ᐅ Porous concrete bungalow – experiences? DIY beginner questions!
Created on: 24 Apr 2018 10:38
G
GooSe_77
Hello everyone,
We have been considering building or buying a house for some time now, and we would like to move forward and start planning more concretely. However, I feel overwhelmed by all the information available online—or sometimes not available—and I would like to discuss my idea here with you.
I want to do as much as possible myself, I’m not necessarily unskilled, and currently, I have enough time.
The desired living space would be a bungalow with 2-3 bedrooms, one bathroom, and a large living area. Ceiling height about 3.5m (11.5 ft) with a slightly sloped green roof at 10°. If I find a simple software, I can try drawing it.
I can well imagine using aerated concrete blocks (porous concrete) for the walls, mainly because I think I could manage that myself. The roof structure would be made of glued laminated timber (glulam), spanning about 7m (23 ft) without support, so sturdy beams will be needed. The advantage is that no load-bearing walls will have to be built. The living area would be completely open without any internal walls. A structural engineer would have to calculate this, but can anyone here make a rough estimation?
I have a few questions about the aerated concrete: as far as I know, it is vapor-permeable. So, if it is clad with wood on the outside and plastered with clay on the inside, would that create a comfortable indoor climate?
Is it possible to achieve a KfW 55 energy standard with corresponding windows? What thickness would be required in that case?
Electric and plumbing installations will be embedded in the walls. Is there anything to consider here since the blocks are thinner—regarding structural stability and thermal insulation?
What would be a rough estimate of the material costs for heating (underfloor heating), water, and electricity installation? Just to get a rough idea…
Thanks a lot,
Bastian
We have been considering building or buying a house for some time now, and we would like to move forward and start planning more concretely. However, I feel overwhelmed by all the information available online—or sometimes not available—and I would like to discuss my idea here with you.
I want to do as much as possible myself, I’m not necessarily unskilled, and currently, I have enough time.
The desired living space would be a bungalow with 2-3 bedrooms, one bathroom, and a large living area. Ceiling height about 3.5m (11.5 ft) with a slightly sloped green roof at 10°. If I find a simple software, I can try drawing it.
I can well imagine using aerated concrete blocks (porous concrete) for the walls, mainly because I think I could manage that myself. The roof structure would be made of glued laminated timber (glulam), spanning about 7m (23 ft) without support, so sturdy beams will be needed. The advantage is that no load-bearing walls will have to be built. The living area would be completely open without any internal walls. A structural engineer would have to calculate this, but can anyone here make a rough estimation?
I have a few questions about the aerated concrete: as far as I know, it is vapor-permeable. So, if it is clad with wood on the outside and plastered with clay on the inside, would that create a comfortable indoor climate?
Is it possible to achieve a KfW 55 energy standard with corresponding windows? What thickness would be required in that case?
Electric and plumbing installations will be embedded in the walls. Is there anything to consider here since the blocks are thinner—regarding structural stability and thermal insulation?
What would be a rough estimate of the material costs for heating (underfloor heating), water, and electricity installation? Just to get a rough idea…
Thanks a lot,
Bastian
The utility room will include the storage tank for the solar water heating system, as the gas heating will necessarily be supplemented by solar. It will also house the gas connection, the water connection—both equipped with meters—the wall-mounted gas condensing boiler, the electrical panel with a required clearance of 1.5 m (5 feet) in front, and the telecommunications panel with a fiber optic modem. All of these are essential. Additionally, there will be a washing machine and dryer, two cabinets for coats and supplies, and a utility sink. Our utility room is approximately 10 square meters (108 square feet), which is not too large. Karsten
Grit Stephan29 Apr 2018 21:07Hello,
we are currently planning a bungalow as well, and regarding the utility room, I must say that we have actually seen small ones already. However, truly without a large buffer storage tank. Using an instantaneous water heater and an air-source heat pump.
As soon as gas heating is involved, I also consider the utility room too small. And installing a new gas heating system alone is no longer possible (new regulations since 2018)...
Otherwise, personally, I would not plan with bunk beds. But that is just my opinion, because I think you get tired of it after a while and they are of no use in older age anyway. But there is still quite a lot you can do with a 12sqm (130 sq ft) room.
You should really calculate how much you can actually save with less living space, because some expenses are fixed regardless of whether it is 90 or 100 sqm (970 or 1,080 sq ft)...
And if you can do a lot of the work yourself, 10 sqm (110 sq ft) more in the end does not make a huge difference in cost. (Of course, for materials like the foundation slab... but for heating, windows, and electrical work, the size of the rooms does not significantly affect the cost, does it?)
Personally, I suspect that you can only really save if you can manage a lot of the work yourself with the help of family and friends. And those who start with a very tight budget and ultimately fail... you wouldn’t be the first to encounter problems.
I also find it risky to overestimate yourself.
If you want to do a lot of the work yourself, you should not focus too much on whether you can stick to a specific budget, but rather plan with a reasonable budget and ultimately hope that you manage the work yourself and perhaps don’t even need the full budget.
