Browse Forums General Discussion Re: No wonder Aus housing is described as "glofified tents" 3Oct 22, 2017 8:00 pm 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 22, 2017 11:47 pm 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 1:06 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 6:36 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 7:10 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 9:18 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 9:56 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 4:25 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 12:10 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 7:44 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 5148 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 8432 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 16537 |