case study
Airtightness result: 1.7m3/h.sqm Build cost: £278,000 Total cost: £350,000
Build spec
immersion.” The heat recovery system is also working out better than expected. “It has an added benefit in that you get no odours when you’re cooking.” Peace of mind came to them from the quality of products they installed. “In the first year if we had any problems the suppliers came straight out to help us make tweaks to the systems.” But the house, as most self-build houses, still isn’t completely finished. “We have rooms upstairs to tile, decorate, you name it! It’s been a project that reflects the programmes you see on TV – it was a slow process and we did what we could based on what we could afford.” Overall, Sinead couldn’t be happier with the finished product. “It is great, I’m delighted we did it. It took us a while to get used to but it was well worth the effort.” n Astrid Madsen Plot size: 4 acres, house set in ¾ acres House size: 3,500 sqft + 500 sqft garage EPC: 97 (A)
Floor: solid sandwich floor of 100mm Sand/ Cement Fibre Screed on 25mm PIR insulation on 150mm reinforced concrete slab on 125mm PIR on damp proof membrane jointed to DPC with airtight tape on internal skin. U-Value 0.10 W/ sqmK Walls: 150mm cavity concrete block wall with full fill tongue and groove EPS cavity board. U-value 0.17 W/sqmK Roof: As living area cut into loft space, roof specification made up of 400mm mineral wool to main ceilings and all sloping ceilings and dormers made up of 120mm PIR insulation between 170mm thick rafters with 62.5mm insulated plasterboard (50mm phenolic insulation) mechanically fixed to underside of rafters. Airtight tape used to all joints in plasterboard and where plasterboard meets blockwork prior to plastering. U-value 0.16 W/sqmK External balcony: from bottom to top 100mm concrete slab with 50 mm sand/cement screed laid to fall to each gutter outlet at the two ends of the balcony. DPC laid across the entire deck and bonded to wall DPC. 125mm PIR board laid on top of membrane with 25mm marine ply on top, all mechanically fixed to slab. 150mm insulation upstand with 25mm PIR board to wall fixed around perimeter of parapet wall and first floor wall at 90deg to the balcony deck. Liquid covering then applied to plywood and up the 25mm insulation board, then lead flashing of the four walls dressed over the 150mm upstand to make watertight. U-value 0.17 W/sqmK Windows: 44mm triple glazed units made up of two 16mm argon gas filled cavities which consisted of two panes of very low emissivity (0.01) soft coat glass. Thermally efficient spacer bars and thermal barrier around entire glazing area. Insulating foam also with outer frame chambers to give a total window U-Value of 0.8W/sqmK.
info The companies listed below provide products & services relating to this article. Builder Stephen Mulligan, Forthill Design & Development, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, tel. 867 58928, info@forthillbuilders.co.uk, www.forthillbuilders.co.uk, www.facebook.com/ ForthillBuilders Architect Damien Teague, Belfast, mobile 077 6588 2487, www.dtarchitects.net Stairs/Balcony MacSpec, Ballynahinch, Co Down, tel. 9756 2591, www.macspec.co.uk Renewables Green Energy Technology, Craigavon, Co Armagh, tel. 3888 1228, www.get-renewables.com Tiles and bathroom BJ Mullen, Moy, Co Tyrone, tel. 8778 4357, www.bjmullen.com
Insulation Kingspan Insulation (floor Thermafloor TF70, sloping roofs Kingspan Thermapitch and Kingspan K18, Platinum Fulfil Cavity Board with Neopor graphite component for the cavity wall insulation) www.kingspaninsulation.ie and Knauf Insulation (living room roof Earthwool loft roll) www.knauf.ie Heat Recovery System and airtightness tests Atlantic Air, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, tel. 8675 1025, www.atlanticairtesting.com Stone to balcony and internal gable wall of sun room Coolestone, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, tel. 8774 6274, www.coolestone.co.uk Electrician Anthony McNally, Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, mobile 07798 732 816
Plumber Heatwaves NI, Banbridge, Co Down, tel. 4066 9639, www.heatwavesni.com Concrete products Barretts Concrete, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, tel. 3754 8646 General building products Simpsons Builders Centre, Cookstown, Co Tyrone, tel. 8676 2211 Lead cladding to dormers Bovill Lead Ltd, Toomebridge, tel. 2587 8305, www.bov-lead.co.uk Wood burning Cassette stove and slate internal cills PM Fireplaces, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, tel. 8772 5212, www.projectmarble.com Photographer Paul Lindsay www.paullindsayphoto.co.uk
ROI calling NI: prefix with 048 NI calling ROI: prefix with 00353(0)
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