Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 21, 2017 10:22 am So regretfully and for reasons I won't go into here, I am building an extension on my existing house using the usual timber frame & brick method. The builder is excellent, thorough and precise, I can't fault him. But when I look at that flimsy bit of wrap stapled over the timber frame, waiting for the layer of bricks to cover everything up, I get quite depressed. Obviously in Aus, "airtight" is not something that the powers that be deem necessary, and hence insulation performance is compromised, at best. Apparently a glorified tent is all that I require where I live. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 2Oct 22, 2017 1:58 pm Yes, it's disappointing how little awareness (let alone practice) of airtightness there is in Australian building - once again, we're well behind the rest of the world. There's no dispute that Australian houses are *very* leaky by international standards, and apart from everything else it costs us huge amounts of money (both individually and collectively). The good news is that it's *starting* to improve, and it's now much easier than it was only a few years ago to find builders who do airtight construction. Even without straying too far from the 'standard path', using uPVC or timber composite windows (double- or triple- glazed, naturally), building wraps such as Proctorwrap or the Pro Clima products, Colorbond instead of tiled roofs, square-set plastering, and just staying away from brick veneer can be (and have been, and are being) used to produce Passivhaus levels of airtightness while otherwise using standard Australian construction techniques and materials. Of course, the project builders who build the majority of homes will be the last ones to implement any of this, and to be fair to them they're just reacting to market forces (i.e. all the new home customers who only think about looks and who never think about longevity, function, practicality and cost-effectiveness). That being said, we're fortunate in Australia that most areas have milder climates than experienced elsewhere in the world, so airtightness (while still important) isn't as critical as it is in, say, North America or Europe. It also affects the local marginal cost-benefit calculations (even without factoring in our excellent solar gain). Our build will be using all of the above techniques to achieve a reasonable level of airtightness, but one that is deliberately short of Passivehaus standard, as we couldn't justify the significant extra cost for such a small marginal benefit in our climate. There's a point where it's more effective - both in dollars and emissions - to go for e.g. extra solar generation with battery storage over additional airtightness expense. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 3Oct 22, 2017 9:00 pm So, you have an excellent builder and you can't fault him (hundreds of my clients would love to be in your shoes) yet you find something to whinge about, airtightnesss, then rubbish our housing. Let me tell you that you are barking on about nothing, even if reflective foil was to let some air through there will be wall batts that will prevent any significant air loss due to convection. Your pet flap will make you loose more air than any leakage from the home. Furthermore this is Australia and our way of building has evolved for our conditions and not for Canada of Scandinavia, and its six star energy efficiency rating is pretty good. If your builder is not to be faulted, who is? Was it not you that signed off on the contract? If passivhaus is so important to you why did you not find a custom builder who will do it? My guess is you probably can't afford it. Take a step back and take a deep breath and then rejoice for having an excellent builder whilst so many others don't. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 4Oct 23, 2017 12:47 am algernon There's a point where it's more effective - both in dollars and emissions - to go for e.g. extra solar generation with battery storage over additional airtightness expense. Yes, new home owners need to be aware of and give due consideration to the evolving technologies and rapid changes the world is currently witnessing. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 5Oct 23, 2017 2:06 pm building-expert ... this is Australia and our way of building has evolved for our conditions... Don't tell me Mr Building Expert; they heat up quickly but cool down quickly as well, lol. Actually, it wasn't me that was rubbishing Australian houses, I was just quoting this article: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/australia ... hj2ox.html You being an expert would know that more people die from the cold in Australia than in Sweden, wouldn't you? Why's that I wonder? It's really disappointing that "experts" are standing firm behind building standards responsible for producing some of the world's least efficient buildings, i.e, glorified tents, and while they do, very little will change. You really should pick your game up. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 6Oct 24, 2017 7:36 am Why don't you post energy rating report for your extension then we will compare it with a tent, then we can have a meaningful exchange on this forum. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 7Oct 27, 2017 8:10 am For one thermoseal reflective foil is a non-permeable, vapour barrier product designed to reduce the transmission of moisture into the home and contribute a reflective air gap.
