 2012/13, and batteries are now around £5,000 installed and no bigger than a really large rucksack and set to drop in price over the next few years which will open up quite a few electrical self-sufficient possibilities. |
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Triple glazing image Triple glazed windows have also become a green building element that has fallen in price, back in 2006 an order for 22 windows of various sizes came in at a whopping £27,000, the same order to day will cost you around £12,500, whereas the same order in traditional double glazing cost £6,500 back in 2006 and today about £7,000. The same can be said for an awful lot of other elements too.
The UV values of these windows has also improved, with even roof lights now being built in Germany that are good enough for fully passive homes, so it’s not all doom and gloom. Building a green carbon free home or something very close, is not the future, as the future is already here, everything you need is available today, and living in a home that costs virtually nothing to run is not some crazy idea. The minimum code that councils will allow is there to be beaten and can be achieved by improving on the general fabric of the building itself which is paramount when it comes to obtaining the SAP rating required to meet building regulations which are currently when transmitted into U Values 0.35 for floors, 0.25 or lower depending of the roof type, and 0.25 for walls. A sustainable home built to a code six level should have a UV rating of 0.13 for its roof and walls, which incidentally is 0.02 lower than that of a passive house. There is also other UV factors these buildings need to meet namely the windows need to be 0.7 for code 6 and 0.8 for passive, there is also other factors to do with how air tight the building is and how much heating if any it requires in Kw per year. |
The real importance in these buildings is the attention to the smallest detail required by all trades, this can be the junctions around windows & doors, the way in which services pass through external walls and the general execution of the design being followed to the letter.
Being a builder, I understand just how important the attention to detail is, for these types of homes, as cutting corners are not an option, which is why I believe the big house builders will and would find building homes to these standards such a nightmare, as judging by recent complaints if they can build a house and forget to insulate the walls and roofs, what chance have they got, because when it comes down to a series of relatively simple tasks, that are done incorrectly will undermine the final certification. I recently designed a wall using a sandwich timber frame which gave me a UV value of 0.08. I knew my design would be low but even I was surprised by the result! I asked a leading insulation company to check my figures and they came back with 0.07 which was happy days. Code six and passive buildings are required to be extremely air tight and utilise heat recovery systems that extract the heat and clean the air before recycling it around the building. |
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Another important factor in these homes is trying to eliminate and reduce junction points, which can be around windows, doors, the studs in timber walls, and or where a major steel support bleed into the cavity of the building. It is important to ensure these junctions are minimalised throughout the whole building as they create thermal bridging and heat loss will occur, which was one the reasons behind my design.
The biggest junction problem area for years however has been the where the floor meets the walls, as it is extremely difficult to maintain the thermal insulated barrier. This problem has been resolved by using a pre formed polystyrene system that was designed by the Germans, it’s not that badly priced, but it is not a DIY affair as the system requires certified installation and to my knowledge there is only one company licenced within the UK at this time. There is a combination of other things these homes have to meet, in order to reach the sustainable standard. These are energy efficiently by using items such Energy Star Rated appliances, thermal solar hot water systems which if you have a good Solar PV system may not be required, photo-voltaic (solar PV) systems, wind turbines, geothermal ground or air source heating systems. Water efficiency, by installing low flow fixture and fittings, rainwater collection and storage systems that can be used within the building for flushing WC. |
The implementation of a waste management programme during the building process that reduces waste and improves recycling. Material sourcing where possible from local resources reducing transportation CO2 emissions, and the education of the occupants on how we as individuals play an important role in the future health of mother earth.
All great stuff I hear you say, but trust me everything that lands on site, and any waste by products need to be fully accounted for in a mass of paper work, which is used as proof by you when for applying certification. The days of ordering an extra few plaster boards to ensure you have enough on site are over, when it comes to building this type of home. I hope you find all this information interesting and will help you in some way. if you have any questions or quires that we have not covered, email us and let us know, as we would love to hear from you. |
Design For Sustainable Homes
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In one of my other articles, I touched on the subject of designs for new sustainable homes. In this article I will try and give you an insight into what I think people should be thinking about and the questions they should be asking themselves in order to come with a design that is right for them and achievable with the budget they have.
