Larch house entrance
Although not self built, the two passivhauses at Ebbw Vale may be very relevant to many self builders. Built in 2010 as show houses mainly for the attention of housing associations, they are attractive and innovative while being relatively modest. The 3 bed Larch House is clad with a locally sourced [...]
ECOS, (formerly known as the Somerset Trust for Sustainable Development) is a charity which has been behind several green house building initiatives. Although not self-build, their houses are excellent examples of what is possible and are open to viewing on certain occasions. At present there are two schemes which are complete or nearing completion and [...]
‘Under the Sun’, a Victorian terrace house in Birmingham is an outstanding example of bringing a fairly typical old building up to PassivhausSee more on the PassivhausSee more on the Passivhaus standard. The PassivHaus Institute has pioneered a standard for low energy buildings. It includes very low energy usage and ways of achieving this. The word is derived from the idea of buildings which are fundamentally low energy and passive solar heated rather than using extra gadgets to heat them. See Passivhaus for the UK branch of the organisation. standard. The PassivHaus Institute has pioneered a standard for low energy buildings. It includes very low energy usage and ways of achieving this. The word is derived [...]
timber house in the Field of Dreams, Findhorn FoundationThe Findhorn FoundationThe Findhorn Foundation is a large community near Inverness. There is a strong emphasis on sustainable building and living. is a large community near Inverness. There is a strong emphasis on sustainable building and living.
See some of the wealth of interesting UK timber designs here.
advantages and drawbacks
Timber can provide some of the greenest solutions to house building for several [...]
Have fun designing your house.
There are several worthwhile advantages if you do your own design work (or at least part of it) -
it may be the only way to get what you want. you achieve a kind of creative act that you can do in very few realms of your life. you [...]
The Building RegulationsThese are the legal regulations which govern how a house is constructed. (not to be confused with Planning Permission which is about whether you are allowed to build the house at all or what it might look like) see Building Regulations), part LThe Building Regulations, part L is the section which covers energy conservation for new buildings (with part L1A covering new buildings and part L1B covering existing ones), is the section which covers energy conservation for new buildings (with part L1A covering new buildings and part L1B covering existing ones)
At present there is a period of transition which is well explained in an NHBCThe National House-Building Council describes itself as being “the leading warranty and insurance provider [...]
October 2011
Background
If you are thinking of building a green building then it pays to be aware of where this whole process is going
Eco-house design is a fairly recent development which started getting off the ground in the UK during the mid 1990s.
more +/-»
Although you will probably end up using [...]
Permissions and regulations
The two main permissions you will most often require for building work are Planning Permissionthe legal basis for being allowed to do some form of development such as building a house. (not to be confused with Building RegulationsThese are the legal regulations which govern how a house is constructed. (not to be confused with Planning Permission which is about whether you are allowed to build the house at all or what it might look like) see Building Regulations) which is all about whether the building is properly constructed). see more on Planning Permission
and Building Regulations consent.
Planning Permission deals with the overall issue of what kind of houses are permissible in which area. The planning officers are employed by the local council.
Building Regulations deal with whether the building [...]
There are many purposes a window can serve and several of these have important ecological considerations:
Letting light in Collecting solar heat Providing a view Acting as a door The visual character of a house
Windows may have associated drawbacks to consider:
They may let in too much light at certain times Too [...]
February 2013
See the government web site on Building RegulationsThese are the legal regulations which govern how a house is constructed. (not to be confused with Planning Permission which is about whether you are allowed to build the house at all or what it might look like) see Building Regulations)
Building Regulations deal with whether the building is built properly and is safe and energy efficient etc. more+/-»
They are not to be confused with Planning Consentthe legal basis for being allowed to do some form of development such as building a house. (not to [...]
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