Energy costs

[Big J]

10 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

One of the problems from what I have seen is not the spec for the insulation so much as the quality of construction. I worked on a new extension putting in some oak A frames but helped with the rafters. I had to pop back and the builder was fitting Celotex in between the rafters. There were large gaps at the sides and I just asked if they were going to foam them up. Builder says with the blessing of the customer who was there that it would all be covered before BCs next visit! Same job went to fit some tricky skirting boards. There was a howling draught coming up from under the floor so lord knows what had gone on under the floor. 

 

I converted our barn and did all the insulation myself. It was above the spec of the time but below new regs. Still able to heat the whole place with one 7kWh wood-burner thats at tick-over. Air tightness and continuity of insulation makes a big difference IME

 

Nail. On. Head.

 

My wife (architect) was involved with a couple of builds in Scotland using Brettstapel, which is an Austrian method of using low grade timber in massive structural walls. They did a house in the Scottish Borders and also a school on the West Coast of Scotland. 

 

The buildings were mostly erected by Austrian master carpenters who spent about half their time furiously supervising the local contractors (that had to be included on site) to prevent them from puncturing the air tight layers or bodging aspects of the fit-out. The buildings are passive standard, something that still appears to be witchcraft to UK builders.

[Big J]

12 minutes ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

It seems to me there are many strong lobby voices - retail, construction, transport, farming....

 

The only one conspicuous by its absence - and surprising since it is undeniably the largest - consumers!

 

People are too relaxed about accepting the patently unacceptable....

 

Yep. Very much agree. 

 

I do think that part of it is that we just don't really realise how shit our housing is here. This clip from Alain de Bottain's Architecture of Happiness is really revealing, showing how much we conform to traditional ideals of house ownership in the UK:

 

 

 

Full episode: 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Big J

[AHPP]

7 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

Yep. Very much agree. 

 

I do think that part of it is that we just don't really realise how shit our housing is here. This clip from Alain de Bottain's Architecture of Happiness is really revealing, showing how much we conform to traditional ideals of house ownership in the UK:

 

 

That's just made me realise that it's Alain de Botton who does the School of Life video narration.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

9 minutes ago, Big J said:

 

Yep. Very much agree. 

 

I do think that part of it is that we just don't really realise how shit our housing is here. This clip from Alain de Bottain's Architecture of Happiness is really revealing, showing how much we conform to traditional ideals of house ownership in the UK:

 

 

Eeeeeeek!

 

”...the best of modern architecture....”

 

Maybe - if you’re happy to live in a house inspired by an airport departure lounge. 
 

There are great historic skills and knowledge inextricably linked to social and historical influences which run through a large portion of the established UK housing market.  
 

Houses built in a certain place for a certain purpose - not necessarily architect designed, but built by skilled and knowledgeable master tradesmen that had a living connection with the location, prevailing climate and social requirement. 
 

Yes - late ‘development’ houses are shite of design and construction but it would be shortsighted to focus only on that aspect and apply it across the entire subject. 
 

[Stere]

Think a new well insulated house can be in any style modernist or vernacular  or look like a hobbit house from LOTR

 

That model village poundsbury prince charles built looks odd

 

 

Its like the uncanny valley version of architecture?

 

Uncanny valley - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

3 minutes ago, Stere said:

Think a new well insulated house can be in any style modernist or vernacular  or look like a hobbit house from LOTR

 

That model village poundsbury prince charles built looks odd

 

 

Its like the uncanny valley version of architecture?

 

Uncanny valley - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

 

I like a lot of what Poundbury stands for, some concepts / covenants are a bit strange but overall, I likey. 

[sime42]

I like a lot of what Poundbury stands for, some concepts / covenants are a bit strange but overall, I likey. 

Very good ideas in theory but rather odd in practice. Have you been there? I have; it was all quite disconcerting. Not bad, just disconcerting. The blurred lines between pedestrian spaces and traffic spaces, between commercial and domestic areas, between municipal and private spaces. Maybe it's still just too new, needs time to weather in.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

23 minutes ago, sime42 said:

1 hour ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

I like a lot of what Poundbury stands for, some concepts / covenants are a bit strange but overall, I likey. 

Very good ideas in theory but rather odd in practice. Have you been there? I have; it was all quite disconcerting. Not bad, just disconcerting. The blurred lines between pedestrian spaces and traffic spaces, between commercial and domestic areas, between municipal and private spaces. Maybe it's still just too new, needs time to weather in.

Yeah, been there, ages ago.  Really liked it - as a casual visitor. 
 

Interesting that you find the shared space disconcerting. That was one factor that I was exceptionally drawn to - people taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions, not being channelled into predetermined lanes just because that is how it is marked up. No markings equals no  presumed ‘rights’ of way - everyone just finds their own path....
 

 

[sime42]

Yeah, been there, ages ago.  Really liked it - as a casual visitor. 
 
Interesting that you find the shared space disconcerting. That was one factor that I was exceptionally drawn to - people taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions, not being channelled into predetermined lanes just because that is how it is marked up. No markings equals no  presumed ‘rights’ of way - everyone just finds their own path....
 
 

Fine as a pedestrian, not so much as a driver. That is the better way round at least. They should have gone the whole hog and banned cars entirely IMO.

[openspaceman]

40 minutes ago, sime42 said:

Fine as a pedestrian, not so much as a driver. That is the better way round at least. They should have gone the whole hog and banned cars entirely IMO.
 

I'm not at all familiar with where you are discussing but we have plenty of residential roads where cars park on the footway either side of the road here and completely block it for pedestrians. In such circumstances where there is little pedestrian traffic it makes more sense to be to do away with sidewalks, allow parking on either side and give pedestrians priority on the road which then is often only 12ft wide.