Most houses where Iron clad because it was so hot up there
Only the people that could afford to run refrig air condintioner all day where the ones that built in double brick
I dread to think what the house was like in the middle of the day!
Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 21Jun 10, 2008 9:01 am Kevin Brown I lived in Broken Hill for 4 years. Most houses where Iron clad because it was so hot up there Only the people that could afford to run refrig air condintioner all day where the ones that built in double brick I dread to think what the house was like in the middle of the day! Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 22Jun 10, 2008 9:06 am Casa2 Kevin Brown I lived in Broken Hill for 4 years. Most houses where Iron clad because it was so hot up there Only the people that could afford to run refrig air condintioner all day where the ones that built in double brick I dread to think what the house was like in the middle of the day! Nobodys home....wive's are at the pokies...husbands are working their a***s off underground....nobodys home Best Price Wardrobes Sliding door robes | Walk in robes Deco panel | Mirror | Melamine 26 to 28 Cottage lane Hackham M: 0402 927 376 http://www.bestpricewardrobes.com.au Trade welcome Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 24Jun 10, 2008 11:50 am I must say I really wanted double brick. We're building in WA so with the builder we chose it actually would have cost more to build with anything else! It's certainly very ironic that it's the opposite to NSW, because I certainly expected that methods other than brick would have been cheaper.
I also like the solid wall feel on the inside, put me in a brick veneer and I feel like throwing a punch to see how easy it would be to make a hole in the wall. But in reality we're building in the bush, so it will be nice to have the fire and termite resistance. I can't deny that the solidity of bricks just gives me reassurance in the nasty weather too, regardless if the colourbond roof is going to blow off! I remember living in Canberra in one of those really old style (high ceiling, separate rooms for everything)) double brick homes. In the middle of summer if you sit inside & do nothing you actually get cold, and go outside to find it's such a nice & warm day. I suppose kind of like being in a cave! Actually being unrealistic it would have been nice to build the house in the side of a hill, literally! At the moment we're living in a big shed, we do have some windows and an insulated roof. In reality it's not too bad, if I could get rid of every single draft then the wood heater would keep it nice and cosy quite comfortably. Yes it was hot initially in summer before we put windows in for flow through air. It will be interesting to see what sort of impact all our windows have, considering we couldn't afford to go with double glazing, and also compare it to the shed. I must say roof insulation in the shed certainly made a big difference in the summer, as I'm sure it's what keeps some of the heat in now during the winter. However it is nice to have the benefits of the sun warming the aluminium walls up on a sunny day! Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 25Jun 10, 2008 8:35 pm Casa2 In the past houses (full brick, etc) were made to last a hundred years. Now, they are cheaper to build but only last about 40 years. Sure, but just because it lasts longer doesn't mean its any better does it? Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 26Jun 10, 2008 8:49 pm u9026a Casa2 In the past houses (full brick, etc) were made to last a hundred years. Now, they are cheaper to build but only last about 40 years. Sure, but just because it lasts longer doesn't mean its any better does it? It's a good start. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 27Jun 10, 2008 9:20 pm Well definately a personal choice area here i would say, although to build in double brick these days, as said above would cost quite a lot.
