One of the things that frequently gets forgotten is the hatch that gives access to the roof space.
Location
A usual location is in acorridor close to the secondary bedrooms.
It doesn’t seem that important but when you need the heating serviced, electrical alterations, plumbing alterations, etc, you are going to get tradies coming through the house.
Alternative Locations
When they have gone I often find dirty fingerprints on the hatch. . . which means I then need to get a ladder to clean the hatch.
It’s worth thinking about where you put this hatch.
If you have a single storey house the garage is probably the most convenient location followed by the laundry.
If you have got a 2 storey house an unobtrusive location may be a bit harder to find. . . . but make sure you think about it otherwise Sod’s Law says it will finish up in the worst spot.
Type and Size
If you are the sort of person who can’t throw anything away you might want some extra space for storage.
In that case perhaps you should think about a larger hatch fitted with a ladder. (The ladder in the photo is a product of the ATTIC Group which is going to cost over $1,000)
Finally
Don’t put anything heavy in the attic as the roof trusses aren’t designed for heavy loads.
Well in my garage there are the following fuel sources
50 Litres of Petrol. (in the car fuel tank)
A litre of white spirit.
A litre turps substitute.
2 x 5kg gas bottles.
Several tins of half used gloss and enamel paint.
Large box of scrap wood.
Various cardboard boxes.
As far as ignition sources go there is
Electrical Sparks from 240 volt power tools
Sparks from angle grinder
Car electrical system
And I don’t even have a welder or brazing torch!
If a fire started, and was undiscovered, how long would it take to spread to the rest of the house?………………….Not very long if you have got a standard internal door and one layer of standard plasterboard on the walls and ceiling. (In the UK if there is a room above a garage the standard is two layers of plasterboard with off set joints between sheets)
It could well be worth upgrading the specification for your new house to improve the fire resistance of garage walls, ceilings and doors! Perhaps you might also consider fitting a sprinkler point.
There’s lots to think about when you are positioning a house on a block.
Here are some things that you should consider when comparing blocks and then deciding how to place your house,
Statutory Limits There are usually the following limits on where you can place your house:
Local Council Setbacks (the rules should be on the council website, it may refer to the building envelope)
Sewer or Drainage Easements (check your title documents for these)
Driveway Crossover Many blocks now come with the driveway crossover already constructed which causes further restrictions unless you want the expense of removing the crossover and constructing a new one in a different location.
Take Advantage of the Sun My aim to get most of the main rooms facing North for a solar passive performance and which helps with the energy rating performance (A good orientation can boost the environmental rating by at least one star).
Avoid Shading I like to place the house fairly close to the Southern Boundary so that the I can have a garden on the sunny side of the block which you can see from those North facing rooms. The wider garden also helps prevent shading from the house next door.
Overheating from Afternoon Sun Avoid or at least minimise West facing windows.
Welcoming EntranceFront doors should be facing, and clearly visible from, the street . . . it looks more welcoming and improves security.
Outdoor Entertaining Areas Decks and alfresco areas with a westerly aspect are good for having a beer in the evening while watching the setting sun.
Kitchen Views In our last house the kitchen window had the most interesting view. . . as that is the one you find yourself looking out of the most.
Storage Areas Do you want to store a caravan, trailer or boat on the site.
Pets If you have a dog does it have somewhere to run around without damaging your main garden? and somewhere where it can sleep away from rain and summer sun?
What do you think is important when placing you house?
In my first 35 years living in England I always lived in 2 storey homes.
I was never that keen on stairs for the following reasons:
During that time I thought that the worst job around the house, when helping my mother, and later my wife, was cleaning the stairs!
When we had young children there was always the worry about them falling downstairs.
If you got a leg injury you could be forced to stay on the ground floor until you recovered.
As you got older, if you didn’t want too move, you might need to buy a stair lift.
Moving new furniture is also a problem with 2 storey houses particularly when the stairs have a bend in them. . .The ones that double back are the worst!
Most people in Britain aspired to living in a single storey house, or as they call them in England ‘a Bungalow’.
Imagine my surprise when we moved to Australia and found that two storey houses were seen as the premium end of the market. I quickly said there was no way I would be living in a 2 storey house again.
Changing Circumstances
If I was a first time buyer with the current problems of urban sprawl and housing affordability I might be forced to think differently.
Perhaps the developers and builders also need to think again and start offering designs and subdivisions that are aimed at smaller two storey houses.
You do see a few smaller houses but they tend to be in body corporate infill developments as these are generally built closer to the city there isn’t the same saving for the first time buyer compared with newer subdivisions.
There are also often issues of limited parking.
Would you be happy to get a start in the housing market by buying a smaller 2 storey house, and then moving up to a larger two storey house as your family grow?
