We need help planning our house! - Page 5

Sweetpea · 07-20-2009, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

The problem with the airtighness and the wood stove is that they usually suck in lots of air from the room they are in and blow it out of the chimney. In an old hose this is no problem because there are lots of leaks where fresh air from outside can replace the "missing" air. In a modern air-tight house the air is sucked out but not replaced so the fire won't burn properly and also the oxygen levels in the house will become quite low inside the house. The biggest danger however is under-pressure. If too much air get's sucked out of the house there is a pressure-vacuum that can lead to the chimney sucking exhaust air back in instead of blowing it out. Then you have poisonous fumes in the lounge...and I think nobody wants that.

For us, it's mostly the carbon monoxide... If the chimney doesn't do its work correctly (like if there's a birds nest in it), you can get carbon monoxide poisoning. And as that is heavier than air, it will crawl over the ground. Where, in our case, there's an almost forever draft

I'd love a woodstove, but it would mean that the chimney has to be rebuild. It's no longer woodstove-compliant... And rebuilding the chimney means a messy livingroom (which we just completed at christmas) and a messy bedroom (which is now ready to be painted...) So, we're stuck with the gas stove (but I've seen a new one, with an open fire!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

About the construction time...it depends very much on what you are building. In the area where our house will (hopefully soon) stand there are quite a few bungalow type houses under constrcution .They went from nonexisten to just-about-done in the course of a few weeks. However, a two-storey house with cellar and a lot of extras built in takes a fair bit longer to build. Also, there are differences in construction methods. You can build a brick house (like we are doing) where they actually have to pull it up brick by brick or you can build with pre-fabricated parts, mainly made from wood. A really fast company can have a house made from prefabricated bits all don in 2 weeks...electricity and all.
In our case only the cellar is going to be built from prefabricated parts...it has to be watertight so we'll have sandwich walls filled with water-tight concrete. It's going to be interesting to watch that. The rest of the house is bricks.

Here, they generally use both methods. All houses have a "cavity wall". The inner-wall is generally a prefabricated concrete slab. So are the floors. So, the skeleton of the house is put up in a day or two. The outside wall is made of brick and that takes a bit longer. But as the whole inside is already there, you can start doing things like electricity, water and everything else that needs to be put in the walls and floors at the same time as the outside is bricked.

Prefabricated wooden houses are a rarity here.

yvanleterrible · 07-20-2009, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

The problem with the airtighness and the wood stove is that they usually suck in lots of air from the room they are in and blow it out of the chimney. In an old hose this is no problem because there are lots of leaks where fresh air from outside can replace the "missing" air. In a modern air-tight house the air is sucked out but not replaced so the fire won't burn properly and also the oxygen levels in the house will become quite low inside the house. The biggest danger however is under-pressure. If too much air get's sucked out of the house there is a pressure-vacuum that can lead to the chimney sucking exhaust air back in instead of blowing it out. Then you have poisonous fumes in the lounge...and I think nobody wants that.

We solved the problem with a pellet stove. It uses resawing residues compressed in tiny pellets. It exhausts through a 10cm chimney and does not have to go through a roof but directly through a wall since it works with a tiny turbine. You can also set the stove 30cm from a flammable surface, only the bottom should rest on a non flammable surface. The stove also needs an 8cm air intake so the whole system is
pressure negative. But they can be expensive.

pdurrant · 07-20-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

I'll also try to attach the most recent floorplans. They are pretty much final

The plans look great - well, except for the full-length doors/pseudo-balcony in the bedroom at the back. They seem to be very common in modern buildings, but I hate them. I'd either have an actual balcony, or an ordinary window.

Thanks for sharing! I wish you well in your new house, once built!

(Oh, and I do like the small areas in ground floor and first floor for built-in cupboards. Storage space is very useful.)

CommanderROR · 07-22-2009, 12:49 PM

@pdurrant
Well, I'm not all that fond of the so-called "french balcomy" things, but my wife insited on it so we got it. My friend and future neighbour also wanted it, understandable since he's french...^^

@all

bad news day today...it seems like there will be (yet another) delay and the buolding will not start next week. No new date has been fixed, I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. This is really starting to get annoying...ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

CommanderROR · 07-29-2009, 10:06 AM

OK, today was the big day...they started digging up our plot...