I have just bought an old solid house from around 1940's and i love it, it's just what i have always wanted., My father built our house, a very big two story solid brick construction, we learnt to lay bricks and plaster from a young age so that could have something to so with my love for this type of house. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 28Jun 11, 2008 1:02 am Mek Said
Quote: Why build a solid house when you can put air con full blow in summer, and rack up your heating in winter... Another thing I don't understand (in the cooler climates of AUS), why is everyone keen to shield their house from the sun, when in Melbourne we get about 15 days of really hot weather, yet we put in flimsy windows and put up with terrible inefficient heating systems when we get months of cool weather? So true Mek - thankfully some project builders are now building cost effective energy efficient DESIGNS - not just trying to meet some star rating system. Re this thread. Here is a diagram of the thermal efficiency. http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/pubs/fs49.pdf Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 29Jun 11, 2008 9:25 pm Pebble I must say I really wanted double brick. We're building in WA so with the builder we chose it actually would have cost more to build with anything else! No offence, but that just proves how gullible some people can be. Pebble At the moment we're living in a big shed, we do have some windows and an insulated roof. In reality it's not too bad, if I could get rid of every single draft then the wood heater would keep it nice and cosy quite comfortably. Yes it was hot initially in summer before we put windows in for flow through air. It will be interesting to see what sort of impact all our windows have, considering we couldn't afford to go with double glazing, and also compare it to the shed. I must say roof insulation in the shed certainly made a big difference in the summer, as I'm sure it's what keeps some of the heat in now during the winter. However it is nice to have the benefits of the sun warming the aluminium walls up on a sunny day! Well there you go, your moderately insulated tin can is adequate, but for some reason a double brick house is compulsory! In my humble opinion, there are a lot of misinformed people in W.A., who, due to their isolation, just don't know better! Sure, you get consistently warm weather over there, but it has already been demonstrated that double brick houses retain heat from such weather, instead of blocking it out day after day. And your hot days, say over 40 deg., are no hotter than those experienced on the eastern seaboard, where double brick houses went out with button-up boots! I would tend to think that double brick houses would be more of an advantage in cold areas, where once the house was heated, it would stay warm. Geoff - Decophile. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 30Jun 12, 2008 6:52 pm Well I've lived in quite a few areas, from Canberra to Perth to Darwin to Townsville to Cobar in NSW.
Don't confuse double brick with brick veneer (the latter heating up more quickly and then staying hot). Not sure how you mean I'm gullible, we chose a builder primarily on the designs they do & the fact that they build in the South West using local tradesmen where possible. And it was in fact going to be more expensive to build with other materials using that particular builder (we did ask). Yes I am well aware this is not true with all the builders (and I didn't say all builders). We did consider one other but I didn't like any of their floor plans as much and yes they only built steel framed houses, which I will openly admit I didn't really want. Our tin can is adequate but not comfortable, winter has just started (not a month ago like I thought) and I am really dredding once the cold does actually set it. At the moment 10deg nights and 20deg days are quite good, with the wood heater burning for the afternoons and nights. The temps here do get below zero during the winter nights so we'll see. We will certainly go through heaps of wood because we won't be able to maintain the temp for very long. Brick isn't a must, just a strong personal preference. I think it's ideal for this climate here. We will have all round veranda's, so the house overheating in summer won't be a huge issue (of course it could be detrimental to warming it up naturally from the sun in winter too), And if it did heat up and get a bit too warm well I think I can open some of the windows we will have, I think I've counted more than 17 awning windows so yeah. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 31Jun 13, 2008 8:31 pm No probs, Pebble, like I said no offence, I just have a strong opinion on double brick, and I'm yet to be convinced that the weather in Perth particularly is 'extreme' enough to warrant its exclusivity. Geoff - Decophile. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 32Jun 16, 2008 2:00 pm Eager No probs, Pebble, like I said no offence, I just have a strong opinion on double brick, and I'm yet to be convinced that the weather in Perth particularly is 'extreme' enough to warrant its exclusivity. No offense taken, just felt that I should write a rebuttal. Talking about extreme weather, by the sounds of things the future will be pretty interesting in that regard, with changing weather patterns etc. At the moment we're getting a fair bit of rain, it's great. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 33Jun 16, 2008 5:48 pm Eager In my humble opinion, there are a lot of misinformed people in W.A., who, due to their isolation, just don't know better! . We went to see our builder a couple of weeks ago and he was telling us that they do raft slabs. I asked if they did waffle slabs (just out of curiosity), his response was "I never heard of it. How is it made" Makes me wonder if they have actually heard of brick veneer houses also I dont think dbl brick has any benefits over brick veneer and each has its good and bad points. Our house is an oven in summer, especially at night trying to sleep, and still cold in winter. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 34Jun 16, 2008 7:13 pm I briefly had a chat to a building designer I work with. He said there is very little if any thermal benefit in double brick and appropriate brick veneer or cladding materials get better thermal performance at a lower cost. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 35Jun 16, 2008 9:33 pm HomeReview I briefly had a chat to a building designer I work with. He said there is very little if any thermal benefit in double brick and appropriate brick veneer or cladding materials get better thermal performance at a lower cost. Appropriate brick veneer or cladding material get better insulation. But thermal performance depends on insulation and thermal mass. If you have both high insulation and high thermal mass then night time ventilation (summer) and lots of northern sun (winter) will give you a comfortable house. Combine this with good double glazed windows and you will probably never need to use an air-conditioner or heater. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 36Jun 16, 2008 9:45 pm As Casa notes.
