Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! Re: Perth Building standards 2Dec 31, 2014 9:53 pm Not sure why it is but generally most houses are double brick. I think this would cost more compared to other methods and you really only see other types where double brick is not doable or advisable. I also think that the larger blocks bricks are used where the house will be rendered or they are not face bricks. These are my observations and I am not in the building trade or a brickie, I have often been puzzled why double brick is so popular in WA. Now having always lived in double brick with solid internal walls from brick I can say that it seems to be quieter. Let me flip it around, why are most houses in the east brick veneer??? Re: Perth Building standards 3Jan 02, 2015 8:35 am A full bricked home as a comparison in WA is cheaper to build than a stick built BV we see more of in the eastern states. The clay to make the bricks from is, dare I say it- "dirt cheap" so they can produce them at a lower price than over here. If you ask any builder in WA why they build double brick homes and they will tell you " because that's the way we've always built them ". A BV wall without sarking or insulation is a paltry R 0.4. A double brick wall is R 0.5. However add sarking and R 2.0 batts to the BV wall and you are looking at R 2.5 - much better. You can add cavity insulation to the double brick wall of course but you can also add that to the BV wall as well. Having lived in a double brick house for the last 18 years I can attest that up to 30º it is fine and appears slightly cooler than outside however when the mercury climbs the inside walls retain the heat a lot longer and continue to radiate that heat back into the house long after the sun goes down. The larger bricks you see are a metric brick and cheaper to lay that's why they are used. Stewie Re: Perth Building standards 4Jan 02, 2015 10:41 am Thanks Stewie, I did not know that. I always wondered why BV is used so much in Eastern States...... Re: Perth Building standards 6Jan 02, 2015 2:52 pm That's what everyone else outside of WA is wondering too Ck. They would be relatively cheap to build over there but the long term energy ramifications in terms of heating and cooling those homes would be serious. It's no coincidence that nearly every home I've seen photos of from Perth has an aircon unit the size of a small car hanging off one of the outside walls. BASIX would preclude you from building a dbl brick home here in NSW without some modifications. I'm sure R 2.0 is about the minimum I think from memory. I also think that in time WA will have to catch up to the rest of the country in terms of thermal efficiency. I'm also unsure whether they have a thermal energy assessment requirement every time you lodge a DA like NSW, Qld or Vic. Anyone from WA like to elucidate me ? Stewie Re: Perth Building standards 7Jan 02, 2015 5:22 pm I haven't heard the word "elucidate" used in ages... awesome! For those that don't know what it means... Re: Perth Building standards 9Jan 03, 2015 7:39 pm We do have an energy report process that is done by the builder, usually done before applying for the building permit. We need to achieve a minimum 6 star energy rating before a permit will be granted. I think this is the equivalent of the Basix process over east. viewtopic.php?t=72683 Re: Perth Building standards 10Jan 03, 2015 8:39 pm How the hell does a home using double brick walls with an R rating of R 0.5 achieve a 6 star energy rating when using the BASIX equivalent for a brick veneer wall have to achieve around R 2.0 minimum ?????
Edit : I also should have responded to the above comment about "elucidate". This link was sent to me by SaveH2O - an erudite gentleman who continues to educate me ( I can comment now that he has chimed in here ) http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/0 ... n-literacy Make you wonder doesn't it ? Stewie Re: Perth Building standards 11Jan 03, 2015 8:50 pm Stewie D I think your drawing the same conclusions as me in regards to this double brick idea in WA. Me, I just finished the nightmare of a double story timber framed house in WA and I must admit it was a surprise to most suppliers/ subbies etc that a builder would build his own place out of sticks!! I am a builder but a chippy by trade and it makes perfect sense to me but not many others round here! We easily achieved 7 stars and the flexibility is beyond compare. My neighbours double brick two storey house with massive west facing windows is beyond me... Re: Perth Building standards 12Jan 03, 2015 8:56 pm Stewie D How the hell does a home using double brick walls with an R rating of R 0.5 achieve a 6 star energy rating when using the BASIX equivalent for a brick veneer wall have to achieve around R 2.0 minimum ????? You ask too many questions Grasshopper! 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: Perth Building standards 15Jan 03, 2015 9:26 pm Crazyk it would make life easier from my perspective and certainly from a green perspective. I believe the change will happen here due to the cost of building and the cost of renting etc while you build among other things I don't think we are ready yet though, and we certainly don't have enough trades familiar with timber framing (sounds stupid huh!!!) to cover the volumes of homes we would have to build to start making it competitive. My own place was quite simple in design, yet I feel I was always charged a "novelty" fee because everyone was so unfamiliar with the concept. I had to sit numerous trades down and explain the reality and simplicity of this design before they would revise their price which in most cases was more than I pay for double brick homes! Re: Perth Building standards 17Jan 03, 2015 9:53 pm Having tinkered with the energy rating software, the thing that makes the biggest difference is the size of the windows facing east and west. You tend to forget that it gets cold in winter, and heating is actually the biggest cost. Cooling is actually relatively easy when you take advantage of the cooling prevailing afternoon sea breeze. Standard builders will just game the system until they get their 6 stars. viewtopic.php?t=72683 Re: Perth Building standards 18Jan 03, 2015 10:41 pm trixee im not sure what you mean about the windows? I understand the principle but is the software taking into account the location, orientation, composition and operation of the windows in a building in perth and if it's brick/timber? I thought this post was a brick bashing arena!!! Re: Perth Building standards 19Jan 03, 2015 11:26 pm To a certain degree double brick is entrenched in wa psyche. It's marketed as the bees knees from a building perspective It's taught at building school rather than the east coast way When selling a house because of this psyche it sells easier than an East Coast frame home style. And so the circle continues. (Ok so I have made some generalisations but I hope you get the picture.) Until the circle changes, more homes of this style are built, home buyers accept it, building companies stop promoting DB as the be all end all and there are tradies available to build frame homes it will continue. The change will happen over time, the "pods" that many perth builders are using as second story are the first sign that the market is changing and starting to accept frame homes. Interestingly away from suburbia and especially in places like Karratha, Exmouth and Hedland, frame homes are all the go. Re: Perth Building standards 20Jan 04, 2015 12:54 am Yep it definitely costs more but just look at buyers snub their noses if the house is not double brick. Its crazy, but its the mentality unfortunately. Building Standards; Getting It Right! Don't think they are designed for double brick. WA has a particular way of building and unfortunately that's the way a large amount of sills are finished. 3 7014 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 5162 2 8649 |