One of the constant challenges with the renovation and extension of Hillside is balancing contemporary design with our environmentally sustainable and ethical ethos. Our choice of flooring materials is one of the many areas where we have had to spend considerable time researching what is the most appropriate as a result.
For the bulk of the house we have opted for UK sourced oak flooring. Timber, sustainably and locally sourced, is by far the most environmental choice with the hard wearing properties of oak making it eminently suitable. But timber in a bathroom is not such a good idea, and for the ensuite wetroom it would be a complete disaster. So for these areas we've selected porcelain tiles. Okay, so there's some embedded energy in their production but they are made from natural materials without a petrochemical in sight, more than could be said for vinyl etc. which is banned from Hillside!
The other major floor material we've chosen, and just installed, is limestone. Used in the kitchen/diner and cloakroom this will give us a hard wearing surface in areas that get damp and/or need cleaning down regularly. We could've used oak, even in the kitchen where there is underfloor heating, but it wouldn't be ideal. The limestone, obviously a natural product, has the benefit of adding to the thermal mass of the floor such that it will help retain the heat from the underfloor heating, whereas oak is a natural insulator and would not have the same effect. Okay, so the limestone has taken thousands of years to be produced only to be used in a house for it's (relatively short) lifespan. So maybe this is one area where aesthetics wins over the environment, but only just. After all timber hasn't got such good thermal characteristics and porcelain tiles have significant embedded energy, neither of which are issues for limestone.
If nothing else this shows one of the many dilemma's we've faced, trying to balance the various pros and cons of our material choices whilst designing a house that shows sustainable design can also be contemporary.
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Over the top
Ever since we moved into Hillside we've been aware of a damp problem in one of the bedroom walls and ceiling. Traced to missing mortar and lead flashing on one of the chimneys, this should've been sorted by the builder at the start of the build...but he had other priorities. Finally this is being addressed.
He has now repointed the top of the chimney and replaced the missing bits of lead flashing. Hopefully that'll stop the water coming in. It's now a matter of replacing the damaged plaster which has 'blown', the salts have washed out of it and it is coming away from the wall.
Sorting out the wall isn't too much of an issue but the ceiling is. Both the original bedroom ceilings are 100 year old lath and plaster, and both are sagging and cracking, so much so that any trips into the loft create more hairline cracks. It's probably only a matter of time before they fall. And so it's time for the last package of work - to sort out the damp and the two ceilings.
We've decided not to trash the two ceilings, especially as the timber structure above is so lightweight and bowing that it would also need replacing which is a massive job. Instead we've decided to install new joists in the loft and suspend a new plasterboard ceiling from these, but below the lath and plaster, to provide a sound and flat ceiling in each bedroom. On top of the joists will be a new loft floor, making it a much sturdier storage space, and with the depth of the new joists we can fill it with surplus non-itch insulation to make the insulation up to the recommended 270mm. This should help significantly in reducing heat loss from the oldest, and least thermally efficient, part of the house.
He has now repointed the top of the chimney and replaced the missing bits of lead flashing. Hopefully that'll stop the water coming in. It's now a matter of replacing the damaged plaster which has 'blown', the salts have washed out of it and it is coming away from the wall.
Sorting out the wall isn't too much of an issue but the ceiling is. Both the original bedroom ceilings are 100 year old lath and plaster, and both are sagging and cracking, so much so that any trips into the loft create more hairline cracks. It's probably only a matter of time before they fall. And so it's time for the last package of work - to sort out the damp and the two ceilings.
We've decided not to trash the two ceilings, especially as the timber structure above is so lightweight and bowing that it would also need replacing which is a massive job. Instead we've decided to install new joists in the loft and suspend a new plasterboard ceiling from these, but below the lath and plaster, to provide a sound and flat ceiling in each bedroom. On top of the joists will be a new loft floor, making it a much sturdier storage space, and with the depth of the new joists we can fill it with surplus non-itch insulation to make the insulation up to the recommended 270mm. This should help significantly in reducing heat loss from the oldest, and least thermally efficient, part of the house.
Sunday, 16 August 2009
Glass
The glass balustrade has arrived and been installed. Not only is this great to see in place, it has also meant one of the last bits of plastering can be completed as the glass 'dissappears' into the wall so the plastering couldn't be finished without the glass.
It could've been seen as more sustainable to use conventional timber balustrading instead of glass, after all think of all the embedded energy used to form and toughen the glass. However, aesthetics aside (with wood in plenty of other places yet more would probably have been too much), the glass plays an important role in letting light into the stairwell whilst meeting the safety requirements of the building regulations. Timber balustrading would've blocked out a significant amount of natural light, making the stairwell a dark space that would need far more artificial light.