The key thing here is an internal brick wall will only benificial if the other side of that internal bricks wall is very well thermally insulated from the outside temperature changes. Good thermal performance does not come from just thermal mass inside, it needs to be combined with other components that ensure the inside air (hot or cool) slowly stores or releases heat inside the house. Your typical double brick house has an air gap between the bricks, so cold air is normally flowing up that gap which is cooling the other side of the internal bricks. Not a good thing in winter if you are trying to warm them up on the other side of them. So don't expect just double brick to be better - sure it will be different to plaster walls, but unless it is designed properly - it's not going to be streets ahead thermally. Good thermally efficient housing requires a bit of mind shift from what you might be thinking is a cool (ie trendy) house construction and design principles. But the avalanche is starting at least Steve Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 37Jun 17, 2008 8:26 am Yah_Chat where both Pebble and I are building there are requirements for thermal material between the 2 layers of brick anyway. I think what Pebble meant by it was the cheapest alternative was also that as we are both in the country there were not a lot of builders to choose from. Unless you wanted an alternative type steel framed house. Not allowed in my covenant anyway I like solid set plaster walls myself having lived in/owned a brick veneer house before with plaster board. Yes our builder (we have the same one) also does rammed earth houses. For a lot more money! Personally I love them but hubby wasn't too keen and we couldn't afford the price difference. There are a few small private builders. No idea what they are like. Being new to the area finding anyone building with anyone else was difficult. In my situation no other builders were willing to build here at the time we looked. Not sure if Pebble had more choice but I suspect not. Blog http://wherethehearthis.blogspot.com/ Build https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=6634: Yard https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27687&p=378401#p378401 Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 38Jun 17, 2008 10:58 pm Fully understand the issues and lack of choice Kex - but if the builder is doing rammed earth then he should be partway towards knowing what a thermally efficient house deign is.
Double brick if built right with north facing areas that allow the sun in to warm a wall up is the ideal. But double brick - built in the same as a veneer design is NOT how these benefits are gained. As I said above - The change is happeneing and eventually all houses will be built to maximise the benefits of the climate they are built in - without major artificial heating and cooling systems - and double brick fits into that model. Steve Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 39Jun 18, 2008 12:57 am Our last house was also double brick Amazing for us we actually built it to fit the surround perfectly. Amazingly because although we wanted a thermally efficient house we didn't think about it a lot but luckily it happened to fit the block, fit being thermally efficient and suit our needs. ( friends build a similar house , less than 1 km from us , had major problems with heating and cooling because theirs wasn't the correct orientation on the block, and they didn't employ simple energy efficient techniques )This time the block is facing the wrong way or rather the house design is the wrong way around for thermal efficiency. BUT we want our main living areas to face this specific direction because it suits the outlook of the block. ( the only block we were interested in, in the development) We also want this particular design because it fits our lifestyle. This means we have to consider other ways to make it more efficient. Wonderfully enough everyone at the builders has tried to suggest we orientate the design for best thermal design use ( something that wasn't even a consideration 19 yrs ago when we last built) but it doesn't suit the outlook which was a major reason we picked this block over others in the very small ( 3 street) final release.
Please note: Before anyone gets on a hobby horse: there are no other land releases in the very small town we've bought in so we've made the best choice from amongst a very limited amount of land choices. Re: Solid brick - why don't they build them? 40Jun 19, 2008 10:39 pm We can only do the best we can for where we desire to live. Celestial windows can be get that light in where you need it Right - the horse is going into the cupboard http://www.homeatyellow.com.au/yph/page/discover/content/editorial_1204076293879913 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15840 If this is a custom build then I would expect the builder to set out the door frame closer to the wall to avoid the gap between architrave and the wall and or specify… 9 8251 wondering anyone built with omaxe homes and care to share their experiences. thanks 0 13782 |