Our home renovation project - Opposite of MSE philosophy!!

FreeBear

Eldi_Dos said:

FreeBear said:

gzoom said:

Eldi_Dos said:

gzoom said:

We've considered a heat pump (have solar, battery for the house, and EV), but right now I just want the structure of the house done. The entire ground floor will have essentially under floor heating, and up stairs bedrooms will have A/C. I would actually want a ground (or even water sourced - have access to a brook at the back of the house, and the plot size of 0.5 acres is big enough for ground pipes) heat pump versus air, but costs will be much higher, so another project for 2030-2040 I suspect  .

We have no intention of working with anymore architects or surveyors after this build!!

Are you intending to use the waterway to cool your house.
Do not think that fits in with modern way of thinking, I can think of one major billing centre that closed down early because of the adverse effects to waterway caused by billing centre using water to cool down its equipment.

Not seriously, hence we are sticking with gas. I'm yet to be convinced on the viability of air sourced heat pumps, and that's with me having owned EVs with heatpumps, solar PV, and home battery storage. If you want to make heat nothing beats burning stuff.

Heat pump technology is improving all the time - My preference would be for GSHP using boreholes, but I don't have easy access for a drilling rig. ASHP, I'm not convinced by the numbers when it drops below freezing outside. However, we can not keep burning fossil fuels, and there isn't enough land available to grow wood for everyone. So we will be forced to adopt air/ground source heat pumps sooner or later. Might as well build and insulate now with that in mind rather than paying extra to retrofit when the day comes.

Does anyone know what happens to boreholes that are drilled when site assessments are being done, are they filled or capped.
I once came across a database, which I have been unable to find again, that listed and located boreholes. The amount of them around our town was surprising. One near to a friends house was listed as being 120 feet deep, it was at bottom of his road and would appear a turning area is above it now.

https://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex/home.html?layer=BGSBoreholes

Depending on the size, depth, and local geology, decommissioned boreholes would be backfilled with a permeable material or pumped full of grout or concrete.

Section62

Eldi_Dos said:

FreeBear said:

gzoom said:

Eldi_Dos said:

gzoom said:

We've considered a heat pump (have solar, battery for the house, and EV), but right now I just want the structure of the house done. The entire ground floor will have essentially under floor heating, and up stairs bedrooms will have A/C. I would actually want a ground (or even water sourced - have access to a brook at the back of the house, and the plot size of 0.5 acres is big enough for ground pipes) heat pump versus air, but costs will be much higher, so another project for 2030-2040 I suspect  .

We have no intention of working with anymore architects or surveyors after this build!!

Are you intending to use the waterway to cool your house.
Do not think that fits in with modern way of thinking, I can think of one major billing centre that closed down early because of the adverse effects to waterway caused by billing centre using water to cool down its equipment.

Not seriously, hence we are sticking with gas. I'm yet to be convinced on the viability of air sourced heat pumps, and that's with me having owned EVs with heatpumps, solar PV, and home battery storage. If you want to make heat nothing beats burning stuff.

Heat pump technology is improving all the time - My preference would be for GSHP using boreholes, but I don't have easy access for a drilling rig. ASHP, I'm not convinced by the numbers when it drops below freezing outside. However, we can not keep burning fossil fuels, and there isn't enough land available to grow wood for everyone. So we will be forced to adopt air/ground source heat pumps sooner or later. Might as well build and insulate now with that in mind rather than paying extra to retrofit when the day comes.

Does anyone know what happens to boreholes that are drilled when site assessments are being done, are they filled or capped.
I once came across a database, which I have been unable to find again, that listed and located boreholes. The amount of them around our town was surprising. One near to a friends house was listed as being 120 feet deep, it was at bottom of his road and would appear a turning area is above it now.

They should be filled, unless there will be ongoing use such as piezo monitoring or gas sampling.

The borehole data can be submitted to the British Geological Survey (T&C's apply) who hold a database of borehole data... it was probably their site or one derived from their data you found.

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/geological-data/

gzoom

Thanks for all the comments on beating but honestly it's very low down on the list of things.

Doozergirl

gzoom said:

Thanks for all the comments on beating but honestly it's very low down on the list of things.

I assume you mean heating.  You've landed in the middle of a board that is populated by a lot of building professionals and keen DIYers.  It's not their first rodeo and they can't really help being perplexed when you've said that you've overspent on the structure but don't really care about some of the other things that are seriously hot topics in the industry.  

Things can look beautiful and be balanced.  I'm sure your house will look lovely.  

I'm just watching someone else overspend on 'must haves' for an extension whilst rendering over their solid brick house using zero insulation - the absolute perfect opportunity to retrofit was right there.  I can't even fathom it but this is the amount of importance energy efficiency holds with some people.  

Please insulate what is left of the original house. 🙃.

gzoom

We've bad this thing onsite this week.


The superstructure is finally taking shape, along with a preview of the view all this work has being for originally!!




Next few weeks hopefully will see the new part of the house 'join' with the existing block.

gzoom

Some good progress now, still have 2 last bits of steels to install, but we now have the start of a roof

gzoom

Exciting couple of weeks coming up before Xmas. Roof tiles and glazing is all due to be done by mid December, hopefully 1st fix can than get underway in the new year.

The upstairs interior space is starting to look really exciting, including the main master bedroom (which was main brief for the architect), and the central mezzanine corridor that is going to overlook the glazed front hall way and kitchen, with a 3x1m glazed light box over head.

Cannot wait to get the shell water tight and some keys hopefully spend a few hours in the house during Xmas 

ThisIsWeird

Exciting times indeed! 

gzoom

 We have windows and walls….some anyways….

Original plan was to have all the glazing installed this week, but delays with the roofer meant scaffolding still everywhere, so rather than risk damaging expensive glass as the build carries on, the glazers installed what they could and rest will come probably end of Jan 2024. 

Still what’s gone in looks good, and the view from the bedroom will be great (once the scaffolding is gone!). 

Internal walls also appearing, first fix electric and plumbing will start soon.

Our builder is the eternal optimist, he still thinks we’ll be done by Easter 2024, I’m not so sure, as long as we are in before summer turns to autumn 2024 I’ll be happy! I can see now why Kevin McCloud talks about building sucking in the energy of their owners/builders etc, and why most sane people don’t try this kind of thing……..but where the fun in the life without a bit of insanity .

Ganga

I was looking at your photos and cannot see Kevin Mc Cloud ( Grand Designs )