The foundation hole should be finished by tomorrow evening, they'll put in the so-called "Sauberkeitsschicht", no idea what that could be in english, and on monday they'll get started on the cellar. There will be pictures...but right now my wife has the camera along for her tap-dancing course...

I'll keep you posted!

zelda_pinwheel · 07-29-2009, 10:19 AM

exciting day !! i can't wait to see the photos.

are you too distracted to think of anything else today ?

CommanderROR · 07-29-2009, 10:25 AM

Well, since I have to work I can't afford to be too distracted...^^

zelda_pinwheel · 07-29-2009, 10:26 AM

i think i would have a hard time concentrating on work if it were my house.

CommanderROR · 08-02-2009, 03:40 PM

OK, here we go...

Work has commenced as planned, the foundation hole is done, the Sauberkeitsschicht is in (apart from a little corner which will be completed tomorrow morning. Sometime during the day tomorrow work on the cellar will commence.
I'm really busy at the moment, spending a lot of time up at the plot on top of normal work so I won't be able to report in 100% regular.
I do have the blog up, still in pretty basic layout (I don't know whether that will ever change) but with lots of pictures. The link is:

http://stadthaus-rohde.blogspot.com

I don't know whether I'll be able to keep posting updates on the blog, but I'll try to at least keep the picture gallery filled. I won't do any sorting, so there is bound to be lots of rubbish in the piture section, but I guess you'll just have to live with that...

Today we had a little picnic in the foundation hole...was really fun...the weather was ideal, not too hot and just a few drops of rain. Sitting in a hole in the ground with the sun blasting down is no fun, believe me, so we were happy that it was overcast.

zelda_pinwheel · 08-02-2009, 03:43 PM

wow !! that's a big hole !

very exciting stuff, congratulations ! you must be so happy to see it finally moving ahead !!

Wetdogeared · 08-02-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

A photo of a big foundation hole would be a good start.

WDE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

OK, here we go...

....

Great start. Photo of a big foundation hole as requested. Thanks.

GraceKrispy · 08-02-2009, 04:18 PM

I'm new to your saga, but I just faithfully read about the journey. I have never been a part of building a house (my parents had one customized from a plan when I was in 2nd grade, but all I remember was that my parents cleverly had them put in an extra "book closet" into my bedroom for their only avid reader...to be honest, probably their only reader, period

)

I can't tell from the latest plans (I can't make them big enough to see properly?), but I noticed in the earlier plans that the bathroom doesn't open up to the master bedroom. Is that not a common occurence in other countries?

congrats on your BIG HOLE!! It looks quite formidable. When I was young and we moved into the aforementioned house, they were building quite a bit in the area. As kids, we used to play in all the foundations. Rebar (is that what it's called) is quite easy to climb and all our adventures would go from place to place. My brother owns our old house now and when I visit him, I think of the neighboring houses as "we played explorer in that foundation, we played on the stairs of that house once it was partially finished..." etc. People have lived in those houses for upwards of 30 yr now, but I still think of them as holes, cement, rebar, and drywall.

ShortNCuddlyAm · 08-02-2009, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I can't tell from the latest plans (I can't make them big enough to see properly?), but I noticed in the earlier plans that the bathroom doesn't open up to the master bedroom. Is that not a common occurence in other countries?

It's certainly not that common in the UK, although I think more new houses are being built with en suites to the master bedroom.

Quote:

When I was young and we moved into the aforementioned house, they were building quite a bit in the area. As kids, we used to play in all the foundations. Rebar (is that what it's called) is quite easy to climb and all our adventures would go from place to place.

I had mixed feelings when the fields and woods opposite where I grew up got turned into a housing estate. I really don't like seeing countryside vanishing under housing, especially when there are brownfield sites that could be utilised. But, at the time I was still young, so it was fun exploring the houses as they went up.

Nate the great · 08-02-2009, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CommanderROR

OK, today was the big day...they started digging up our plot...

The foundation hole should be finished by tomorrow evening, they'll put in the so-called "Sauberkeitsschicht", no idea what that could be in english, and on monday they'll get started on the cellar. There will be pictures...but right now my wife has the camera along for her tap-dancing course...

I'll keep you posted!

The American term for "Sauberkeitsschicht" is subgrade (I think). It's a layer of gravel/stone that is put in the hole. A concrete slab is poured on top.

My mom is a construction manager. Between her and Google I'm pretty sure I'm right.