So to start with let’s just say, all this is going to cost money, and generally unless you are lucky, more money than you have to build a standard code 3 home in the size and specification you want. I wrote a post last year on a forum on the subject of self-build cooperatives, where families and individuals form a group and build a site full of houses over a period of time, the group as a whole had better buying power when it came to the land and materials which equated to cheaper housing. All large sites passed by planning authorities have to be a scheme of different sized dwellings, so any group would have to build a wide range to meet planning approval and the only fair way to disseminate the site is by drawing plots from the hat, which unless you wished to swop, was the plot and home type you would end with. It’s not that complicated a system, and as the homes are completed people can move in and pay rent, but no one owns anything until all the homes and site is completed. |
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The general conclusion from the forum was that it sounded like a can of worms, a nightmare and that they would want the biggest house their budget would allow and would not be happy if they drew a modest 3 bed semi from the hat!
I understand all their comments, but were missing the point, with no labour charges, cheaper plots and materials everyone was a winner especially the younger generation who cannot get on the ladder for one reason or another. When we look at land prices in South Yorkshire, a fairly nice plot will cost you around £65,000 to £100,000, as a group their ability to buy a larger site means that the cost of a plots could be reduced to £25,000 to £40,000 which is a massive saving before you even start work, one of my brothers was involved in one back in the eighties, where 32 families built 32 houses just outside London, the most expensive homes on the site were a few four bedrooms affairs costing just £60,000, which sold for £225,000 within a year of completion. |
I have mentioned all this, because I think that we should stand back and take or at least consider a different view on how we design and go about building our homes, especially if you are contemplating a sustainable one. The way in which we all now live is a complete contrast to the past and with the aid of technology and invention made our so much easier. A house wife in the forties would spend all day doing the washing, whereas today we just load it in and get on with something much more relaxing.
I think a lot of us do not really consider the future. Which is a mistake when considering a project such as this, we don’t have to look far at other countries in Europe, where people contemplating a similar path are much more inclined to design their homes for life. With this in mind and the knowledge that domestic fuels are always going one way, a sustainable house irrespective of the build cost, will save you money from the day you move in and over a long term pay you back the extra investment you have made in savings and equity. |
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So how should you go about designing such a home, the first thing is to work out exactly what you need. Any new home built to this standard is going to cost you more, so the design needs to be absolutely bang on for your needs now, in five, ten and twenty-five years. We all have aspirations of living in a large luxury home, but in all honesty do you really need all that extra space, and three bathrooms, it takes time to clean it, it takes time to spruce up and maintain every few years, but it’s also going to co st money to build and run it. If only we all had a crystal ball.
Unfortunately, not even Harrods sell them, so we are stuck with our own evaluation of what lies ahead. So it’s time to really think outside the box a bit with all the modern technology available to us today, we don’t need to buy and store half the stuff that we did years ago, books, DVD’s and CD’s all need space, but in reality they can all be bought digitally and saved in the cloud. The digital world is upon us and is the future, so do children really need every new toy produced, from my experience, and having brought up three children, they soon get bored with toys, and when they were little had more fun with box, but children never get bored with the interaction between you and them. There is also a lot of simple stuff that can be done in order to save space and ultimately money building a green home. |
Sorting out the wardrobes and cupboards and being ruthless, no one arrived in this world with all this stuff, so why act like a magpie and keep stuff that just takes up space.
But what about everything else that we do need, well firstly ask yourself, does it need to be kept warm or just secure, is it used all the time or just now and again? If it doesn’t need to be kept warm, and its only used now and again, then it should be in the garage, not the house. This is equally true of the family car, which should be protected, but in a detached purpose built garage that will store all your stuff securely, as the garage does not need to be Code 6 so why add it to the house. I know, a great idea if your plot has the room for a detached garage, and the car may have to sit outside, so think about a store instead, but design so it works for you. Make a list of what is important now, look forward 5 years, and look beyond that to your retirement years and be really ruthless, you may be surprised with exactly what you come up with, and might make you favour building the home in a more modular way, so design it to be extended. |
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Any new home is measured by the council to determine its value for council tax purposes, the smaller the home the smaller the bill, which all adds up to saving you money. This might all sound a bit crazy but what you save by careful design, it will help pay for the improved fabric of the building, keep your budget in check, and allow you to enjoy life and save the money you earn, rather than becoming a hamster on a wheel and chasing your tail trying to cover any overspend.
Clever design is making sure that your home can adapt to the changes you may face, and your aspirations in the future, your budget might not stretch to the en-siute and dressing room you want now, or you need that space for a bedroom, but in the future when it becomes free you can alter it then, so have all the pipework and wastes or any electrics already hidden in the walls so the alterations are easy to achieve and cost effective. Once you have your list, design the home room by room, take measurements of furniture you may wish to include, and using a pad of graph paper try and work out how much room you need to fit all your things. When you have this completed try and piece together the rooms so they work and flow, take account of doors, passageways, stairs, exits, and future alterations and extensions. |
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This is not an easy process, and may drive you mad, but time spent is seldom wasted, and you will get there in the end and really understand every aspect of what you are building. Then and only then, explain the design to an architect to check everything works so it will pass building control regulations, point out what standard you want to build to and ask form some sketches or full plans.
