ᐅ Solid construction or timber / Borehole or trench collector
Created on: 14 Apr 2020 11:35
M
maleba89
Hello to all building experts, and thanks in advance for your support. I hope I’m posting in the right subforum with my questions.
We are currently planning our single-family home and would appreciate some assistance. We already own a plot of land, and I have a few questions about it. I’ve attached some pictures of the property and our plans. The marked stream runs underground in a pipe about 25-30cm (10-12 inches) deep. However, the land slopes down from the street about 90cm (35 inches) toward the middle and will be leveled at street level with fill.
We intend to build a single-family house with two floors, no basement, a knee wall height of 1.60m (5.25 feet), and a roof pitch of 38°. The residential area is very quiet and not on a main road. The site elevation is 540m (1772 feet).
We don’t plan to apply for KfW funding, but we do want to achieve at least the KfW 55 standard regarding energy efficiency.
We will only have the shell construction done professionally: foundation slab and roof. The rest we will do ourselves, as my father owns a carpentry/joinery business specializing in windows, and we also have a plastering company in the family. So we will handle floors, windows, doors, stairs, installation layers, roof insulation, non-load-bearing interior walls, interior plaster, and possibly exterior plaster ourselves.
I will take care of the electrical work; I’m a certified master electrician and work professionally in this field.
Currently, we are still undecided between timber frame construction and solid masonry.
For timber frame construction, I have concerns about sound insulation inside the house (children’s rooms above the living room with home theater). Is good sound insulation between floors achievable in this system?
With timber frame construction, we can do much ourselves since only the stud frame with plaster carrier board (or wood fiber board with an air gap and wood facade) would be installed by the builder. We would take care of wall insulation and cladding ourselves. We already built my uncle’s house ourselves this way about 10 years ago. What bothers me there is that when the children play upstairs, the noise is clearly audible in the living room below. However, his house has an open beam ceiling with ventilation ducts running above the visible boards.
1. Are there any experiences with other floor constructions here in the forum? We don’t need an exposed beam ceiling and have also considered a cross-laminated timber (CLT) ceiling.
2. As an alternative, solid construction is also an option—only the outer walls and load-bearing walls. However, I would prefer to avoid external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS / external wall insulation) and build monolithically if possible. Or do you think there are better alternatives currently?
3. We plan to use a heat pump with geothermal energy. Given the lot size, I considered trench collectors, but I wonder whether they have to be placed directly next to the house or, as in the drawing, can be a bit away from the building? The piping would then connect in the garage approximately.
4. Heat distribution is planned via underfloor heating throughout the rooms, and a stove with a water jacket in the living room is intended to support heating. I thought the heat from the stove would be fed through a mixing valve to both the underfloor heating circuit and the hot water circuit.
5. A central ventilation system is not planned; instead, decentralized ventilation will be used in the living area, kitchen, bathroom, and possibly bedrooms.
Maybe you have some additional ideas?
We are currently planning our single-family home and would appreciate some assistance. We already own a plot of land, and I have a few questions about it. I’ve attached some pictures of the property and our plans. The marked stream runs underground in a pipe about 25-30cm (10-12 inches) deep. However, the land slopes down from the street about 90cm (35 inches) toward the middle and will be leveled at street level with fill.
We intend to build a single-family house with two floors, no basement, a knee wall height of 1.60m (5.25 feet), and a roof pitch of 38°. The residential area is very quiet and not on a main road. The site elevation is 540m (1772 feet).
We don’t plan to apply for KfW funding, but we do want to achieve at least the KfW 55 standard regarding energy efficiency.
We will only have the shell construction done professionally: foundation slab and roof. The rest we will do ourselves, as my father owns a carpentry/joinery business specializing in windows, and we also have a plastering company in the family. So we will handle floors, windows, doors, stairs, installation layers, roof insulation, non-load-bearing interior walls, interior plaster, and possibly exterior plaster ourselves.
I will take care of the electrical work; I’m a certified master electrician and work professionally in this field.
Currently, we are still undecided between timber frame construction and solid masonry.
For timber frame construction, I have concerns about sound insulation inside the house (children’s rooms above the living room with home theater). Is good sound insulation between floors achievable in this system?
