Eco/Green Building

[larry the spark]

A great place to start is the 2 volumes of

Green Building Handbook : A Companion Guide to Building Products and Their Impact on the Environment, by Tom Woolley, Sam Kimmins

'From floors to roofing, it is a source of practical information in a easy to use format. It allows you to make decisions by comparing the materials used for various different products. The books have all the information you need to minimise the environmental impact of your building projects.'

Tom Woolley was my professor of architecture at Queens University Belfast and he really is 'da man'. Totally dedicated to the cause. He has been heavily involved in straw bale construction and hemp being used as a building material. In fact he has a field full of the stuff growing somewhere in county Down, and once wanted my friend and I to pick up a load from a guy in England in a transit van and bring it over on the boat! Would have been some craic!!!

I wrote my dissertation on 'Historic Buildings and Sustainability' mainly concentrating on local vernacular buildings in the Mountains of Mourne in N.I., but I looked in some detail at the application of green technologies to some larger historic buildings.

There are many great websites out there that a simple search on google will throw up with the right key words.

Any specific queries and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[alick]

Larry, is that the one that encourages the use of natural finishes, oils, pigments and what have you instead of modern paints and varnishes ?

I remember a housebuilding book that had that as a major theme. It was big on how the offgassing of many plastics and paints contribute to sick building syndrome. The finishes look nicer too. I don't think I've bought a tin of varnish since.

I love the US Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding magazines, and stuff on timber frame houses too. Cheers.

 

[larry the spark]

Thats one of the areas covered but it gives a comprehensive run down on alternatives to just about everything. Its a very user friendly volume with plenty of pictures, diagrams etc. but does cost around £20 per book. If there was anything specific any body needed I could pass it on somehow. don't want to say how on a public forum for copyright reasons!

 

[Roving Rich]

Hi Larry, Is it possible to build a cottage on a meagre budget? A timber framer assures me I would get no change out of £100K, and when i get to that sort of sum i would be better off spending another 20k and making a 5 bedroom house?
I fancy giving strawbale ago but I don't know if the planners are to keen.
Something like Ben Laws place in Sussex would be great. Just a rrof over our head, self build and on a low budget, so i don't end up a slave to the grind to pay the morgage. Incidentaly Morgage translates to French as Death-Grip! - Say no more.
Cheers
Rich

 

[larry the spark]

Hi Rich,

100k sounds about right to me too. If you were planning on doing a self build by sourcing your materials yourself and geting stuck in with a few buddies to get the job done you could save the contractors profit and a bit of labour but you better be ready for the headaches (and there would be one, at least!). Straw bale building has moved on from even 5-10 years ago and there are quite a few good examples. Where is your site? If its rural there would be no problem I'm almost sure. Even if it was urban there souldn't really be a problem take a look at Sarah Wigglesworths house (a very extreme example, you may have seen it on Grand Designs Ch4)

 

[Mikey P]

Does the 100k include the cost of the land? I ask because I recently picked up a copy of 'Self-build & Design' magazine, the Jan 2004 issue, and it had a wooden house kit that you could buy and have erected for £44,900. I don't know a lot about self-build but this seemed pretty good value and was a good sized house.

In fact, the whole issue was on timber/wooden homes, so may be worth a look.

 

[Roving Rich]

The Plot is Rural, and not included in that 100K quote.
Picked up a copy of that Selfbuild mag before Christmas i'll get round to reading it soon (I hope).
The Weald and Downe museum in Sussex has all sorts of timber framed buildings through the ages. Including the ultra modern Grid Shell, to rebuild the houses inside! Anyway some of those designs look very simple- and cheap to build. Someone has suggested that I could use Larch as this is a bit cheaper than oak....
Thanks guys
Rich

 

[Mikey P]

Ahhh! We're off to the 'Weald and Downe Museum ' on Saturday with an architect mate of mine. I've heard good things about the place - what did you think?

 

[Roving Rich]

Fantastic Mikey, Its a great place to discover the history of shelter. See how our housing developed from an open fire in the middle of the floor and a hole in the roof.... Working water mill, Gransfors axes and that Gridshell is astounding! and with an architect as a guide your in for a good day out! I can't recommend it highly enough.
Cheers
Rich
PS and Charcoal burners/coppicers,forge,plumbing shop......

 

[Mikey P]

Went to the Wealde and Downland Museum on Saturday - it was outstanding! Enjoyed the old buildings and the gridshell but the best bits were the outdoors stuff with tyhe charcoal burners camp, the coppicing, etc. I am definitely goping back this summer when some of the demonstrations are on and the missus wants to see the animals again. I also thought that the library was very good with a lot of information on traditional woodland crafts. Top place and well worth a visit.

 

[Roving Rich]

Nice on Mike, I did just the same, but went back a bit soon after my first visit. What have they got on this summer?
Cheers
Rich

 

[larry the spark]

Thats one place I've read so much about and studied during my architecture course but never managed to get too! As far as I can gather its a unique collection and experience. That Gridshell was my favourite building of the past couple of years...its really fabulous looking and shows what a sustainable Eco/Green Building can really do, function and aesthetics-wise. I'm looking forward to visiting the W&DOAM in the hopefully not too distant future.

 

[gurushaun]

Does anyone have the publishers/ subscription details of the *Self Build &
Design *magazine that's been mentioned in this thread?

Cheers

Shaun

 

[larry the spark]

I don't know that publication but one of the British guys who pioneered self build was called Walter Segal. His work was very influencial in the field and would be well worth looking into.

Check out this website for starters

www.segalselfbuild.co.uk/

 

[Roving Rich]

Shaun,
Self Build and Design -
Subsc./Reader services, Pat Lawton on 01283 742970 or email subscriptions@sbdonline.co.uk
Website - Selfbuildanddesign.com
Its published by Waterways world LTD,151 Station Street, Burton on Trent, Staffs , DE14 1BG
Cheers
Rich

 

[Mikey P]

Nice on Mike, I did just the same, but went back a bit soon after my first visit. What have they got on this summer?

Loads, mate!

16 May - Sustainable Buildings Event sounds good and then all the usual courses on rural trades and crafts and historic building conservation.

Top place!

 

[larry the spark]

A couple of the guys in the office visited a self build show in the Kings Hall Belfast on Friday afternoon. I didn't get a ticket unfortunately as only two were up for grabs. Brought me back a good bit of information on grey water systems, claiming VAT back on self build schemes, geothermal heat pumps, environmental water treatment systems, wood burning stoves and a host of other information.

Nothing on timber framed houses though to my great dissappointment and they completely missed the stand set up by Self Build Magazine! Eejits!!