Could you tell us any interesting facts or remarkable features about your project?
This project was a large extension, which reused most of the existing building. We designed the house ourselves then gave our plan to an Architectural Draughtsman to make it work, draw it up professionally & make the submission for planning permission. We checked the maximum value our location would support before setting our budget so that we did not spend beyond its potential resale value.
In my opinion, in this country, we tend to build our houses inside out with large amounts of thermal mass (brick) on the outside and lightweight material (low mass) on the inside. The outside acts like a storage heater storing heat in the summer and cold in the winter and releasing it back into the house when the outside temperature moderates. By reversing the position of the thermal mass, the outside temperature of the house closely follows air temperature, whilst the inside walls store heat (or cold) and help to provide a constant internal environment.
The design used a steel frame to enable the open plan vaulted look. We used concrete block internally with lightweight blocks & a phenolic foam & render cladding on the outside, which provided a high thermal mass internally & low thermal mass externally. We insulated to the highest standard which was affordable & practical and used underfloor heating, MVHR, central vacuum, PV solar & other energy and labour saving technologies.
We were careful to design in and spend extra on wow factors such as the front door, entrance hall & the vaulted, galleried open plan living space with bifold doors to the garden.
Floor Plans
What is the floor area of your project in sq ft or sq m?
The net internal floor area is 295 square meters.
Experience at the Centre
How many times have you visited The National Self Build and Renovation Centre before?
I’ve visited the NSBRC five or six times, including the open days when exhibitors are available to speak to. I also paid to attend a couple of courses.
What would you say is the most helpful feature or resource at the NSBRC?
I found the displays showing the variety and detail of building options most helpful. I took photos which helped me understand in detail how parts of my house needed to fit together. Also, the contact details of suppliers was invaluable for getting quotes for the supply of their products. On a few occasions my wife and I visited the NSBRC together. She too found it useful to walk the isles to see what was available and it gave me the opportunity to explain some of the technology to her. This helped her to understand what I was talking about and enabled us both to participate in the design and decision making process.
Did you use any exhibitors at the NSBRC? If so, who?
Andersen windows in the show house.
What did you enjoy most about your visit to the NSBRC?
Understanding the detail of the new technologies on display, and the detail and explanations in the renovation house display.
Would you recommend the NSBRC to a friend, and if so, what aspects of the Centre would you recommend and why?
Yes, I would recommend simply walking the aisles and getting a feel for the number of building methods and technologies available & then signing up for courses and workshops. I attended a couple of courses on project management, finance and health & safety. They gave me a basic understanding of these subjects in relation to planning a self-build project. They gave me the confidence, information and resources that I needed to start my building project. Demolishing parts of the house you’re living in and removing the roof takes a lot of courage and the confidence that you can put it all back together again. The NSBRC helped me enormously.