With timber frame construction, we can do much ourselves since only the stud frame with plaster carrier board (or wood fiber board with an air gap and wood facade) would be installed by the builder. We would take care of wall insulation and cladding ourselves. We already built my uncle’s house ourselves this way about 10 years ago. What bothers me there is that when the children play upstairs, the noise is clearly audible in the living room below. However, his house has an open beam ceiling with ventilation ducts running above the visible boards.
1. Are there any experiences with other floor constructions here in the forum? We don’t need an exposed beam ceiling and have also considered a cross-laminated timber (CLT) ceiling.
2. As an alternative, solid construction is also an option—only the outer walls and load-bearing walls. However, I would prefer to avoid external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS / external wall insulation) and build monolithically if possible. Or do you think there are better alternatives currently?
3. We plan to use a heat pump with geothermal energy. Given the lot size, I considered trench collectors, but I wonder whether they have to be placed directly next to the house or, as in the drawing, can be a bit away from the building? The piping would then connect in the garage approximately.
4. Heat distribution is planned via underfloor heating throughout the rooms, and a stove with a water jacket in the living room is intended to support heating. I thought the heat from the stove would be fed through a mixing valve to both the underfloor heating circuit and the hot water circuit.
5. A central ventilation system is not planned; instead, decentralized ventilation will be used in the living area, kitchen, bathroom, and possibly bedrooms.
Maybe you have some additional ideas?
2. As an alternative, solid construction could also be considered, focusing only on the exterior and load-bearing walls. However, I would prefer to avoid external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) in this case and, if possible, build monolithically. Or do you think there are better alternatives available currently?
- Monolithic construction can be done without any problems.
3. We are planning a heat pump with geothermal energy. Due to the size of the plot, I was thinking about trench collectors, but my question is whether these need to be located directly next to the house or if they can also be placed a bit away from the house as shown in the drawing? The pipes would then connect to the garage roughly.
- That’s also no problem as you have drawn it, as long as there are no legal restrictions.
4. The heat is to be distributed through underfloor heating in the rooms, and additionally, a stove with a water jacket is planned in the living room to support the heating system. I was thinking that the heat from the stove would be fed into the underfloor heating circuit and the hot water circuit via a mixing valve.
- That sounds good but is actually nonsense. A stove for comfort and ambiance is certainly an option, but not if you expect heating support or cost savings.
5. A central ventilation system is not planned; instead, decentralized ventilation is intended for the living area, kitchen, bathroom, and possibly bedrooms.
- Definitely not, decentralized ventilation is a makeshift solution for older buildings.
- Monolithic construction can be done without any problems.
3. We are planning a heat pump with geothermal energy. Due to the size of the plot, I was thinking about trench collectors, but my question is whether these need to be located directly next to the house or if they can also be placed a bit away from the house as shown in the drawing? The pipes would then connect to the garage roughly.
- That’s also no problem as you have drawn it, as long as there are no legal restrictions.
4. The heat is to be distributed through underfloor heating in the rooms, and additionally, a stove with a water jacket is planned in the living room to support the heating system. I was thinking that the heat from the stove would be fed into the underfloor heating circuit and the hot water circuit via a mixing valve.
- That sounds good but is actually nonsense. A stove for comfort and ambiance is certainly an option, but not if you expect heating support or cost savings.
5. A central ventilation system is not planned; instead, decentralized ventilation is intended for the living area, kitchen, bathroom, and possibly bedrooms.
- Definitely not, decentralized ventilation is a makeshift solution for older buildings.
K
knalltüte14 Apr 2020 19:18Hi,
regarding impact sound insulation and solid wood or timber frame construction, we are planning this ceiling structure above the ground floor (the upper floor is rented out, by the way).
Best regards
regarding impact sound insulation and solid wood or timber frame construction, we are planning this ceiling structure above the ground floor (the upper floor is rented out, by the way).
Best regards
Thank you for the many responses. I will try to answer a few questions.
The bathroom upstairs next to the bedroom is the master bathroom, which was a request from us (mainly my wife). The children are not supposed to use this bathroom later on.
The office upstairs is not really needed and would only be used for my laptop and some files. In theory, this room could also become the children's bathroom, replacing the smaller bathroom and making the hallway a bit narrower because of the staircase.
The hobby room is for my wife to sew, for my laptop and piano, and possibly for other activities.
The master bedroom is oriented toward the garden where the sun rises. Additionally, the area behind the property is not allowed to be built on and offers a nice view. That is why we chose this location.