I mean, everyone surely wants to keep their financing needs as low as possible, just like we do...
I can also understand the room layout personally.
We have a plot—or rather, the location of the house—where exactly this room layout is absolutely right.
Regarding your seating area or the structural engineering, I have the same questions about our bungalow too, but I believe only the architect or a structural engineer can really answer those.
Everything else beforehand might be interesting, but not truly relevant. Because what the structural engineer says is the only thing that counts, not any "this could work"...
So, all I can advise is to get your house planned or request a house proposal, and then you will see what is realistic. Then you will also know if it makes sense for you to buy a building plot.
We have done that and are now at the stage: plot secured, but with whom and when we will build is still open.
And if you have the desire and can realistically assess your own effort, just keep at it and talk to craftspeople or construction companies, get different opinions, and form your own.
Good luck.
we are currently planning a bungalow as well, and regarding the utility room, I must say that we have actually seen small ones already. However, truly without a large buffer storage tank. Using an instantaneous water heater and an air-source heat pump.
As soon as gas heating is involved, I also consider the utility room too small. And installing a new gas heating system alone is no longer possible (new regulations since 2018)...
Otherwise, personally, I would not plan with bunk beds. But that is just my opinion, because I think you get tired of it after a while and they are of no use in older age anyway. But there is still quite a lot you can do with a 12sqm (130 sq ft) room.
You should really calculate how much you can actually save with less living space, because some expenses are fixed regardless of whether it is 90 or 100 sqm (970 or 1,080 sq ft)...
And if you can do a lot of the work yourself, 10 sqm (110 sq ft) more in the end does not make a huge difference in cost. (Of course, for materials like the foundation slab... but for heating, windows, and electrical work, the size of the rooms does not significantly affect the cost, does it?)
Personally, I suspect that you can only really save if you can manage a lot of the work yourself with the help of family and friends. And those who start with a very tight budget and ultimately fail... you wouldn’t be the first to encounter problems.
I also find it risky to overestimate yourself.
If you want to do a lot of the work yourself, you should not focus too much on whether you can stick to a specific budget, but rather plan with a reasonable budget and ultimately hope that you manage the work yourself and perhaps don’t even need the full budget.
I mean, everyone surely wants to keep their financing needs as low as possible, just like we do...
I can also understand the room layout personally.
We have a plot—or rather, the location of the house—where exactly this room layout is absolutely right.
Regarding your seating area or the structural engineering, I have the same questions about our bungalow too, but I believe only the architect or a structural engineer can really answer those.
Everything else beforehand might be interesting, but not truly relevant. Because what the structural engineer says is the only thing that counts, not any "this could work"...
So, all I can advise is to get your house planned or request a house proposal, and then you will see what is realistic. Then you will also know if it makes sense for you to buy a building plot.
We have done that and are now at the stage: plot secured, but with whom and when we will build is still open.
And if you have the desire and can realistically assess your own effort, just keep at it and talk to craftspeople or construction companies, get different opinions, and form your own.
Good luck.
Good evening, the square meters are set by the building envelope, so I don’t have a choice with this plot. Whether it will work out is still uncertain.
A loft bed – when I’m older and no longer need a desk, the lower area can be used for sleeping. For now, it’s ideal to sleep this way.
The utility room needs to be larger, I agree with that.
The budget is a bit of an issue – of course, we can get enough from the bank, but I don’t want to be paying it off forever; I also want to actually finish building. Additionally, it can’t consume all our monthly income – so we are looking at how to keep costs low with certain compromises and doing some work ourselves.
A loft bed – when I’m older and no longer need a desk, the lower area can be used for sleeping. For now, it’s ideal to sleep this way.
The utility room needs to be larger, I agree with that.
The budget is a bit of an issue – of course, we can get enough from the bank, but I don’t want to be paying it off forever; I also want to actually finish building. Additionally, it can’t consume all our monthly income – so we are looking at how to keep costs low with certain compromises and doing some work ourselves.
Grit Stephan29 Apr 2018 23:28Yes, we have the same concerns about our budget. I’m also worried that if I try to save too much, I might under-plan and things won’t work out in the end. Our goal is also to have a specific monthly payment.
It would be great if you could plan a "maximum" budget with the bank and accordingly a maximum monthly payment. Then, if you end up needing significantly less financing due to your own work (for example), it would be possible to adjust the payment accordingly.
Unfortunately, I haven’t received an offer like that yet. For us, a higher financing requirement would be manageable as well, but we prefer a lower monthly payment over a longer period.
It would be great if you could plan a "maximum" budget with the bank and accordingly a maximum monthly payment. Then, if you end up needing significantly less financing due to your own work (for example), it would be possible to adjust the payment accordingly.
Unfortunately, I haven’t received an offer like that yet. For us, a higher financing requirement would be manageable as well, but we prefer a lower monthly payment over a longer period.
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