Grand Designs - 18th Feb
Discussion
I'm far from convinced that such hermetically sealed places are healthy. Via Mrs L I have relatives in Sweden who live in nice timber framed highly insulated triple glazed electrically heated houses. The number of colds, flus and bugs they go down with every year is amazing. In contrast we live in a draughty Victorian house and I haven't had a cold for 2 years, and the last one I caught was when I was in Japan!
satans worm said:
So out of interest, if if the heat recovery system fails (power cut/ broke) how long would the air last? I assume a few days??
Will be interesting to see how the summer goes with no opening windows too! (assuming we will have a 'summer' this year!)
It's not that airtight!! It would get stuffy, but you are allowed to open a window.Will be interesting to see how the summer goes with no opening windows too! (assuming we will have a 'summer' this year!)
During the summer, you can either open the windows (you don't need to recover heat), or many heat recovery units come with a cooling option. So you can have your house with nice cool fresh air. Not very green perhaps, but rather pleasant.
Tuna said:
satans worm said:
So out of interest, if if the heat recovery system fails (power cut/ broke) how long would the air last? I assume a few days??
Will be interesting to see how the summer goes with no opening windows too! (assuming we will have a 'summer' this year!)
It's not that airtight!! It would get stuffy, but you are allowed to open a window.Will be interesting to see how the summer goes with no opening windows too! (assuming we will have a 'summer' this year!)
During the summer, you can either open the windows (you don't need to recover heat), or many heat recovery units come with a cooling option. So you can have your house with nice cool fresh air. Not very green perhaps, but rather pleasant.
The south-facing glass 'wall' had blinds built into the multi-glazed cavity. Quite how, in the middle of summer, in the heart of the lovely Kent countryside, it's a great idea to simply plunge your living room into darkness in order to stay cool is beyond ridiculous. The whole point of creating a house in such a location is so that you can enjoy the outlook, especially during the summer's full bloom, not hide behind a screen.
Tuna said:
satans worm said:
So out of interest, if if the heat recovery system fails (power cut/ broke) how long would the air last? I assume a few days??
Will be interesting to see how the summer goes with no opening windows too! (assuming we will have a 'summer' this year!)
It's not that airtight!! It would get stuffy, but you are allowed to open a window.Will be interesting to see how the summer goes with no opening windows too! (assuming we will have a 'summer' this year!)
During the summer, you can either open the windows (you don't need to recover heat), or many heat recovery units come with a cooling option. So you can have your house with nice cool fresh air. Not very green perhaps, but rather pleasant.
Good luck on your build Tuna by the way, we are about to move into ours on 21March!! 1.5 years after starting! (mainly due to using weekend workers from the water tight stages onwards! Not recommended)
V8mate said:
scotal said:
cardigankid said:
No, you cock, its the hotel, where the stairwells at the end of each corridor are designed as natural warm air stacks.
Ahhh. I went in there on a tour before they started work on it.... not once did they mention that. You're interesting. ETa If a little brusque.
I agree with you, the 'solution' to solar gain in summer was no solution at all. That's what I mean about 'sustainability'. People get so hung up on modern details and all the jargon that real practicality goes straight out of the window. I really worry that we are going to get pressure for everyone to go round their houses of all ages gunging up every conceivable gap with silicone muck and buying stupid little ventilation systems which are punched without respect into decent old buildings. Building Standards are going that way, and it just takes some birdbrained politician to get the notion that this is how he is going to save the world, and there will be grants and legislation, then in 20 years they will admit it was all a ghastly mistake and a waste of time and probably unhealthy to boot. That's what we do in this country, bugger about to no purpose most of the time, and that's the prime difference between here and say Germany.
I wish Tuna all the best with his build, all joking apart, and the trouble he has had with Planning, or more likely some tosser of a neighbour who doesn't want his view changed, abetted by the Planning Authorities, is another sad example of the above.
Edited by cardigankid on Thursday 19th February 12:46
cardigankid said:
The arch looked great, but was it any more than an architectural gimmick? It may have been heroic, but heroes sometimes come to a sticky end, and a bit of snow and some inconveniently assymetrical high winds and I have my doubts about whether that lot is going to stay up. Grinning Stanley the Roofer also pointed out that because the weather had deteriorated it wasn't easy to get the roof sealed. That is no trivial comment. When the water starts to get in among that structure that may weaken it too. I only ask, if that was your little unsuspecting kid, would you let him sleep there?
I shared that thought about drifting snow loads. Did you notice the metre-odd runs of "plaster of paris" (i.e. presumably carried in suspension) on the underside of the arch in the final walk-through? I noticed three or four on the bits we saw.cardigankid said:
Superb. So when the system doesn't work, open the windows.
Let me introduce you to a concept called 'having the option'. 
Unlike 'traditional' buildings where you have absolutely no control over where your expensive heat goes, a passive house gives you the choice. During the winter, you can keep your windows tight shut and still be sure you get fresh air throughout the house. During the summer, the same applies. In our temperate climate though, there's no reason not to open a window occasionally, and in the (rare) case of not being able to run the system it's really not the end of the world - you just have to put up with a house that's as expensive to run as a standard home.
It's a fair point about summer overheating in the GD home though - was there no summer shading at all?
Tuna said:
cardigankid said:
Superb. So when the system doesn't work, open the windows.
Let me introduce you to a concept called 'having the option'. Unlike 'traditional' buildings where you have absolutely no control over where your expensive heat goes, a passive house gives you the choice. During the winter, you can keep your windows tight shut and still be sure you get fresh air throughout the house. During the summer, the same applies. In our temperate climate though, there's no reason not to open a window occasionally, and in the (rare) case of not being able to run the system it's really not the end of the world - you just have to put up with a house that's as expensive to run as a standard home.
It's a fair point about summer overheating in the GD home though - was there no summer shading at all?
Opening windows didn't seem to be an option for the chap on GD and there were no vent windows on the building. He even vetoed having a letterbox FFS!
V8mate said:
See my post of 12:16 for comments.
Opening windows didn't seem to be an option for the chap on GD and there were no vent windows on the building. He even vetoed having a letterbox FFS!
If you go for PassivHaus standard, the sealing issue becomes rather overwhelming. Personally I prefer a 'near passivhaus' approach as delivering 80% of the benefit for 20% of the cost, but I'm pragmatic when it comes to bang for buck.Opening windows didn't seem to be an option for the chap on GD and there were no vent windows on the building. He even vetoed having a letterbox FFS!
He has a website here: http://crossway.tumblr.com/
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