We planned the downstairs bathroom with a shower as a precaution for old age, in case climbing stairs becomes difficult. The downstairs office would then become the bedroom in old age. Another idea is to arrange the downstairs bathroom as a guest bathroom only, create more space in the utility room, and later renovate if needed as we grow older.
The house is planned to be built with vapor-permeable construction. Is a ventilation system still advisable? Is it generally useful, since my uncle also has a ventilation system and the main problem in winter is always the very dry indoor air?
The bathroom upstairs next to the bedroom is the master bathroom, which was a request from us (mainly my wife). The children are not supposed to use this bathroom later on.
The office upstairs is not really needed and would only be used for my laptop and some files. In theory, this room could also become the children's bathroom, replacing the smaller bathroom and making the hallway a bit narrower because of the staircase.
The hobby room is for my wife to sew, for my laptop and piano, and possibly for other activities.
The master bedroom is oriented toward the garden where the sun rises. Additionally, the area behind the property is not allowed to be built on and offers a nice view. That is why we chose this location.
We planned the downstairs bathroom with a shower as a precaution for old age, in case climbing stairs becomes difficult. The downstairs office would then become the bedroom in old age. Another idea is to arrange the downstairs bathroom as a guest bathroom only, create more space in the utility room, and later renovate if needed as we grow older.
The house is planned to be built with vapor-permeable construction. Is a ventilation system still advisable? Is it generally useful, since my uncle also has a ventilation system and the main problem in winter is always the very dry indoor air?
maleba89 schrieb:
Is ventilation useful there? In my opinion, ventilation is always useful—but only a central system for the entire house. When done properly, it significantly improves living comfort.
maleba89 schrieb:
The bathroom upstairs next to the bedroom is the master bathroom, which was our wish (mainly my wife’s). The children are not supposed to use it later. Well, that’s definitely an expensive luxury wish. Two bathrooms on the first floor (1st floor/upper floor) take up a lot of space. You would also still have a guest toilet on the ground floor. I would strongly oppose this and rather choose a hobby room instead.
Having the second bathroom with a shower only downstairs is also inconvenient. The children will surely complain about always having to run downstairs. Plus, they then have to pass by several (possibly large) windows in towels or bathrobes. This seems a bit unfair, just so your wife has a short and private route to her own bathroom.
Honestly, I would convert the master bathroom into a regular bathroom.
Dry air is not caused solely by the ventilation system.
How can a house be airtight and still vapor permeable, making a ventilation system unnecessary? That doesn’t work. You need mechanical or automatic ventilation.
If you want to live on the ground floor as you age, then include a double bed and wardrobe in your plans at the office. Also, look into accessibility requirements and space needed for assistive devices—quickly check out zero-barrier concepts online. Stairs aren’t the only challenge.
I also prefer a family bathroom upstairs. Three bathrooms for four people is quite a lot of cleaning. Fortunately, the portable toilet concept is outdated.
What bothers me upstairs is the master suite compared to the children’s rooms—both the size and location (a large room with a nice view for sleeping). The kids have to sleep, study, play, and meet friends in much smaller spaces.
I wouldn’t design the hobby room as a confined space. You’re limiting your incredible flexibility.
Am I the only woman who sews in the dining room? There I have a large table for cutting fabric, a TV for background noise, space for the iron, I can hear the little one upstairs if needed, and I don’t disturb her.
How can a house be airtight and still vapor permeable, making a ventilation system unnecessary? That doesn’t work. You need mechanical or automatic ventilation.
If you want to live on the ground floor as you age, then include a double bed and wardrobe in your plans at the office. Also, look into accessibility requirements and space needed for assistive devices—quickly check out zero-barrier concepts online. Stairs aren’t the only challenge.
I also prefer a family bathroom upstairs. Three bathrooms for four people is quite a lot of cleaning. Fortunately, the portable toilet concept is outdated.
What bothers me upstairs is the master suite compared to the children’s rooms—both the size and location (a large room with a nice view for sleeping). The kids have to sleep, study, play, and meet friends in much smaller spaces.
I wouldn’t design the hobby room as a confined space. You’re limiting your incredible flexibility.
Am I the only woman who sews in the dining room? There I have a large table for cutting fabric, a TV for background noise, space for the iron, I can hear the little one upstairs if needed, and I don’t disturb her.
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