As with many things we've done on this project it's been interesting to see how much the builder thinks he knows, when in fact he doesn't. A classic case in point is with the balustrade glass, and the glass in the sliding/folding doors. None of this glass has a kitemark etched onto it. As it should all be safety glass due to it's proximity to the floor the builder's view is that it should be kitemarked - that's what he's told us Building Control will look for before they sign it off. Many other people would be panicking as a result, but not us.
A quick Google and subsequent check with Architectural colleagues tells us that safety glass is required to be marked with the appropriate BS EN number and classification, in this case 12150 Class 1 - the kitemark applied to the previous British standard so no longer applies. So there was no need to panic as this number is exactly what is on the glass, but our builder, probably like many others, assumes he knows all there is to know about the trade when often we are as well if not better informed.
It could've been seen as more sustainable to use conventional timber balustrading instead of glass, after all think of all the embedded energy used to form and toughen the glass. However, aesthetics aside (with wood in plenty of other places yet more would probably have been too much), the glass plays an important role in letting light into the stairwell whilst meeting the safety requirements of the building regulations. Timber balustrading would've blocked out a significant amount of natural light, making the stairwell a dark space that would need far more artificial light.
As with many things we've done on this project it's been interesting to see how much the builder thinks he knows, when in fact he doesn't. A classic case in point is with the balustrade glass, and the glass in the sliding/folding doors. None of this glass has a kitemark etched onto it. As it should all be safety glass due to it's proximity to the floor the builder's view is that it should be kitemarked - that's what he's told us Building Control will look for before they sign it off. Many other people would be panicking as a result, but not us.
A quick Google and subsequent check with Architectural colleagues tells us that safety glass is required to be marked with the appropriate BS EN number and classification, in this case 12150 Class 1 - the kitemark applied to the previous British standard so no longer applies. So there was no need to panic as this number is exactly what is on the glass, but our builder, probably like many others, assumes he knows all there is to know about the trade when often we are as well if not better informed.
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Pellets 2
In anticipation of getting the 2nd fix plumbing sorted very soon, and firing up the boiler as a result, we've got our first load of pellets. David from Treenergy delivered 1 tonne of pellets to us on friday - they arrived on two pallets that coudn't be off loaded from the Luton van due to our lack of driveway, so we had to carry the 15kg bags into the garage. With three of us on site that day it wasn't too big a job.
We went for the paper bag option in the end - slightly more expensive that plastic bags but far more sustainable.
Will let you know how we get on with these pellets and the boiler very soon I hope!
We went for the paper bag option in the end - slightly more expensive that plastic bags but far more sustainable.
Will let you know how we get on with these pellets and the boiler very soon I hope!
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
On the tiles
We started work on the tiling at the weekend. Nothing particularly eco to note other than the fact that the tiles are perfectly suited to the underfloor heating as they will provide some 'thermal mass'.
The bathroom floor tiles have been laid in an adhesive containing latex to allow some movement, as is necessary partly as they're on a suspended wooden floor but also to accomodate thermal expansion due to the heating. It should've been a straightforward job, but I think our tiredness, and leaving it till fairly late on Sunday got the better of us. Think the end result (minus grout) is good though.
We've now moved on to the ensuite wetroom and have just installed the waterproof membrane . The plumber had installed the Impey wetdeck so all we had to do was install the membrane - after all it looks easy on the video! Whilst it wasn't quite as easy as Impey imply, with a few abortive attempts at the corner detail due to the membrane getting stuck to itself, we soon got the knack and the membrane is now inplace. Tomorrow's job is sorting out the floor tiling which is slightly more challenging than the bathroom as it must be installed on a slope to ensure that the wetroom drains correctly. Our plumber thinks such things are wrong and that showers should include trays but we beg to differ!
The bathroom floor tiles have been laid in an adhesive containing latex to allow some movement, as is necessary partly as they're on a suspended wooden floor but also to accomodate thermal expansion due to the heating. It should've been a straightforward job, but I think our tiredness, and leaving it till fairly late on Sunday got the better of us. Think the end result (minus grout) is good though.
We've now moved on to the ensuite wetroom and have just installed the waterproof membrane . The plumber had installed the Impey wetdeck so all we had to do was install the membrane - after all it looks easy on the video! Whilst it wasn't quite as easy as Impey imply, with a few abortive attempts at the corner detail due to the membrane getting stuck to itself, we soon got the knack and the membrane is now inplace. Tomorrow's job is sorting out the floor tiling which is slightly more challenging than the bathroom as it must be installed on a slope to ensure that the wetroom drains correctly. Our plumber thinks such things are wrong and that showers should include trays but we beg to differ!
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