Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Jun 18, 2008 12:55 pm Hi all, currently building a smallish two storey home in Canberra on north/south block. We are on a small budget for upgrades and therefore need to allocate wisely.
I have read many positives re double-glazing but am a little concerned re the cost and was therefore wondering if double-glazing just the ground floor was a viable option or a waste of money? The ground floor contains all the living areas, kitchen and laundry and is approximately 9sq. The whole house is insulated with R2 to external walls and R4 in ceiling as well insulation between floors. Any thoughts, comments, opinions, etc greatly appreciated. 'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' - Winston Churchill windows 2Jun 18, 2008 1:27 pm Hi Paul
If your living area's are North facing I would say yes,(to give yourself better solar gain + views)and use heavy drapes/pelmets for the rest. Your concerns on cost is well justified, that is why i am sourcing mine from the US. Hoping to build in the new year in Forde Cheers Michael hope your build is going smooth He wants a dream home theatre - she wants a dream kitchen! Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 3Jun 18, 2008 1:39 pm I'd say yes too...if you can shut off the ground floor from the upstairs. Not much point double glazing if the heat can escape up the stair well. And as Paddy said, if you use heavy curtains and pelmets upstairs, they have a similar R value to double glazing anyway. 'chelle We have a hand-over date...15/10...but I won't hold my breath! http://people-in-glass-houses.blogspot.com/ Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 4Jun 18, 2008 2:11 pm Thanks both for your quick responses. You have confirmed what I was thinking re the stairwell as a point of leakage but I hadn't considered the pelmets and drapes solution although fairly obvious now
Michael, we are (almost) building in Forde too (due to start in 2-3 weeks) with Classics. It's nice to find someone building in the same estate (we are seriously outnumbered by the Melburnians on this site, lol). Have you selected a builder yet? 'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' - Winston Churchill Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 5Jun 18, 2008 2:19 pm Forde is a fab area to be building in, me and Jac live up the road in Ngunnawal at the moment and keep skipping down to Forde to steal design ideas, they are very nice houses they have out there. windows 6Jun 18, 2008 2:54 pm Paul our land becomes available around late Jan early Feb, our Architect is presently working on something for us to look at soon.
We are building with Thermacell Blocks ( foam blocks filled with concrete)and he has a few builders who deals with them,so just need to decide who suits us best.Yes I agree being outnumbered we need to spread the word around down here,more the merrier i say. Has Classics been good to deal with Paul, have not heard anyone build with them I know. Cheers Michael i would love to see the work in progress sometime Pm me if you like. He wants a dream home theatre - she wants a dream kitchen! Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 7Jun 18, 2008 11:15 pm Michael, as soon as the construction starts I will start posting photos on the forum. As for Classics we couldn't be happier to date particularly after reading some of the frustrations experienced by other forumites with their respective builders.
We are so excited about building at Forde - we have two toddlers (see avatar) and we are hoping that it will provide a great community to raise our kids in. Our land was registered about 3-4 weeks late which, again, is not too bad compared to some of the other stories on this forum. 'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' - Winston Churchill Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 8Jun 25, 2008 7:51 pm Ask them how much it does cost to upgrade to double glazing as different builders have different pricing. It also makes a massive difference soundwise. Having thick curtains to block out heat transfer and noise only works when they are closed, ie not all the time. Another option to consider is the range of window laminates now available that although not as effective as double glazing can do a similar job.
As a rough guide our single story home cost $1600 to upgrade every window and the 3 sliding doors. Building NB Hampton 19e finishing at end july 08 Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 9Jun 26, 2008 10:15 pm Quote: I have read many positives re double-glazing but am a little concerned re the cost and was therefore wondering if double-glazing just the ground floor was a viable option or a waste of money? I'd consider double glazing any upstairs windows that you want to the view in winter. Ie at night without drapes drawn. I know my place rapidly chills down on sunset because I like to enjoy the views without the curtains drawn Double glazing planned to go in soon Re: windows 10Jun 27, 2008 12:54 am paddy Hi Paul If your living area's are North facing I would say yes,(to give yourself better solar gain + views)and use heavy drapes/pelmets for the rest. Your concerns on cost is well justified, that is why i am sourcing mine from the US. Hoping to build in the new year in Forde Cheers Michael hope your build is going smooth Are you importing directly yourself ? Can you share any details ? The prices I've been quoted for locally made double-glazed windows are utterly ridiculous. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 12Jul 01, 2008 11:39 am Michael, we opted to double-glaze downstairs only due to the $ factor - we will be doing the curtain and pelmets upstairs after we move in.
We were out there last Sunday and were and to see that they had dug some trenches on our block. Very exciting! Every time we get up there and see the number of young kids in the play area at Heritage Park (compulsory visit according to our 3yo daughter) we feel more and more certain that it is going to be a great community for raising kids in. How are your plans progressing? 'We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' - Winston Churchill windows 13Jul 01, 2008 7:37 pm No movement with our plans yet Paul, our architect is finishing his loose ends before the financial year. We are both keen to look at what he has come up with but alas the waiting game goes on.
The Forde open day was a good day out for the family and yes that park sure does get a work out. I also saw the new off leash dog park open and proving to be quiet popular with all ( not just the 4 legged kind). Glad the glazing option worked out for you, it will certainly be worth the extra $$$ in the long run. Good to hear the progress with your block only another 6 months for us I hope. He wants a dream home theatre - she wants a dream kitchen! Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 14Jul 07, 2008 12:55 pm There are also secondary systems on the market to go over existing windows, so maybe once the house is built you can look into someting for the upstairs windows also. Things like window films or secondary glazing which are cheaper than double glazing but still work relly well.
Interesed to hear how/where you are importing DG from the US? Are you going to install it yourself or get the builders to? And what are the costs involved with the actual importing? Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 15Jul 19, 2008 11:31 am Hi,
double glazing is part of the thermal envelope of the house, just like insulation if you put only partly DG the house is semi insulated. Pelmets ( sooo ugly too !!) and heavy curtains are not a double glazing substitude at all unless you install them 100% airtight which is not possible. Maybe battens, nails, some glue or sealant will do the trick Everything has its purpose, curtains are for privacy, insulation and double glazing to keep the house warm/cool, a lock is for security, a washing machine to wash clothes, a heater to heat............................................ Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 16Jan 14, 2009 8:41 am Hi I don't know how you all went with your projects and double glazing ventures. For those of you who ended up installing single glazing, try calling Magnetite for an easy way to convert your existing windows to double glazed windows without the price tag.
For more info look up your nearest rep at ***link removed by Site Admin*** :wink: Re: Double Glazing Recommendations 17Jan 14, 2009 9:39 am You can spam around as long as you like but fact is your stuff does not convert a window to double glazing This is one of the reasons I decided to go overseas for my double glazed windows. As the builder indicated, he's worked on many upmarket builds, these were the most well… 13 19264 For your reference Performance Labels: Window assemblies in housing, except timber windows, must be labelled so the label can be seen when it is in situ. For timber… 6 7738 Really tight at the top of the stairs- how to get furniture into those rooms? Study books - does anyone really use them these days? Large storage closet would be more functional. 2 6897 |