There is an obvious exception, you can have what you want if you have the money as we have seen in programmes such as Grand Designs. But don’t be fooled, costs can go that far off the scale, some of the owners have had to really dig deeper than they wanted to, borrow off all and sundry and secure new loans, which is all well and good but a lot of these houses are not going to be cheap to run which defeats the object really, as going down the path of building green surly goes hand in hand with living green. |
My article might sound a bit of a lecture, but in all honesty it’s not, I am just trying to get people to focus on what is really important and ways in which you can get your budget to work to best affect.
So in conclusion, really try and think about what you need over what you desire, think about what happens to all those bedrooms when the children leave home, think about your budget and the quality of life you will have after its all finished if you spend more than you have. Design the home with a long term view so it adapts with you as time goes by. I hope you find all this information interesting and will help you in some way. if you have any questions or quires that we have not covered, email us and let us know, as we would love to hear from you. |
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Building in Flood Risk Area
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The worlds weather is changing due to climate change, and our weather in the UK is set to have more and more freak weather events now and in the future. The bad thing about this is all the devastation it causes, especially in areas prone to flooding because of their proximity to rivers and watercourses that are unable to handle the volume of water.
Some areas are just too low lying like Somerset which was hit some years ago by terrible floods that lasted for weeks. There is also the risk of high tidal surges to low lying areas around our coastline which years ago also created havoc and killed a lot of people along the east coast. There are several man made factors that have helped these weather events cause chaos, these are insufficient investment in our drainage systems, river dredging, and flood defences. I hate to be cynical at this point, but at least London is ok! There are other problems that have help to, namely the massive growth in building homes and large out of town shopping centres, all of which need roads car parks and walkways. This amount of hard landscaping was always going cause the drainage system in any freak downpour a problem, and now all driveways have to be permeable, with large soakaways taking care of any rainwater from the roof. |
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But it’s still not enough as the floods are still occurring. So who is to blame, well I think we have all had a hand in that if Global Warming is the main culprit, but I also think that the big house builders have played their part, as have the councils for giving them permission to build houses in areas locally known as problem in the first place. The house builders only see land that could be affected by flood as a bargain that creates even more profits and are not concerned with anything else.
There has been some good defences built and installed over the years, with new ones such as the Pickering design that is based on a number of factors, extra trees in the direct areas of the landscape designed to flood, also a combination of small dams, that over a distance and fall allows the water to fall more gradually, which give the river down stream to flow in spate, but not the point bursting its banks and creating chaos. The biggest problem of all is they aren’t building any more land any time soon, so contemplating building your own home in a flood risk area needs some really careful thought before spending any money. Firstly, what are the up sides of building in a flood risk area, well the biggest consideration is that the land cost will be cheaper and you should be able to negotiate a better price from what is being asked but apart from that I really can’t think of any others. So what is the down side, well can you insure it, maybe, maybe not. Would you lose power and services if a flood occurs, possibly? |
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So is there any way around building in a flood risk area, well yes is the answer and most homes that have been passed in recent years are built out of the ground by a certain measurement or amount above ground level by what is described as the worst case flooding scenario. Depending on the site the height could be 30, 60 or even 100cm above normal ground level.
But is this the best way to build a pretty much flood proof home, well no not really. When you look around the world there is an awful lot of locations where the locals expect flooding every year without fail. There homes take account of this and are built high out of the ground on nothing more than bamboo sticks and take it in their stride. So what about building a home that is designed to flood from ground level up to the first floor some 250cm, with the best way of building such a house being either some form of concrete formwork, concrete steel piles or concrete pillars incorporating a ring beam that would suspend the building which could even be a light weight timber frame design that was basically a dormer bungalow on stilts. |
The clean-up from any flood would be a simple jet wash affair and cause you the minimum of hassle.
The clever thing is that the space under the house could be used for a number of things such as your rain water harvesting tanks, parking and an emergency septic tank designed to be use during such times. I know it all sounds a bit thunderbirds, but it would solve the problem, with the costs not being that prohibited when you consider the fact that you, your family and everything you have worked for is kept safe. I hope you find all this information interesting and will help you in some way. if you have any questions or quires that we have not covered, email us and let us know, as we would love to hear from you. |