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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 larch rain screen and [...] The Van Midden house is at the Lembas Organics farm at the Bridge of Muchalls, Stonehaven. It is a very low energy house due to high levels of insulation and the use of timber I beams to reduce thermal bridging. The external rain screen is Sitka spruce with an organic paint finish. The central [...] This timber post and beam house in Aberfeldy pioneered “breathing construction” in the UK. Designed by Gaia Architects and built in 1992 this well insulated passive solar house also has a wood burning stove and stack effect cooling for summer. The building materials used were chosen for being non-toxic and natural. See more on [...] October '09 Jim and Jo Monahan are nearing completion of their passive solar house in Spinningdale, Sutherland. This is a timber frame house which utilizes roundwood for many of the structural members. This is a way of using timber at its maximum strength because it is not cut across the grain. The timber framing [...] Aberfeldy, October 2009 This is a timber frame house of 76 sq,m. built in 2001. In terms of heating it benefits from its double storey living area facing south and the limited amount of glazing to the north. There is 200mm cellulose insulation in the roof, 150mm in the floor and 145mm in the [...] October ’09 Home of Alexander and Vinny Burnett, Kashentroch is an elegant and spacious open plan timber frame house in a beautiful setting close to the Dee. The original part of the house (with the pitched roof on the right of the picture), built about 5 years ago, has recently had an addition of [...] 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 [...] September ’11
Constructing with FSC timber (or another accreditation organisation such as PEFC) is potentially one of the greenest ways of building for several reasons.more +/-» However, the UK seems to have a rather backward, or at least over-cautious attitude towards timber construction and this is outlined below. Grading timber There are [...]
this clay plaster wall at the Denby Dale passivhaus was applied in 4 coats. It has hemp reinforcement wall and ceiling linings There have been several fairly recent developments in dry lining boards for internal walls. Traditional plasterboard is being challenged by other variations of gypsum based boards and also by clay based [...]
Parana pine – photo by Eurico Zimbres In terms of embodied energy the use of timber in staircases is far better than metal. However the timber should be sustainably sourced and be FSC woodmarked. One of the traditionally favourite timbers for the manufacture of closed riser staircases has been parana pine (Araucaria angustifolia) from [...] sourcing timber Sourcing sustainably produced timber and manufactured timber building products requires checking the following - Was the timber sustainably grown? How far has it travelled? Does it contain chemicals such as adhesives or timber treatment? The FSC Woodmark or the PEFC stamp are the most reliable means to know that the timber [...] October ’09 Building with solid timber Allan is building a log house high on a hill near Evanton, north of Inverness. The locally sourced Scots Pine logs are scribed and cut to fit snugly together and are notched so that they interlock at the corners. The logs in the house weigh about 80 tonnes. [...] October ’09 Locally grown timber Situated in the Scottish Highlands, this nearly completed timber house is composed of three hexagonal areas plus a sun room which extends segmentally out of one of the hexagon sides. The framework is of local Douglas fir and the rain screen of wany edged larch, also locally grown. Much [...] |
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