CommanderROR · 08-04-2009, 05:13 PM

OK, for those who did not follow the Online-Diary thingy...here is a short update:

On monday nobody appeared, so nothing happened, but today things went smoothly. We now have a whole new set of pictures. The concrete slab will probably be poured on tomorrow afternoon, I'll be there and make sure you get pictures.

For those who did not see the link before:

http://stadthaus-rohde.blogspot.com is where all the pictures and a running commentary (in german) can be found. You can also leave comments there.

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07-22-2009, 12:49 PM	#64
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	@pdurrant Well, I'm not all that fond of the so-called "french balcomy" things, but my wife insited on it so we got it. My friend and future neighbour also wanted it, understandable since he's french...^^ @all bad news day today...it seems like there will be (yet another) delay and the buolding will not start next week. No new date has been fixed, I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. This is really starting to get annoying...ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

07-29-2009, 10:06 AM	#65
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	OK, today was the big day...they started digging up our plot... The foundation hole should be finished by tomorrow evening, they'll put in the so-called "Sauberkeitsschicht", no idea what that could be in english, and on monday they'll get started on the cellar. There will be pictures...but right now my wife has the camera along for her tap-dancing course... I'll keep you posted!

07-29-2009, 10:19 AM	#66
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	exciting day !! i can't wait to see the photos. are you too distracted to think of anything else today ?

07-29-2009, 10:25 AM	#67
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	Well, since I have to work I can't afford to be too distracted...^^

07-29-2009, 10:26 AM	#68
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	i think i would have a hard time concentrating on work if it were my house.

08-02-2009, 03:40 PM	#69
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	OK, here we go... Work has commenced as planned, the foundation hole is done, the Sauberkeitsschicht is in (apart from a little corner which will be completed tomorrow morning. Sometime during the day tomorrow work on the cellar will commence. I'm really busy at the moment, spending a lot of time up at the plot on top of normal work so I won't be able to report in 100% regular. I do have the blog up, still in pretty basic layout (I don't know whether that will ever change) but with lots of pictures. The link is: http://stadthaus-rohde.blogspot.com I don't know whether I'll be able to keep posting updates on the blog, but I'll try to at least keep the picture gallery filled. I won't do any sorting, so there is bound to be lots of rubbish in the piture section, but I guess you'll just have to live with that... Today we had a little picnic in the foundation hole...was really fun...the weather was ideal, not too hot and just a few drops of rain. Sitting in a hole in the ground with the sun blasting down is no fun, believe me, so we were happy that it was overcast.

08-02-2009, 03:43 PM	#70
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	wow !! that's a big hole ! very exciting stuff, congratulations ! you must be so happy to see it finally moving ahead !!

08-02-2009, 04:18 PM	#72
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	I'm new to your saga, but I just faithfully read about the journey. I have never been a part of building a house (my parents had one customized from a plan when I was in 2nd grade, but all I remember was that my parents cleverly had them put in an extra "book closet" into my bedroom for their only avid reader...to be honest, probably their only reader, period ) I can't tell from the latest plans (I can't make them big enough to see properly?), but I noticed in the earlier plans that the bathroom doesn't open up to the master bedroom. Is that not a common occurence in other countries? congrats on your BIG HOLE!! It looks quite formidable. When I was young and we moved into the aforementioned house, they were building quite a bit in the area. As kids, we used to play in all the foundations. Rebar (is that what it's called) is quite easy to climb and all our adventures would go from place to place. My brother owns our old house now and when I visit him, I think of the neighboring houses as "we played explorer in that foundation, we played on the stairs of that house once it was partially finished..." etc. People have lived in those houses for upwards of 30 yr now, but I still think of them as holes, cement, rebar, and drywall.

08-04-2009, 05:13 PM	#75
CommanderROR eink fanatic Posts: 2,022 Karma: 4924 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Germany Device: STAReBOOK, iRex Iliad, Sony 505, Kindle 2	OK, for those who did not follow the Online-Diary thingy...here is a short update: On monday nobody appeared, so nothing happened, but today things went smoothly. We now have a whole new set of pictures. The concrete slab will probably be poured on tomorrow afternoon, I'll be there and make sure you get pictures. For those who did not see the link before: http://stadthaus-rohde.blogspot.com is where all the pictures and a running commentary (in german) can be found. You can also leave comments there.

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