For another I've seen with my own eyes Nasa use far more flimsy protective barrier on space craft in space, if you don't like it here, screw off. Carpenter & Joiner Sydney Institute of Technology Building, Randwick campus. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 8Oct 27, 2017 10:18 am ilmessaggio Everybody has an opinion but it's the person spending the money that needs to be forearmed http://www.condorkinetic.com.au/natural ... -home.html Good article as are the links. The bottom line is that builders build to a price attainable within the code's minimums because most new home buyers want the biggest house for less cost. Due diligence is essential yet many new home buyers don't have their contract or building specifications evaluated pre signing. The role of products as per the unfortunate example chosen by jparrie in the thread's opening post also need to be understood. There are numerous ways to cost effectively upgrade specifications pre contract stage. Essential reading... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=5823 During a recent below zero Melbourne morning, thousands of solar HWS suffered burst pipes because the units installed were not suited to frost prone areas. Some builders also install cheaper units that are below the manufacturer's performance specs for the Melbourne region. http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbo ... x3dfd.html The current trend to shades of grey is a revamp of the past orange and mission brown fads. Dull colours create gloominess in many homes, particularly in long front passageways which also reflect poor design and expensive wasted space. Has no one heard of the benefits of skylights in single storey homes or does their use now compromise thermal efficiency ratings? Upping the R insulation value doesn't cost a lot more. There are fan covers available that reduce thermal loss in winter and block hot air from the roof space entering living areas during summer. The HWS should be located nearest the area of highest usage. How often do you see people run the initial cold water from the hot water tap down the sink but then add cold water to the hot water after it is delivered? Doh! This wastes energy as well as water. Where rainwater tanks are mandatory, several hundred dollars can be saved by demanding to have a more reliable and less expensive mains water switching device than the troublesome and expensive device commonly fitted. Black roofs are an abomination for numerous reasons...has no one heard of the urban heat island effect? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 9Oct 27, 2017 10:56 am Great input from SaveH20 but just to expand on the matter: The principles of thermal efficiency in the design of buildings were well known even over 40 years ago when I was at uni in the early 70's. It was all about thermal mass(heatbanking), glass, insulation, orientation, shading, ventilation, landscaping, furnishing and combined with building economics (volume efficiency= least envelope/floor area) The Gemans did not invent Passsivhaus, they reinvented the wheel polished it and called it Passivhaus.(full marks to the Germans) The problem we have in Australia is that Architectural profession (the profession of vision) had the knowledge but no vision at all how to make itself relevant in the volume housing marked and abdicated it's natural leadership(on the account of knowledge) to the volume builders(who understood building economics and how to make a killing from it, never mind efficiency,and did not care about anything else) So now we have homes designed by second rate builder's drafties (because they are cheap) that often cannot locate brick articulation joints or downpipes in the right place and to whom the concept of aesthetics is alien. Just last week I inspected 1990 bv home with no insulation at all, and if it was not regulation forcing builders to insulate (now to 6 stars) we would still be building them. just my 2 bob Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 10Oct 28, 2017 5:25 am Yes SaveH2O, I have heard about heat island effect and below is a good example. We should give greater national priority to capuring and storing solar energy via development of roof tiles or sheeting that captures solar power. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ and Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 11Oct 28, 2017 1:10 pm B.E., that last photo makes a very impressive statement as well as looking great. Is it a council reg or are the residents just switched on? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 12Oct 28, 2017 8:44 pm Actually, neither Primrose Sands is a shack town built in sixties and seventies with questionable compliance. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog I believe this is correct. From the picture you can see the power was put in last so the electrician knew where the water was. Really it's a common sense issue more… 4 4455 Hi All, see above image. The required setback from the rear boundary in my case is 5m, as you can see the shape of the site and location of the boundary is slightly… 0 5837 CDC Housing Code 3 When to apply Floor Area external face of wall vs Gross Floor Area internal face of wall. Reading thru CDC Housing Code 3, lets take a lot 915sqm.… 0 11663 |