Appearance is very much a matter of taste with different people liking different styles, there no right solution.
If I put up a picture of something as the way to go than more people would think I was wrong, than would think I was right.
But here are a couple of thoughts:
Avoid being a fashion victim, by going for the latest builders style, which was designed with the aim of grabbing your attention…………… The ‘WOW’ factor……………. In a year or two the ‘WOW’ gimmick and fashion will have moved on. For example about 30 years ago in Australia there was a trend for white bricks, which looks really dated now.
Going for the Victorian look, which seems popular, but can be risky. . . One mistake I have seen is this big two storey Victorian mansion on a small block surrounded by single story modern houses. It looks more like a pub than a home.
I try and go for what you could call a timeless appearance but what’s that look like?
The best suggestion I can make is to walk round an estate near where you live that is around 20-30 years old.
Some of the houses you see will look very dated.
Other will look as though they could have been built a couple of years ago.
They won’t all look the same……………….. just timeless.
Take some photos of the ones you like to help you compare with other designs you come across.
Here are some things you should consider avoiding:
Too many different materials. Brick, render, stone, painted wood, stained wood, all on the same façade can look very messy.
Different sized windows. The human brain likes to see order and a range of different window heights and widths on the same wall looks confusing.
Anything with a structural appearance that looks obviously stuck on.
Roof out of proportion with house. Could be either too large or too small.
A front façade that doesn’t link in with rest of the house. Some really look as though they have been stuck on the front face, particularly when they stop at the corner rather that continuing to a natural break point.
What trend do you think will mark a house as a Fashion Victim?
The most common frame for the standard brick veneer house uses timber.
Steel frames however are becoming much more common. . . . So why should you choose one or the other?
Advantages of Timber
Well understood by builders;
Cheaper;
Easy to adapt or modify during construction or later;
Is a sustainable resource;
Better sound and heat insulation;
Easier to fix fittings into;
Lock away carbon.
Advantages of Steel
Cannot be attacked by termites or borers; (that doesn’t mean you don’t need termite protection as there will still be plenty of wood in door frames and cupboards etc);
Prefabricated frames are lighter than timber;
Steel doesn’t have to be treated with chemicals;
Doesn’t rot;
Doesn’t shrink warp or twist;
Doesn’t burn;
NB. Inside a building rust will not be a problem, but just in case most steel frames are galvanised.
All my houses up to now have had timber frames and I have been happy with the result so I would probably continue to use timber if I was getting someone else to erect it.
If I was planning to erect the frame myself I would probably go for steel for the weight saving.
This addendum was added to an original Post from 2014 as there has been a lot of publicity recently (late February 2019) about foam panels and certification has been removed from certain types of panels.
A particular issue for apartment blocks has been related to high speed spread across the surface of the panels to other flats.
On a standard house the render should protect the insulation from external flames. (If flames penetrate the plasterboard, from the inside, it is likely that the occupants will either have already evacuated, or be dead before the insulation ignites) n
Nevertheless you should review whether the potential risks from foam panels are acceptable to you.
Original Article
Rendered Foam walls are becoming much more common, particularly in the upper floor of 2 storey homes. They offer a real advantage in situations where it would be difficult to provide adequate suppport for a heavy brick wall (For example when the upper floor needs to be set back from the ground floor)
If you are worried about strength you need to be aware that the real strength of the house is in the frame. (see: House Construction – The Frame)
Construction
The Foam boards, which are manufactured with an external mesh face, are fixed to the frame with special galvanised screws that incorporate spreader washers.
Joints are sealed with a polyurethane foam and have mesh jointing tape.
External corners are reinforced with metal strips.
A minimum of 5mm of acrylic render is applied, normally in a three layer system.
Polystyrene Foam
There are 2 different types of foam used in this construction method:
Expanded polystyrene( EPS) – Good thermal performance but limited impact resistance/structural strength.
Extruded polystyrene (XPS) – Similar thermal performance and looks similar but the production method is different which results in increased impact resistance and structural strength. Higher cost
Insulation values for the various board thicknesses are:
50mm – R 1.2
75mm – R 1.8
100mm – R 2.4
Final Thoughts
Although there are some advantages in this system it does require careful detailing and construction otherwise leakage can occur damaging your house.
The advantage of masonry on the lower part of the house is that it is less likely to be damaged by the bumps and bangs of daily life. Once the wall is above head height damage becomes less of an issue and the rendered foam board should be fine.
I’d prefer XPS to EPS.
Although the insulation values are good the builder will most likely want to save the cost of the insulation batts in the frame. If you ask for the wall to include insulation batts you will have an exceptionally well insulated wall at very little extra cost.
